3 key takeaways
- Adding publications can add credibility and authority to your resume.
- Only include publications to your resume if they’re relevant to the job.
- Teal’s AI resume creator makes it easy to add a properly formatted publications section
If you’re an author, researcher, or in academia, you should include your published works on your resume. Adding publications on a resume can boost your credibility and authority. Plus, it may help you stand out.
You can add a publications section to your current resume template or use resume builders to help you list and format each piece. Teal is one of the best resume builders for listing publications.
If you’re applying for a job where your writing isn’t relevant, you can simply uncheck that section to exclude it. That makes it easy to have various resume versions for different roles.
This guide walks you through best practices when including publications on a resume.
Need to include publications on your resume? Create a free resume with Teal and easily list and format all the right details.
What are publications on a resume?
Publications on a resume include written and scholarly works published in reputable journals, websites, or other distinguished platforms. Blog posts on sites like WordPress, Medium, or Substack do not often qualify for the publications section of a resume and should often not be linked on your resume.
Examples of publications worthy of a resume include:
- Book title, if you’re an author, researcher, or academic
- Peer-reviewed journal articles or papers, if you’re a professor, researcher, or in academia
- Research papers, if you’re in law, science, medicine, etc.
- Article title, if you’ve written articles for a well-known journal, website, or magazine (e.g. Journal of the American Medical Association, The New York Times, The Los Angeles Times, The Washington Post, National Geographic, TIME)
- Conference papers, if you’re a researcher or academic
The publications and presentations on your resume should be related to the industry you’re in and the open position in question.
Should you include publications on your resume?
You may have an impressive list of publications. But now that you’re on the job search, you’re not sure about adding publications on a resume.
To help you decide, ask yourself: Is this related to the job? Could it help me land a job interview? If so, your potential employers want to see them.
If the answer is no, skip it. Bryan Berthot, a project manager, scrum master, and Doctor of Business Administration (DBA) candidate at Univ. of South Florida shares his strategy.
“My practice is to add publications when they’re germane to the job in question and when they maximize the chance that my resume will be noticed. I walk the line between academia and industry, as I’m both a project manager practitioner and an adjunct faculty member who teaches.”
That means including published works for academic positions and leaving them off other positions.
“Even though most adjunct faculty positions involve teaching and not research, for those jobs I always send my entire CV, which includes my academic publications. It sets me apart from many instructional faculty because by including my publications, it demonstrates that I can bring aspects of research into the classroom to give students real-world examples."
Finally, Berthot shared examples of when not to include publications on your resume.
"For project manager jobs, I typically omit my academic publications and books from my resume—unless I suspect that it will set me apart from other candidates.”
Sometimes, the answer is obvious. If you match one of the following descriptions, it makes sense to add research publications on your resume.
- Author. If you’ve published a book, it establishes your credibility in a certain field. If you’re applying for a professorship or a writing-heavy role, include the book title.
- Researcher. If you’ve published your research and are applying for an academic position, research-based role, or as a speaker for a conference, it makes sense to include your research paper on your resume.
- Student. If you’re a full-time student, research and writing might be your full-time job right now. In lieu of current working experience, listing publications on a resume can show your areas of expertise and highlight your writing skills.
- Professor. Getting published is an important step on your journey to becoming a professor. If you’re applying for a teaching or research role, include all of your publications on your resume.
Teal’s Resume Builder can help you add your publications to your resume easily. You can see resume templates and get guidance on what to include based on the job description.
How to list publications on your resume
If you’ve determined your published works are relevant to the job you’re applying for, you can add them to your resume.
Here’s how to list publications on your resume:
- Add a Publications section. You should create a dedicated resume section to list publications. In most cases, your Publications section will follow your Education section.
- List each publication in a bullet point. Include the publication title, the name of the publisher, and the date (month and year).
- Choose a style. Depending on your field, there might be a specific citation style you should use. Some examples include MLA format, APA style, AMA style, or IEEE style.
- Start with your most recent publications. List your publications on your resume in reverse chronological order. That means starting with your most recent publication and listing your older work in descending order.
- Refine your list. If you’re including a co-authored piece, make that clear and list out your role in the piece, such as “Lead author.” You can also include pending pieces by including the article title and noting it’s “Under review” or “Submitted for publication.” If any publications aren’t relevant to the job, delete them from the list.
While there are nuances to every field and industry, these are best practices for how to show publications on your resume. Consult peers in your field and the job description instructions to properly format publications on your resume.
How to list scientific publications on resume
If you’re in the sciences and have published papers, you’ll likely use American Psychological Association (APA) or the Council of Science Editors (CSE) style when citing your work.
There are also slight differentiations on how to cite the publication based on the type of work. For instance, listing a book is different from listing a journal on your resume.
CSE also has different citation variations:
- Citation-sequence
- Citation-name
- name-year
Choose a style and cite your work using the appropriate format. According to Boston University Libraries, the general format for citing a journal using CSE is:
Author. Year (or Date). Title of article. Title of journal. Volume number and issue number. Page numbers. URL in angle brackets. Date accessed.
The key is to use the same style for each publication listed on your resume. Not only is this more visually appealing, it’s also easier to understand.
How to list academic publications on a resume
Academic publications typically use either MLA or APA style. MLA refers to the Modern Language Association and APA is the American Psychological Association. Which one you should use may depend on your field. MLA is generally used in the humanities while APA is generally used in the sciences.
According to the Library of Congress, article citations using MLA style include:
Last name, First name. Title. Title of the Website, Version or edition, Publisher. Day Month Year of publication, URL. Day Month Year of access.
You can use a tool like Citation Machine to easily cite journal articles in APA style. The basic APA journal citation formula is:
Last Name, First Initial. Middle Initial. (The year it was published). Article title. Publisher title, Volume or Issue, page range.
How to list research publications on a resume
Many research publications use MLA or APA style for citations. You can choose which style best fits and use the formula when putting publications on your resume.
If you’re a research assistant and don’t have publications to list quite yet, you can still add your skills to your resume. You can create a research section on your resume if you have a lot to add. If it’s only a couple of items, include it in your bullets section.
For example:
- Conducted 100 interviews on the relationship between social media and mental health for study published in the Journal of Applied Psychology
Teal’s Resume Builder can help you start so you can easily list and format publications on your resume.
Sample publications on a resume
You have a range of citation styles to choose from; some may be a better fit than others, depending on your industry. Here are some examples of how to cite publications on your resume using common citation styles:
MLA format
Smith, Peter. Stoicism in the Modern Era, Philosophy Guide. 6 May 2020, [website]. Accessed 25 April 2024.
APA style
Hernandez, J. F. 2023. Sugar and Depression. Today in Mental Health, Volume 3, pgs 5-10.
General format
If you’re looking for a general format, you can use Teal to add your publications on your resume.
Inside the Resume Builder, you can include a publications section.
You can then input the Publication, Publisher, and the Date.
Hit “Save”
Then you’ll see it added to your resume. You can uncheck the boxes if you want to take them off any resume.
You can customize and add publications to your resume using Teal’s Resume Builder and have control of how it looks and when it’s used.
Include your publications on your resume
If your publications are related to your career and the job you’re applying for, include them. Doing so highlights your expertise and skills.
You worked hard to get your work published. You don’t want to risk losing that credibility due to poor resume formatting.
The good news is that figuring out how to put publications on your resume is simple with Teal’s Resume Builder. Add your papers to your resume with a clean, well-respected format. You can turn this section on and off and create different versions of your resume. So whether you’re applying for a professorship at a university or a management position at a startup, you can customize your resume based on the role.
Try out the Resume Builder today to showcase your experience, projects, and publications in the best possible way.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do you list publications on a legal resume?
If you only have one publication, list it in the Education or Bullets section of your resume. If you have more than one publication, create a Publications section. Use The Bluebook when citing your publications on your resume.
How do you list only one publication on a resume?
If you have just one article or paper to include on a resume, place it in your Education or Bullets section. Include the title, publisher, and date. You can choose a specific format such as APA format, MLA style, etc.
How do you list publications in progress on a CV?
If you have submitted publications now in review, you can list the title and put “Under review” or “In progress.” For publications that have been accepted but not yet published, you can list the title and put “In press” in parentheses.
Do research posters count as publications on a resume?
Research posters don’t carry the same weight as other peer-reviewed publications. If you have other academic papers, include those in a separate section on your resume, such as Education or Achievements. If you don’t, you may still want to include research posters in your Bullets section. Include the publication or conference, if applicable.
Should you list publications in your professional summary on your resume?
Your publications should be listed under a separate Publications section. If you’re pursuing an academic or research position, you may want to highlight your top publication as part of your professional summary.
