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Grad programs and research roles ask for a CV, not a résumé — and they’re not the same thing. A CV is a comprehensive record of your scholarly life. Here’s what goes in one and how it differs from the one-page résumé you’d send for a job.
Education
Degrees, institutions, dates, and (for grad apps) your advisor or thesis title. This usually goes first on an academic CV.
Research experience
Labs, projects, and roles — what you investigated and what you contributed. For research programs this is the heart of the document.
Publications & presentations
Papers, posters, and talks, in a consistent citation style. Even a conference poster or an undergrad thesis belongs here.
Teaching, service & awards
TA or tutoring roles, relevant volunteering, and any scholarships, fellowships, or honors. These round out who you are as a scholar.
Skills & relevant experience
Lab techniques, languages, software, certifications — concrete capabilities a program or advisor cares about.
A résumé is usually one page and tailored to a job; an academic CV can run several pages and is comprehensive.
A CV leads with scholarship — research, publications, presentations — not work history bullet points.
A CV grows over your career; you add to it rather than trimming it to fit a page.
For non-academic jobs you still want a short résumé — use the CV for grad school, research roles, and academia.
Early on, your CV will be short, and that’s fine — list real research, projects, posters, and relevant work honestly rather than inflating it. At the same time, include the things students often leave off: an undergrad thesis, a conference poster, a TA role. Those are exactly what a grad reader is looking for.
Build the application: see the full grad application, write your statement of purpose, and find graduate fellowships.