How to Add Research Experience to Your Resume or CV

What Types of Experience “Count” as Research Experience?

The list below will help you brainstorm the types of research-related experiences you can add to your resume or CV. Ultimately, your application materials should work for you, so there’s no pressure to include everything; focus on the experiences that best highlight your most relevant skills.

• Projects: Capstone projects, honors theses, dissertation, independent studies, First-year Research Immersion (FRI), literature review
• Lab Work: Designing and conducting experiments, assisting with faculty or graduate research, managing equipment or samples in labs across campus
• Fieldwork: Ecological surveys, archaeological digs, anthropological observations, environmental sampling
• Data Analysis: Coding or cleaning datasets, running statistical tests, creating models or simulations, conducting GIS mapping or spatial analysis
• Structured Research Experiences: Research Assistant positions, supporting graduate or faculty projects, participating in structured programs such as SOURCE Projects, Summer Scholars and Artists Program, NSF REUs.
• Presentations: Poster presentations, Research Days, the SOURCE Project Showcase, academic conferences 
• Publications: Authoring, co-authoring, or contributing to journal articles
• Community-Based Research: Conducting surveys, program evaluations, or applied projects with local nonprofits, schools, government agencies

Organizing Your Research Experience

How you decide to organize and format your research experience on your resume or CV will depend heavily on the opportunities you are applying for and your target audience. It’s important to highlight skills developed from research experiences, even when applying for non-research or scientific positions; you just may frame them differently to emphasize the interpersonal skills rather than the technical language, methodologies, or findings.

If you have multiple research experiences, you can organize them under section headings such as “Research Experience” or “Projects & Presentations.” If you have a single research-related experience, you can include it within another appropriate experience section instead.

Writing Bullet Points to Describe Your Research

Bullet points are action-oriented descriptions that provide evidence for the skills developed through your experiences. The following formula will help you craft bullet points that fully articulate the skills developed through your research:

Action verb → What you did → How you did it → Why it mattered/Outcome

Let’s break it down further with a few examples to help you brainstorm:

• Action verb
  • Designed, Created, Developed, Researched, Measured, Presented 
• What did you do?
  •  Designed and executed experiments using…
  • Analyzed primary and secondary sources to identify key trends in…
• How did you do it?
  • Applied (lab techniques, e.g., microscopy, PCR, spectroscopy, CAD modeling) to investigate (research question)
  • Refined research questions through literature reviews and faculty/peer collaboration
• Why did you do it? What were the results?
  • Contributed to (published article, faculty research, industry applications, public policy)
  • Presented findings at (Binghamton Research Days, discipline-specific conferences)

Bonus:  Whenever appropriate, quantify your impact by including data such as how many, how much, or how often. You can also strengthen your bullet points by highlighting key details about your research such as methods used, your individual contributions, tools and techniques, findings, or how you shared your results.

Formatting Specific Types of Research On Your Resume/CV

Research Experience & Projects

Include the following pieces of information for each research experience or project:

• Experience or project name
• Organization, University, or employer name
• Your title (undergraduate or graduate researcher is fine for class projects)
• Date and location
• Lab name (when applicable)
• Faculty Advisor and/or Principal Investigator (when applicable)

Considerations for describing your research experience and/or projects:

• Frame it so the reader sees transferable skills (critical thinking, data handling, teamwork) beyond just academic content
• Emphasize research outcomes (e.g., published paper, funded grant, prototype developed)
• Use technical language appropriately for your field, but tailor for general readability if applying outside academia

Publications

Citations: Use the standard citation format for your discipline.

• APA style is the most commonly used and widely recognized citation format across the sciences. You may adapt citations if a specific field, position, or application explicitly prefers a discipline-specific style (e.g., ACS, IEEE, AMA).

Authors: Emphasize your name in the correct order among the authors (bolding if multiple authors).

Pending Publications: Once your article is “in press,” it can be designated as such with the journal added. Articles that have been accepted, but are not currently under review or published, can still be listed on your resume or CV. Provide the most complete citation possible, including the entity that has accepted your work. 

Organization: If you have a single publication and/or are applying to industry roles, you can include the citation or a summary as the last bullet point under the related research experience (ex. Co-authored a peer-reviewed article on renewable energy policy (Journal Name, 2024). If you have multiple publications and/or are applying to research, scientific, or academic roles, consider creating a separate “Publications” section on your resume or CV. As you continue to increase in publications, you might also further organize this publications section into categories such as book chapters, reviews, and invited papers. 

Skills Section

Skills sections are an excellent way to display hard skills (laboratory, computer, technical, language, software, certifications, etc.) that require no additional explanation for a reader to understand your proficiency. Conversely, soft skills or interpersonal skills (leadership, communication, teamwork, etc.) should be articulated through your bullet points. 

If you’re applying for research or scientific roles that require specific hard skills, it can be helpful to place your skills section near the top of your document so it is easy to find.

Presentations

Include the following pieces of information for each presentation experience:

• Your name
• Co-authors (when applicable)
• Official presentation title and presentation type (oral, poster, webinar, etc.)
• Event name
• Date/location
• Special recognition/awards (when applicable)

APA style is the most commonly used and widely recognized citation format across the sciences. You may adapt presentation citations if a specific field, position, or application explicitly prefers a discipline-specific style (e.g., ACS, IEEE, AMA).

Similar to publications, if you do not have many presentations or are applying to industry roles, it may make more sense to summarize your presentation within a bullet under the relevant experience rather than including a formal citation or a separate “Presentations” section (ex. Presented research on biofilm formation and antimicrobial resistance at the Annual Microbiology Research Conference, Boston, MA).

Dissertation

How you include your dissertation research depends largely on your career goals and the type of document you are using (CV vs. resume). Below are general best practices; however, it is important to seek discipline-specific guidance from your advisor and/or professionals in your desired field.

Education Section (Always Include)

For PhD students and candidates, the dissertation should always be referenced in the Education section. At a minimum, your education section should include your degree earned or in progress, institution, and dissertation title. You may also include your dissertation advisor or committee chair, particularly when applying for academic or research-focused roles.

Publications Section (If Applicable)

If your dissertation research has resulted in published or accepted work, those works should be listed separately in your Publications section.

Research Experience or Projects Section (Highly Recommended)

Dissertation work can, and often should, appear in a “Research Experience” or “Research Projects section”. This allows you to provide context for your research, highlight outcomes, and connect your experience to the role you are applying for using bullet points.

When writing a CV (Faculty, Postdoc, Research Roles), craft detailed bullet points highlighting methods, frameworks, technical depth, and the original contribution to the field. When applying for industry roles with a resume, focus on transferable skills and outcomes of your research. Prioritizing skills developed, such as project management, data analytics, and collaboration, is valued over detailed methodologies for these audiences.

Additional Support & Guidance

As you explore this resource, we encourage you to take advantage of everything available to support your career journey. Below, you’ll find the sources and contributors that made this guide possible, multiple ways to connect with our office for personalized career support, and some important reminders to keep in mind as you plan your strategy. Be sure to check them out, and remember, our team is always here to help you move forward with confidence and clarity.