Resume template · Updated October 2026
Research resume template
Short answer
Henrietta suits research roles that want a resume rather than a full academic CV: a conventional page that prints education right after experience, where degree level and field matter, with publications in an extra list at the end. The fictional sample is a research associate at a Washington policy institute who began as a university research assistant, with survey design, a randomized evaluation, IRB submissions, reports and a journal article.
Download the research sample
Aisha is a fictional research associate. Replace every detail with your own before you send it.
The files are made in your browser by Resumity's own exporters, from this sample. The builder opens it as your own resume: click any line to replace it. Free plan, no watermark.
Why Henrietta suits a research resume
Henrietta places education directly after work experience, and in research the degree and field often decide which roles you can hold. The classic black and grey layout suits think tanks, universities and research firms, and the extra list at the end takes a short publications record without disturbing the main order.
Second choice: FAANGPath. FAANGPath prints methods and software rows before the jobs, better for data-heavy industry research roles.
What goes in each section, in Henrietta's order
Henrietta prints its sections in a fixed order, the same in the PDF and the Word file. Here is that order for this sample, and what to put in each section.
- Professional Summary. Name your field and methods (survey research, lab science, economics, market or user research) and the questions you work on. "Research" spans labs, think tanks, universities and companies, so the first line has to place you.
- Work Experience. Give each study its design, scale and your role: sample size, methods, data handled, outputs. Research produces reports, papers, datasets and decisions; name them, and say whether you led, analysed or supported.
- Education. Henrietta puts education right after experience, which suits a field where degree level and subject often set your level. Add a thesis title when it relates to the job.
- Skills. This grid has no labels, so lead with methods, then software, then communication skills. List only statistical or lab methods you can defend in an interview.
- Selected publications. Publications and reports go here, newest first, in one citation style. Industry and policy resumes keep the list short; academic CVs carry the full record.
The sample resume as text
The same content as the files above, so you can copy a line or compare it with your own.
Aisha Rahman
Research Associate, Survey Research and Program Evaluation
Washington, DC | aisha.rahman@example.com | (202) 555-0139 | linkedin.com/in/sample-aisha-rahman
Research associate at a nonprofit policy research institute, designing surveys and analysing data for evaluations of workforce and housing programs. Two years as a university research assistant before that, with co-authored public reports and a peer-reviewed article.
Experience
Research Associate, Capitol Square Policy Institute, Washington, DC (09/2022 to Present)
- Designed and fielded a three-wave panel survey of 2,400 job training participants, keeping retention above 80% through the final wave.
- Cleaned and analysed survey and administrative data in Stata and R for a randomized evaluation of a housing voucher program.
- Prepared IRB submissions and amendments for four studies, including consent forms and data security plans.
- Co-authored three public reports and wrote their methods appendices.
- Conducted 30 interviews with program staff and coded them in NVivo.
Graduate Research Assistant, Chesapeake University, Department of Sociology, Baltimore, MD (09/2020 to 08/2022)
- Managed data collection for a study of neighborhood change, supervising five undergraduate coders.
- Built the project's replication files and codebook.
- Co-authored a peer-reviewed article on eviction filings and school moves.
Selected publications
- Rahman, A., and co-authors (2023). Eviction filings and school moves. Journal of Urban Housing Studies.
- Capitol Square Policy Institute (2025). Early results from a three-wave survey of job training participants. Public report, co-author.
Education
MA, Sociology, Chesapeake University (05/2022)
BA, Political Science, Shenandoah Valley College (05/2020)
Skills
Survey design, Program evaluation, Regression and panel methods, Qualitative interviewing and coding, Human subjects protocols, Data management, Stata, R, Qualtrics, NVivo, Git, Report writing, Presenting to funders
How to make the sample yours
Decide between a resume and a CV
Faculty and many university posts expect a full CV with every publication, talk and grant. Think tanks, companies and government research offices usually want one or two pages with a short publications list, as in the sample.
Show research ethics work
Under the Common Rule (45 CFR 46), an IRB reviews covered research and has authority to approve it, require modifications or disapprove it. If you wrote protocols, consent forms or data security plans, say so; it shows you can run studies with human participants.
Lead with methods for industry research
Market, user and data research roles hire on methods and speed. Put methods and tools first, and translate academic outputs into business terms: decisions informed, products changed, clients served.
Adapt for laboratory science
Lab researchers list techniques, instruments, model systems and safety training, plus protocols developed and assays validated. The section order stays the same.
Credit co-authors honestly
Use your real author position and mark co-authored work as such. Overstated authorship is easy to check and damaging when found.
Keywords to keep where they are true
Terms this kind of resume is usually searched for. Use the posting's exact wording, and only for work you have done.
- research
- research design
- survey research
- program evaluation
- quantitative analysis
- qualitative research
- Stata
- R
- data management
- IRB
- literature review
- report writing
- peer-reviewed publications
- replication files
- grant support
Mistakes to avoid
- A full academic CV sent to an industry or think tank posting.
- Every software package from a methods course.
- Publications without your author position or the year.
- Describing participant data in a way that could identify anyone.
How the sample PDF reads in text extractors
We exported this sample with Resumity's PDF exporter in Chrome on 2026-10-29 and read the file back with three open-source text extractors. This shows whether software that turns a PDF into text can recover it; it is not a test of any commercial applicant tracking system. How we test templates.
| Extractor | Name, email, phone | Headings | Bullets intact |
|---|---|---|---|
| pdf.js 4.10.38 | All found | 5 of 5 | 8 of 8 |
| pdftotext (Xpdf) 4.00 | All found | 5 of 5 | 8 of 8 |
| pypdf 6.13.0 | All found | 5 of 5 | 8 of 8 |
Frequently asked questions
Should I send a CV or a resume for research jobs?
A CV for faculty, postdoctoral and many university research posts; a resume for think tanks, companies, government agencies and research support roles. If the posting does not say, a two-page resume with selected publications is a reasonable middle course.
How do I list publications on a research resume?
Newest first, in one citation style, with your name in its true position. Label reports, preprints and peer-reviewed articles clearly.
How do I move from academic research into industry?
Translate outputs into decisions and products, lead with methods and tools, shorten the publications list, and add any work with external partners or clients.
What can a research assistant list without publications?
Datasets you built, protocols you wrote, conference posters and reports you contributed to. Data and method skills count even without authorship.
How long should a research resume be?
One to two pages for industry and policy roles; academic CVs run as long as the record requires.
Will applicant tracking systems read this Henrietta PDF?
The sample PDF read back with its contact details, all 5 section headings and all 8 bullets intact in three open-source text extractors (pdf.js, pdftotext and pypdf). Commercial systems such as Workday, Greenhouse or Taleo were not tested, and each employer configures its own.
Guides and templates for this resume
Sources, checked 29 October 2026
We opened every page below on that date. Pay, rules and requirements change, so check the source before you rely on a detail.
- Legal Information Institute, Cornell Law School: 45 CFR 46.109 IRB review of research (an IRB shall review and have authority to approve, require modifications in, or disapprove covered research)
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