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Bibliometrics & Responsible Research Evaluation: Narrative CVs

Learn how to track citations to your research and the limitations of using bibliometric indicators

What is a Narrative CV?

A narrative CV gives you the opportunity to provide a structured written description of your key achievements and contributions that reflect a wide range of skills and experiences. In a series of structured paragraphs, you outline a concise overview of your contributions to the field of knowledge, research area and society as a whole. You can use it to highlight individual strengths and position yourself as the ideal candidate for a role or funding call. The point of a narrative CV is to focus on key achievements over productivity. They are an attempt to move away from quantitative measurement of research impact.

The Royal Society suggests a structure with their Résumé for Researchers. Key sections and modules are

Personal Details

Module 1: How have you contributed to the generation of knowledge?

Module 2: How have you contributed to the development of individuals?

Module 3: How have you contributed to the wider research community?

Module 4: How have you contributed to broader society?

Personal Statement 

Additions

The Narrative CV can be worth 30-50% of the award’s assessment criteria. 

See the section below with suggestions on content for different sections. These suggestions along with the narrative CV process were fully adapted from the excellent resource Developing a narrative CV: guidance for researchers (University of Oxford, 2025).

Module Content Suggestions

1. Research Outputs:

  • Research publications (which might include a thesis or dissertation)
  • Policy publications, conference publications
  • Data sets, software, code, protocols, materials
  • Products (e.g. commercial, entrepreneurial, industrial, educational)
  • Evidence synthesis 
  • Patents, designs
  • Artefacts
  • Exhibitions, audio or visual media

2. Development of methods, tools or resources. 

3. Generation of new ideas and hypotheses.  

4. Funding you have won (include funder, your role, dates, what the funding enabled). 

5. Awards you have received or other forms of peer recognition, such as invited talks. Note that peer recognition may form part of your evidence of the quality of your research.

1. Supervision or mentoring. 
2. Project management or line management, critical to the success of a team or team members. 
3. Strategic leadership shaping the direction of a team, organisation, company or institution. 
4. Formal teaching could be included if it focused on the development of others and is relevant to your application. 
5. Establishing or driving collaborations or networks, focusing on the working relationships rather than the research. If you are at an early stage in your research career, you can describe substantial contributions to team-working.  
6. Provision of development opportunities including training, events, rewards, or recruitment strategies. 

1. Leadership of activities across disciplines, institutions, and/or countries. 
2. Editing and reviewing responsibilities. 
3. Committee work within your organisation and beyond (e.g. learned societies, funders). 
4. Positions of responsibility. 
5. Activities that have contributed to the improvement of research integrity or cultures, including equality, diversity and inclusion practices.   
6. Strategic leadership influencing a research or innovation agenda. 
7. Contributions to professional bodies. 
8. Organisation of community events, such as conferences or workshops. Contributions to open research, active sharing of knowledge, skills, and community resources. 

1. Knowledge exchange, bringing together researchers, users of research and wider groups and communities to exchange ideas, evidence and expertise. 
2. Policy engagement and development. 
3. Partnerships with business, industry, healthcare, and so forth. 
4. Public engagement with research (PER) and public understanding. 
5. Patient and public involvement (PPI). 
6. Commercialisation. 
7. Participatory research. 
8. Responsible research and innovation (RRI). 
9. Actions to ensure research reaches and influences relevant audiences. 

This section can be used to show how life events or opportunities put your career in context. Examples would include career breaks, caring responsibilities, part-time working, volunteering, work in other sectors or other factors you think would be useful to the reviewers.

Narrative CV Process

1. Create a long list of activities for each module.

2. Select the strongest & most relevant examples to funding call.

3. Identify significance & evidence for each.

4. Review the list & move examples between modules if needed.

5. Using the examples identified, draft a sentence summarising the key message for each module.

6. Fill out each module using the material collected.

 

Key Tips on your Narrative CV

Choosing key achievements

  • Most funders require up to three examples per module.

  • Reflect on the full breadth of your professional research career. 

  • Identify opportunities you have had, and how you have made the most of these. You want to paint a picture of your career to date.

  • Emphasise the strengths and the skills which make you an attractive candidate.

  • Consider what the reviewer might be looking for.

  • Think about the position or funding call that you are applying for.

  • Tailor each CV so that your achievements are as relevant as possible to the assessment criteria.

Determine the main priority of the particular research programme. For instance, is there a strong focus on public engagement, career progression or impact? Then ensure that you highlight relevant achievements in your narrative CV that mirror the aims and objectives of the research programme or funding body.

Ultimately, your CV should show that you are the best person for the position or to carry out the research outlined in the research proposal and that you are a trustworthy candidate who will use the funding responsibly and appropriately.

Traditional CV

Traditional metric-driven CVs often fail to present the full picture of a researcher’s contributions, and may unfairly disadvantage people whose career paths that have followed non-standard patterns or those who have taken time out of academia (for parental leave, caring responsibilities, long-term illness, secondments, military service, and so on). 

The University of Sydney have developed a simple and informative guide on how to format an academic CV and the standard items for inclusion.

Important to Note

Exclusion of Metrics

Funders often prohibit the use of journal or publication metrics in narrative CVs. As such it is crucial to be aware of this as the inclusion of any metrics in these applications may render your application ineligible for review.

It's All Relative

All researchers excel in different areas, narrative CVs are used in an attempt to be more conscious of equality, diversity and inclusivity and to allow individual researchers to highlight their individual strengths. 

Do not be disillusioned if you took a career break or you came to the research profession later in your professional career etc. You may find some sections more difficult than others and that's ok. Reviewers are aware of your career stage, and it will be reflected in your achievements.

Check out some Examples

Tip: Maybe ask to look at the narrative CV of some of your successfully funded colleagues for inspiration.

However do not copy and paste the content. It is important that your CV reflects your story and your unique contributions to research and society.

Open Research

Open research is becomming a funder requirement and an expectation in most disciplines, as such a narrative CV can be an opportunity to demonstrate your proven track record of experience of open research practices. Use the narrative CV to your advantage to frame yourself as a candidate that is likely to be a good return on investment by showing evidence that you have experience with incorporating open research practices and navigating open access publishing.