Listing publications on your resume

“Should I include my publications on a resume?” is a common question that we get asked. The answer to this question is almost always yes. You must display your publications on your resume when it is required, when it is relevant to the role, and when you know that it will impress the hiring manager. However, simply writing down the name of an article you authored on your resume will not impress anyone. Today, we will discuss how you can list publications on your resume to impress potential employers.

Where should you list publications on your resume?

When listing publications on your resume, it is better to create a separate “Publications” section to display them. This way, you can be sure that your publications get the attention they deserve from the hiring manager.

Where should the Publications section go?

Commonly, the Publications section comes right after the Education section on a resume. If the publications you have are related to the job, or if the employer has demanded you to have publications to qualify for the role, you can mention them prominently on the resume. Also, if you are changing careers and have publications related to the new role, you can place your publications section toward the top of the resume.

What information must you mention?

Make a separate entry for each of your publications. Start each publication with a bullet point. When listing your publications, it is important to mention the following information for each entry you make:

• Title of the publication
• Year
• Name of the magazine, journal, website, etc.
• Volume and issue details

How should you decide the order of your publications?

If you are writing a traditional chronological resume, you will be tempted to follow the same reverse chronological order for your publications. However, there are a few other factors that go into consideration when arranging the order of your publications on a resume. Use these guidelines to help you decide which publications to list first:

• Peer-reviewed publications should go at the top of the list.
• Next, follow with books. After that, you can mention book chapters.
• Peer-reviewed journal articles come next.
• If you have contributed to a well-reputed media, mention them next.
• Non peer-reviewed publications can go last.

What does a well-written publications section look like?

When creating a publications section for your resume, you must aim to keep it concise and relevant. Let’s look at an example. This is a publications section of a job seeker who is applying for a project manager position at a construction business. We have highlighted the keywords they used in bold:

Publications

• “How robots can reshape the future of construction,” Construction Monthly, 12(3), 2022
• “Are we paying enough attention to Indoor Environmental Quality (IEQ)?,” BuildWise, RA Publishers, May 2021
• “Renewable energy sources can build sustainable dwellings,” Steel & Stone Chronicle, 33(2), 2020
• “Sustainability and waste management in construction: What we need to talk about,” EcoBuild Today, Constructive Insights, Feb 2019
• The impact of green buildings on the environment,” Construction Prodigy, Beeline Publish House, 146(1), 2019