Your academic CV should reflect the full scope of your scholarly contributions, and today that includes datasets, software, and peer review—not just publications. Here’s how to present them effectively.
Start with a “Research Outputs” or “Scholarly Contributions” Section
Rather than burying these items under “Publications,” create a dedicated section titled “Research Outputs,” “Software & Data,” or “Scholarly Contributions.” This signals to reviewers—whether for faculty jobs, grants, or fellowships—that you value reproducibility and open science.
Format Datasets Like Publications
Treat each dataset as a citable research product. Include:
- Title (as it appears on the repository, e.g., Zenodo, Figshare, Dryad)
- Type (e.g., “Longitudinal survey data” or “Genomic sequencing dataset”)
- Repository name and DOI (or persistent URL)
- Date of release and version if applicable
- Your role (e.g., “Creator,” “Co-curator,” or “Data collector”)
Example:
“Urban Heat Island Sensor Readings, 2021–2023.” Version 2.0. Figshare. DOI: 10.xxxx/xxxx. Role: Creator.
List Software with Version and Access
For software, include the name, version, language/platform, and where it’s hosted (GitHub, PyPI, CRAN, or an institutional archive). Also note if it’s peer-reviewed (e.g., in JOSS or SoftwareX)—this adds significant weight.
Example:
“pyCropYield: A Python Tool for Satellite-Based Yield Estimation.” v1.4. GitHub. https://github.com/yourhandle/pyCropYield. Peer-reviewed in Journal of Open Source Software.
Show Peer Review as Professional Service
Peer review belongs in a “Service” or “Professional Activities” section. List:
- The journal or conference name
- Approximate number of reviews (e.g., “15 reviews”)
- Any editorial roles (e.g., guest editor, review editor)
- Dates or years
Example:
Peer Reviewer: Journal of Machine Learning Research (2022–present, 8 reviews); NeurIPS (2023, 2 reviews).
Add a “Metrics” Line (Optional)
If your work has clear impact, add a brief metrics note—download counts, GitHub stars, or citations of your dataset. This is especially persuasive for early-career researchers.
Tailor to the Application
For academic jobs, emphasize peer review and datasets. For industry R&D roles, highlight software usability and deployment. For grant applications, show how your data/software enable others’ research.
If you’re managing a large body of such outputs, WisPaper’s My Library can help you organize these non-traditional research products alongside your papers, with automatic metadata extraction for easy citation and retrieval. This keeps your CV-building process as rigorous as your research itself.
