We get many questions each year about how to format content in the ‘Research, publication and presentation’ section of the Intern PMCV Template.
Some students will have a lot of content for this section, other students won’t. Depending on which group you fall into, this section will either be a key focus of your application or not.
So, what content can I include in this section?
You can include a range of content in this section including current or completed research projects you have been involved in, presentations at conferences, events (medical and non-medical) and within a formal peer reviewed setting (at university or in your Clinical School / Hospital), publications in a range of sources, audits, and quality improvement projects.
How should I organise the content in this section?
It depends on how much content you have!
If you have several items under each section, group them together under the relevant subheading:
- Research
- Publication
- Presentation
- Audits and Quality Improvement Projects
NOTE: List them under the relevant subheading in reverse chronological order.
If you only have one or two items for some of the subheadings, list all of them together in reverse chronological order or use a couple of subheadings to organise them, for example:
- Research projects & audits
- Publications & presentations
What information should I include under each subheading and how should I format it?
- Research
You can include any current or completed research projects under this subheading. These may or may not have resulted in a publication or presentation in a peer reviewed setting i.e. Journal or conference presentation or this may currently be in progress but not yet accepted.
To reference these, follow these guidelines:
- Title and Status: Begin with the title of the project. Follow this with a status descriptor such as "in preparation," "submitted," or "in revision" to clearly indicate the current stage of the work.
- Role and Contribution: Specify your role in the project (e.g., Research Assistant, Co-Investigator) and briefly describe your contributions and responsibilities.
- Date Range: Include the dates of your involvement in the project to provide a timeline of your research activity.
Details of Supervision or Collaboration: Mention the name of the principal investigator or supervisor, particularly in academic or research-focused positions. It is also good practice to include the name of ‘organisation’ or ‘research institute’ sponsoring the research i.e. ‘The Royal Children’s Hospital’ or ‘Murdoch Children’s Research Institute’ and the department if relevant i.e. ‘Department of General Medicine’.
Example:
Project Title (in preparation), Role: Research Assistant, Jan 2023 - Present. Responsible for data collection and analysis. Supervised by Dr. A. B. Smith, XYZ University.
*Optional - Submission Details: If the project has been submitted for publication, you might choose to include this information stating ‘Submitted for publication’ but omit the name of the journal.
If the publication status is confirmed, but it is not yet published, you can reference the research as a publication (see below) which would include the name of the journal and the publication status as 'in press' or 'accepted'. This would also apply to a research presentation that has been accepted but not yet delivered.
- Publications
If you have successfully published an article in, or its status is 'in press' or 'accepted', reference each publication using a consistent academic citation style that is appropriate for your field, such as APA, MLA, or Harvard. The Harvard referencing style is used in the example below. However, whichever style you choose, be consistent, clear and formal to demonstrate your scholarly contributions.
Here's how to properly include your own publications using the Harvard referencing style guide:
The author(s) surname, initials, year of publication, title of your article, the publication source (i.e. Journal) (in italics), and if available, Volume and page numbers if applicable, publisher, and DOI (Digital Object Identifier) if available, to provide a permanent link to the content.
Publication Sources: You can be published in a range of different sources such as books, journal articles, and electronic sources, the format might slightly vary but generally follows the author-date system highlighted above.
Order of Authors: List the authors in the order they appear in the publication. If you are not the first author, list the names as they appear, and then use your name without altering the sequence.
Highlighting Your Name: To make it clear to the reader, you might consider bolding your name within the list of authors to draw attention to your contribution.
Example:
- You as sole author:
Smith, J. (2020).’Article Title’, Journal Name, 15(4), pp. 234-250. doi:10.1234/environmentalstudies.2020.0045.
- You as one of several authors:
Smith, J., Doe, J., & Brown, S. (2023). Title of Your Article. Journal Name, 10(2), 123-134.
This format ensures that all critical information is included, and the source can be easily traced and verified by readers. For more comprehensive guidelines and examples, you can refer to dedicated resources on Harvard referencing, listed at the end of this document.
- Presentations
When you list a 'presentation' on your resume, you should detail the presentation clearly and concisely to showcase your academic and professional engagements effectively.
Presentations can include those delivered at a conference or event (medical & non-medical) and for students in the absence having presented in those formats you may choose to include a couple of important presentations you delivered within a formal peer reviewed setting (at university or in your Clinical School / Hospital).
Here is how to format it:
- Author’s Surname, Initial(s): Start with your surname followed by your initial.
- Year: Include the year of the presentation.
- Title of the presentation: Write the title in italics.
- Event or Conference Name: Specify the name of the conference or event where the presentation was given.
- Date of the Conference: Provide the full date of the conference.
- Location: Mention the location of the conference or event.
Example:
- You as sole author/presenter:
Doe, J. (YEAR).’Presentation Title’. Presentation at the ‘Insert conference name / event where the presentation was given’, date of conference (dd-dd Month Year), City, Country.
- You as one of several authors/presenters:
Smith, J., Doe, J., & Brown, S. (YEAR) ’Presentation Title’. Presentation at the ‘Insert conference name / event where the presentation was given’, date of conference (dd-dd Month Year), City, Country.
- Presentation given as a student to peers
Doe, J. (2023). An Ethics, Law, and Professional Development Discussion around End-of-Life Care Decisions. Presented at the Grand Round, Ballarat Base Hospital (24 April 2023), Ballarat, Australia.
NOTE: This format aligns with the general principles of Harvard referencing, adapting them to fit the context of a resume, highlighting your contributions in an academic or professional setting
- Audits & Quality Improvement Projects
Audits and quality improvement projects can be listed in this section of the PMCV Template if you have had the opportunity to be involved in them during your time as a student.
When referencing an audit or quality improvement project on your resume using the Harvard referencing style, it's important to present it in a way that effectively communicates both the substance of the project and your role in it. Here’s a guideline on how to format this citation:
- Author(s): Start with your surname followed by your initials.
- Year of the Project: Include the year the project was completed in parentheses.
- Title of the Project: Provide a concise and descriptive title in italics.
- Nature of the Project: Specify it as either an Audit or Quality Improvement Project.
- Institution/Organization: Name the institution or organization where the project was conducted.
- Location: Include the location (City, Country) of the institution.
Example:
Smith, J. (2023). Review and Enhancement of Patient Admittance Protocols: A Quality Improvement Project. Grampians Health, Ballarat, Australia.
This format is consistent with the Harvard style's author-date citation system and provides a clear, professional way to present significant projects, highlighting your contributions and the context of the work.
NOTE: As your career progresses and you don’t have to use the PMCV Resume Template we would encourage you to list these under their own section of your resume titled ‘Audits and Quality Improvement’.