How Should Undergrads List Unpublished Papers on Resumes?

[Laura1013]

I'm not sure where to post this, but here is as good a place as any.

I'm an undergrad astrophysics major. I've done some research with professors during the past 2 summers. My name is on 3 papers for professional astronomy/astrophysics journals, one of which I've personally written. Two have been submitted and are awaiting acceptance and publication, the other one is still being finalized.

This coming month I will be submitting applications for internships for the summer. Is there a standard for listing unpublished papers on resumes? Is it just not done? Professionals can afford to wait the year or so because they have so much experience already, but undergrads have so little to point to. If I shouldn't yet list them on my resume, what is the best way to make it known that I've written or been a part of these papers?

Thanks!
Laura

 

[ZapperZ]

I'm not sure where to post this, but here is as good a place as any.

I'm an undergrad astrophysics major. I've done some research with professors during the past 2 summers. My name is on 3 papers for professional astronomy/astrophysics journals, one of which I've personally written. Two have been submitted and are awaiting acceptance and publication, the other one is still being finalized.

This coming month I will be submitting applications for internships for the summer. Is there a standard for listing unpublished papers on resumes? Is it just not done? Professionals can afford to wait the year or so because they have so much experience already, but undergrads have so little to point to. If I shouldn't yet list them on my resume, what is the best way to make it known that I've written or been a part of these papers?

Thanks!
Laura

If you have papers that have been submitted to specific journals, but still in the process of being refereed, etc (i.e. not officially accepted for publication), then you can include the paper in your resume, but at the end, include in parenthesis as "(submitted to So-And-So-Journal)".

If you have a paper still being worked on, or is finished by haven't been submitted, then list it as "(preprint)".

If the paper has been accepted but has not appeared in print, or hasn't been given the publication info, then list it as "(to be published in So-And-So-Journal)".

Congratulations. An undergraduate with that many publications under your belt should make it into very good graduate schools.

Zz.

 

[ZapperZ]

I forgot to add that if you also uploaded your manuscript to the e-print arXiv, you should include the manuscript number as part of your listing. This will give whoever is looking at your resume an opportunity to look at the kind of work that you have done before it appears in print, and without having to make the effort to ask you.

Zz.

 

[Gokul43201]

Is this not done?

This is most definitely done (as Zz's explained above) and it would be most unwise to not do it.

And while it's typical to list first author papers before listing the others, I would definitely list the published paper before listing the ones awaiting referral.

 

[Laura1013]

Thanks so much for your help!

 

[Moonbear]

I don't know if the physicists do it differently. I'm accustomed to seeing publications listed as you would cite them in a literature cited section. If it's published, just list the full citation. If accepted, in place of the volume and pages, put (in press); and if you are still working on it, write (in preparation). If there are many authors, and you're not first author, you might want to put your name in bold face in the author list so it is easy to spot that you are a co-author on those papers.

At your stage, it is absolutely acceptable and expected that you'll include manuscripts in preparation. When you get much further in your career, manuscripts in preparation should not be included (by then, people only want to know what you have gotten completed, not what you're still working on).

That you have so many publications as an undergrad is also something you should highlight in your cover letter. This is a substantial achievement; you should be very proud of yourself to have accomplished so much so early!