Include In Progress Paper/Thesis on CV?

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Discussion Overview

The discussion revolves around whether to include in-progress academic work, specifically a planned paper and an honors thesis, on a CV when applying to graduate school. The scope includes considerations for academic presentation and professional communication.

Discussion Character

  • Debate/contested

Main Points Raised

  • One participant suggests including the honors thesis on the CV as it is part of the academic program, but advises against listing a paper that has not yet been written.
  • Another participant agrees that the honors thesis could be included but emphasizes the importance of qualifying it as "planned" or "pending" if listed.
  • A different viewpoint proposes not including either the planned thesis or paper in an explicit Publications section, recommending instead to mention the thesis requirement in a cover letter.
  • One participant notes that while it is generally advisable to avoid listing work that has not been completed, a separate section for "works in progress" could be appropriate for papers that are submitted and under review.
  • Another participant suggests providing specific details about the honors thesis in a cover letter to highlight relevant experience and contributions.

Areas of Agreement / Disagreement

Participants generally agree that the honors thesis can be included on the CV, but there is disagreement on whether to include the planned paper. The discussion remains unresolved regarding the best approach to represent in-progress work.

Contextual Notes

Participants express varying opinions on how to present planned academic work, highlighting the need for clarity on what constitutes acceptable CV content. The discussion reflects differing standards for including works that are not yet completed.

Mike K
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I am currently writing emails to potential grad school advisers. I have no past publications, however I am about to write a paper (1st or 2nd author) as well as an honors thesis. Should I list these on my CV?
 
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The honors thesis, yes, because it's part of your academic program. I would not list a paper you plan to write; I'd wait until it happens.
 
I personally wouldn't include either the planned thesis or the planned paper under an explicit Publications section. If you do choose to include the thesis, however, be sure to qualify it as "planned" or "pending". Alternatively, you could note elsewhere in your CV, or cover letter, that your program requires an honors thesis, and that you plan to write one on the topic of X.
 
I agree with Vanadium 50 that you don't want to put anything on your CV that you haven't actually done. What I have seen is that people will sometimes have a separate section for "works in progress." More typically this is for where one has written and submitted a paper and it's currently in the review process. You won't get much credit for something that doesn't exist yet.

That said, you might want to mention some details about it in a cover letter. For example...

I am a fourth year physics major. For my honours thesis I've been working with Professor A studying (subject) using (special techniques). We have successfully generated (an important result), and my role in this was (what you actually did). Next year I will be looking to apply to your graduate program and...
 

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