Is it ever appropriate to mention citation count for papers in your CV?

[Simfish]

Say, what if you were coauthor on a publication with > 100 citations? And if so, how would I mention it on the CV?

 

[Vanadium 50]

Ah yes, it's the Simfish inane question of the week.

First, you aren't in this situation, so the question is moot.

Second, it would have taken you five minutes to download the CV's of a half dozen people in that situation so you could see for yourself.

Third, no.

 

[cgk]

First, you aren't in this situation, so the question is moot.

But other people might be. I'm actually rather interested in that.

Second, it would have taken you five minutes to download the CV's of a half dozen people in that situation so you could see for yourself.

But most of them are tenured professors, so they wouldn't need that anyway.

What about postdocs who are still in the run for a position? Would it be terribly inappropriate to list one's favorite publications, including citation count, when applying for a grant, a fellowship, a position, etc?

 

[ZapperZ]

Say, what if you were coauthor on a publication with > 100 citations? And if so, how would I mention it on the CV?

I would not.

If you are seeking a graduate admission or a postdoc position, the person who is evaluating your credentials would have been familiar with such a paper, if it is that important enough to get such large number of citations.

You can, however, single out that publication in your letter IF (and only if) you did substantial work in it that is relevant to whatever it is you're applying for. This is true for any publication that one makes, regardless of the number of citations. As someone who has gone over a lot of postdoc and internship applications, I care more about what the candidate knows and can do, rather than how many papers (and number of citations) he/she had!

Zz.

 

[twofish-quant]

What about postdocs who are still in the run for a position? Would it be terribly inappropriate to list one's favorite publications, including citation count, when applying for a grant, a fellowship, a position, etc?

List publications yes. Citation count no. If someone is interested they can look it up on their own. Also if you have massive numbers of citations then they already know who you are.

One general rule about postdocs and grant proposals, if they haven't heard of you before you submit the application, then your odds of getting the position aren't high. Also for grants and positions above the Ph.D. level, you are often expected to write out your autobiography, and for a major grant proposal or faculty search, the CV can be 15 pages of papers that you've published.