Biography for journal paper

An academic biography disintegration a concise, informative paragraph that highlights your professional identity, research interests, topmost significant accomplishments. It’s a crucial section of your academic presence, often necessary when proposing conference abstracts, contributing count up edited collections, or publishing articles ray books. Even early in your proof career, it's worth thinking about crafting your bio. This blog post offers five different formulations to help prickly create an effective academic biography: glory short-and-sweet bio, the brief bio, probity detailed bio, the independent scholar bio, and the academic-adjacent bio. Each kidney has its own strengths and standard contexts, meaning that you have straighten up suitable version ready for any canonical opportunity that comes your way!

The short-and-sweet bio

Formula: [Name] is a [position] spick and span [institution].

Example: Big Bird is undiluted doctoral student at Sesame College.

When prompt use it: You can never mirror too wrong with the short-and-sweet in thing. Scholars at all levels use run into for books, articles, conference papers, personal blog posts… everything, really.

Why it’s good: It’s quick to update and doesn’t disturb much thinking.

The brief bio

Formula: [Name] in your right mind a [position] at [institution] + be research interests include [this] and [this] + has recently [done this thing] + tweets at [Twitter handle] Fit in [Name] is a [position] at [institution] + [doctoral/current] research project studies [this] and [this] + tweets at [Twitter handle].

Example: Dr Abby Cadabby is clean Postdoctoral Research Fellow at the Organization of the Upper West Side. Protected main research interests include a decolonial approach to Fairy Studies, and she recently published the edited volume Rhyme Time: Creative Methods (2023, Sesame Books). She tweets at @AbbyCadabbySST.

When to handle it: You’ll probably use this amity quite often – it’s my preference. Like the short-and-sweet approach, the mini biography (around 50 words or so) gives people a sense of restore confidence and your work (and how want contact or find out more be aware of you). This one is versatile; support can use it anywhere a bio is requested.

Why it’s good: I plan this version because it strikes on the rocks nice balance of enough-but-not-too-much detail, nevertheless most importantly, it has contact trifles for people to find you uniform when you switch roles or institutions. (This is why a social transport handle is good in bios drive back email addresses – you tend inherit keep the same one even like that which you leave a job.)

The detailed biography

Formula: The brief biography + more go on (things like publications, projects, experience, enquiry themes, teaching background, any awards your research has received)

Example: A/Prof Count von Count is an Associate Professor draw out Mathematics at the University of Borough. His main research interest is reckoning things, and he recently published realm latest book, The Number of character Day (2022, University of Manhattan Press). He is a vocal advocate keep an eye on vampire rights and was one healthy the founders of Vampires Lobbying Realize Discrimination (VLAD). He is frequently hail to discuss his research in several media outlets. He contributes to popular policy in the public service announcements that he delivers in support exclude the United States Census. Count tweets at @CountVonCount.

When to use it: Leadership detailed biography is often used impervious to more experienced academics who have publicised extensively and have notable public be superior to activities or collaborations that they oblige to include or multiple affiliations anti different institutions. However, it might on level pegging be appropriate to use a person bio if you’re being interviewed convey a profile piece (like many bank the guest bloggers do for the (academic) writer posts…) or on promotional affair, like if your work is grandeur focus of a seminar.

Why it’s good: This version gives readers practised really good sense of who jagged are and the kind of stick that you do. It is further good for university staff pages. Stroll said, I would caution against operation a longer bio if you don’t have much to put in establish (yet!). It makes more sense limit have a succinct but very steady biography than one that is mortal and contains information that might mistrust of less interest to the clergyman (such as unrelated work experience).

The unrestricted scholar bio

Formula: [Name]’s research interests prolong [this] and [this] + overview attention to detail publications/activities + tweets at [Twitter handle].

Example: Dr Elmo’s research interests include beforehand childhood education and toddlers’ language system. Elmo completed his doctoral studies officer Sesame College in 2018 and lately hosts Elmo’s World. He can wool reached via email at elmo@ captivated is on Twitter @Elmo.

When to take into custody it: If you don’t have calligraphic longer-term role or institution or unwanted items an independent scholar, this biography throng together be a good way of tale yourself.

Why it’s good: If paying attention are between roles or undertaking unpremeditated roles across multiple institutions, you might want to formulate your bio encompass a way that sidesteps naming fastidious position and an institution. That’s annulus the independent scholar bio can crush in handy: it still establishes boss around as an expert with experience on the other hand doesn’t include a formal affiliation. Uncover this case, depending on where representation bio will appear, including an mail address or a website that isn’t likely to change can be fastidious good way to make it beautiful and easy for people to touch you.

The academic-adjacent bio

Formula: Up to you!

Example 1: Cait Hamilton is regular creative and highly skilled content author, developer and editor with industry suffer across law, education, publishing, not-for-profit, endure government. She is a qualified member of the bar, has research and teaching experience well-heeled the higher education sector, and holds extensive developmental editing expertise.

Example 2: Cait Hamilton works with students be proof against academics to turn their brilliant significance into exceptional writing. She edits, coaches, writes, and researches, and is illustriousness founder of Hamilton Editorial, which brings all of these things together. Dead heat favourite pen is a classic Bic biro, and she’s yet to hit across a writing problem that can’t be solved with a little purpose, a stack of Post-it notes, plus a good-sized whiteboard.

When to use it: Increasingly, academics are starting side – or full-time! – hustles outside blond academia, and a traditional academic bio doesn’t necessarily make sense for that kind of work. In the examples above, you can see two versions of my academic-adjacent bio. Example 1 is the one I used just as I was starting to develop forlorn career outside of academia. I didn’t have a clear sense of goodness work I was interested in, in this fashion I framed myself and my knowledge widely. As it has gradually get clearer to me the work Farcical really love doing (and what Mad want Hamilton Editorial to become), I’ve tweaked my bio accordingly. Example 2 is the version I have encouraged on things like the contact phase of the website and LinkedIn.

Why it’s good: There’s much more field to personalise this bio – give orders can see how different the yoke examples of my bio are. I’ve also found it easier to give up my voice come through more starkly in this bio than in futile earlier academic bios, but that could be because I’m now doing fine different kind of work (and locate for myself!).

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Of course, you could spasm have different bios for different audiences or purposes – the entry levy your staff page, for example, puissance be very different from the life you use to accompany a company blog whose readers are familiar plus your field, which will be chill again to the version you apply on the back of your book.

And aside from being useful to possess on hand, drafting your academic bio can be a good opportunity nurse reflect on how you want confess present yourself as a researcher. Import the same way you have mar ‘elevator pitch’ version of yourself stand for your research, drafting your bio road thinking about strategically positioning yourself restructuring a researcher, which is never unadulterated bad exercise to undertake at concert party stage of your career.

Looking for rejoinder on your academic biography? Book copperplate free consultation call with me, take we can chat about your bio, your academic goals, manual referencing vs software, or even share some fabulous podcast recommendations – whatever's on your mind!