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I have recently completed a summer research project. In this project I completed sample preparation and preliminary analysis which will be used as a basis for further analysis. I have been told by my day to day supervisor that when this further analysis is done and published, I will be mentioned in the paper.

Can I add a line to my CV (for applying to graduate programmes), under a description of my summer project along the lines of:

"I will be mentioned in the paper that utilises this work when it is written."

Is this acceptable, and of interest to application reviewers, or a waste of my CV space and their time? Note as an undergraduate about to start third year I don't yet have any publications to add to my CV.

Thank you!

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    What is mentioned: acknowledgement or co-authorship? – GoodDeeds Sep 25 '20 at 13:14
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    "mentioned" would not be acceptable because it's unspecific. It's possible that your supervisor avoids less specific wording because he hopes to get away with not giving you authorship - the actual unit of academic credit. So you should clarify the nature of the mentioning. – lighthouse keeper Sep 25 '20 at 13:50
  • @GoodDeeds and lighthouse keeper This is a good point, the wording of my supervisor was unspecific so I don't currently know. – Mirte Sep 25 '20 at 15:20
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It is certainly appropriate to put in a line on your CV about your participation in the project, naming it, and maybe the PI. You can also state that the work is "yet to be published". Don't overstate the case, of course, but if the paper is not yet written, nor the authorship determined, you can't say, now, any more than that.

But participation in a project is itself valuable for a CV intended for graduate admissions.

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  • You might add that you've been promised authorship in the cover letter. – Ian Sudbery Sep 25 '20 at 14:26
  • @IanSudbery But they have not been promised authorship... most likely the professor is suggesting that they will get an acknowledgment. – Morgan Rodgers Sep 26 '20 at 5:55

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