Some years ago, I published some papers that I'm not particularly proud of. They aren't in prestigious or widely known venues in my field, and I'm sure that few if any people in my field have seen these papers. When I apply for a job, am I permitted to omit these publications from my CV? Or am I, for some reason, obligated to list all prior publications?
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This question looks very similar to this one: academia.stackexchange.com/questions/71672/…. I think that my answer also applies. Could you check this, and if you feel that there is something left to ask, edit accordingly to bring this out?– Pete L. ClarkFeb 1, 2017 at 13:54
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This also looks like a duplicate of this one as well: academia.stackexchange.com/questions/52066/…– anonymousFeb 1, 2017 at 15:31
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2 Answers
If the CV is for job applications, you can certainly omit publications. If you omit a lot of publications, you might want to title your publication list "Selected Publications".
If the CV is for a grant application or a promotion, there may be more specific rules about what can and cannot be included, so you should check those.
answered Feb 1, 2017 at 14:14
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1I admit I am a bit surprised by this answer. I've seen (unfortunately) literally thousands of CVs for job applications, and over 99% of them contain all publications. I would go so far as to say that omitting any publications on your CV without writing "Selected Publications" is, by my cultural standards, slightly dishonest. I understand a CV to be a comprehensive list of certain academic information: e.g. my CV also lists all the courses I've taught, all the academic institutions I've attended and worked at, and so forth. Nor do I understand why omitting publications is desirable. Feb 1, 2017 at 14:21
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On further thought: the fact that I work in an academic field (pure mathematics) where the vast majority of practitioners have relatively small numbers of publications is probably of some relevance. For instance, among the thousands of CVs I've seen, I can't recall any that contained more than 100 publications. If a complete list of publications runs for, say, 20 pages, then maybe a weblink does become reasonable. Feb 1, 2017 at 14:26
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@PeteL.Clark I've see the "Selected Publications" heading before, but typically the CVs in question also beloved to senior scholars in the field who could kind of get away with it. I think in computer science there is a tendency to do it as well since the publication expectations are higher. Feb 1, 2017 at 15:33
During a CV coaching I once was told that your CV should not contain publications at all. After some protesting, they allowed me to keep the three most important / the free most relevant ones (with respect to the target company/university) in the CV, and maybe add a link to a webpage with the full list.
The coaching was mainly oriented at industrial jobs, but I guess having a selection in the CV and adding a link to the full list is also a good strategy for academic jobs. That way you can keep those unwanted publications somehow seperated from your CV.
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4Please remember that this is academia.SE, and please be extra careful about extrapolating non-academic answers into academic contexts. In this case, "During a CV coaching I once was told that your CV should not contain publications at all." is simply ridiculous in an academic context. (There may also be cultural differences here: in the US, one only uses "CV" in an academic context; the word "resume" is used for professional contexts. Outside of the US, "CV" can be used for both.) Please do not "guess" at what is a good strategy for academic jobs. Feb 1, 2017 at 14:14