Start With the Application Instructions
Check whether the course requires a separate CV, requests experience through application questions, or specifies a length. Oxford’s graduate guidance explains that requirements differ by course and that a CV supports the other application documents. Answer the form’s questions even when similar information appears in your CV.
Show Your Contribution
Describe research experience through the question, your role, the methods you used and the result. Replace a vague line such as “worked on a data project” with a specific account of the dataset, analysis and contribution. Include achievements you can substantiate; describe a manuscript’s current status accurately rather than presenting unfinished work as published.
Use an Evidence Edit
Choose one experience and write it in four short parts: context, action, output and relevance. For example: analysed survey responses; documented cleaning decisions; produced reproducible figures; learned to assess missing data. Adapt that evidence to the target project without inventing expertise. Ask a reader whether the connection is understandable without extra explanation.
Your Next-Step Checklist
- Follow the course’s CV format and length.
- Describe your own contribution to research or group work.
- Check dates, publication status and consistency with the application.
Official Reading
Read the official school, university, funder or government sources below.
Oxford: CV and Résumé Requirements