Research Statements
A research statement may be required for a post-graduate job or university application along with other documents like personal statements and cover letters. Just as a personal statement is meant to show your "fit" for a university or program, a research statement is meant to show how your research aligns with or adds to a university or program. Additionally, it demonstrates your ability to acquire funding and report your work effectively as an independent researcher.
The institution you’re applying to wants to know your research potential, including your strengths and specific abilities, your compatibility with their goals, and how your research will benefit them (think funding for institutes and teaching opportunities). In order to craft an impactful research statement, you need to describe your research trajectory in a succinct narrative by discussing your scholarship and offering feasible directions for future research. Keep in mind that experts outside of your focus may review your application, so avoid technical jargon.
Get started on your research statement early. That way, you’ll have time to ask others for examples and to help review your drafts.
Although there are several ways to organize a research statement, we’ll discuss the traditional, chronological method. For this format, you move from your past research to future research, highlighting your achievements and connecting your various projects to make a succinct narrative.
State a long-term goal and organize your previous research to show how you are working toward that goal: “I hope to elevate the value of writing for STEM majors in the college environment.”
If you do not have a clear goal yet, you can give a specific area of interest you hope to continue working within: “My research focuses on the intersections of technology, feedback literacy, and the impacts of first-year student experiences.”
If the opportunity is short-term, you may want to use a specific problem to solve as your statement: “Although artificial intelligence itself is a neutral technology, defining the boundaries of the “good” and the “bad” uses of generative artificial intelligence for assistive learning is essential to the integrity of academia. Institutions must determine the boundaries of AI use to preserve academic integrity.”
Be concise and focused. The focus of the research statement is where your research is going, not where it has been. Only include details relevant toward building on or guiding to where you want to go. Focus on what you aimed to answer, what you found, and why it mattered.
Align with what they value. Make note of what objectives are most important to the institution. If teaching is a part of the role, explain how you hope to collaborate with students through your research. If you know bringing in funding plays a major part in the position, it is important to demonstrate your capability to do so. With any role, make acknowledge the work of others in your success. Being a collaborator is a key asset to universities looking to build larger projects, acquire more funding, and graduate skilled students. Explain how you’ve been a mentor or teacher in your research, showing you care about others’ success, too.
Determine how to stand out. Ideally you will showcase a different method used in each project you discuss, though if all of the methods are similar, stress whatever differences you can. Choose accomplishments or projects that differentiate yourself to show you are an independent researcher. Mention awards, publications, or conference presentations connected to your project. These opportunities and achievements connect your work to the broader field and demonstrate your work matters.
Transition to the future. To transition from current to future research, choose a final project to describe that relates to your future goals or next steps. For example, you could explain what work there is left to do after your dissertation and how you would like to address the future areas of inquiry mentioned in your last publication. Building on the past and current research, explain how you will keep developing your work.
Support the feasibility of your goals. If there is equipment unique to the university that you need, make sure to mention that. If you need tools they can’t provide, explain how you plan to acquire them (most likely, through funding). Offer potential research collaborations within the university with faculty, students, and external funding partners. When identifying potential funding sources, it can be helpful to cite connections you have already made or those most relevant to the field that seem achievable, like National Institutes of Health or National Science Foundation.
Finally, remember that the committee members reviewing your application will be reading a lot of statements. Make sure yours is memorable (in a good way!) and helps them to see you as an individual—ideally, an individual they would enjoy having in their program.
Personal Statements
Cover Letters
Curricula Vitae (CV)
The institution you’re applying to wants to know your research potential, including your strengths and specific abilities, your compatibility with their goals, and how your research will benefit them (think funding for institutes and teaching opportunities). In order to craft an impactful research statement, you need to describe your research trajectory in a succinct narrative by discussing your scholarship and offering feasible directions for future research. Keep in mind that experts outside of your focus may review your application, so avoid technical jargon.
Get started on your research statement early. That way, you’ll have time to ask others for examples and to help review your drafts.
Formatting
Typically, research statements are 1-3 pages, single-spaced, and use professional fonts and sizes like 12-pt Times New Roman. You can get creative with some formatting for the sake of clarity: headings, bullet points, and illustrations or graphs help organize your writing for your audience. Consider using headings to indicate your past, present, and future research.Although there are several ways to organize a research statement, we’ll discuss the traditional, chronological method. For this format, you move from your past research to future research, highlighting your achievements and connecting your various projects to make a succinct narrative.
Introduction
Contextualize your research. The purpose of the introduction is to contextualize your work within the broader field by discussing larger questions before narrowing down to your specific interest. Then, briefly articulate the long-term research agenda of your scholarly interest. Carnegie Melon provides three approaches to the “thesis” of a research statement; we’ve provided examples of each below:State a long-term goal and organize your previous research to show how you are working toward that goal: “I hope to elevate the value of writing for STEM majors in the college environment.”
If you do not have a clear goal yet, you can give a specific area of interest you hope to continue working within: “My research focuses on the intersections of technology, feedback literacy, and the impacts of first-year student experiences.”
If the opportunity is short-term, you may want to use a specific problem to solve as your statement: “Although artificial intelligence itself is a neutral technology, defining the boundaries of the “good” and the “bad” uses of generative artificial intelligence for assistive learning is essential to the integrity of academia. Institutions must determine the boundaries of AI use to preserve academic integrity.”
Be concise and focused. The focus of the research statement is where your research is going, not where it has been. Only include details relevant toward building on or guiding to where you want to go. Focus on what you aimed to answer, what you found, and why it mattered.
The Body
Create a research narrative. The bulk of your statement should connect your past, present, and future research. Above all, be specific when talking about your current and past work. If you have encountered obstacles in your research, give examples of how you are a creative problem solver to build credibility. You may need to mention breaks in research or failed projects, so frame them by explaining how they were opportunities to learn for your next research task.Align with what they value. Make note of what objectives are most important to the institution. If teaching is a part of the role, explain how you hope to collaborate with students through your research. If you know bringing in funding plays a major part in the position, it is important to demonstrate your capability to do so. With any role, make acknowledge the work of others in your success. Being a collaborator is a key asset to universities looking to build larger projects, acquire more funding, and graduate skilled students. Explain how you’ve been a mentor or teacher in your research, showing you care about others’ success, too.
Determine how to stand out. Ideally you will showcase a different method used in each project you discuss, though if all of the methods are similar, stress whatever differences you can. Choose accomplishments or projects that differentiate yourself to show you are an independent researcher. Mention awards, publications, or conference presentations connected to your project. These opportunities and achievements connect your work to the broader field and demonstrate your work matters.
Transition to the future. To transition from current to future research, choose a final project to describe that relates to your future goals or next steps. For example, you could explain what work there is left to do after your dissertation and how you would like to address the future areas of inquiry mentioned in your last publication. Building on the past and current research, explain how you will keep developing your work.
Conclusion
Wrap it all up. In the final paragraph, highlight the primary question or theme that has guided your academic career, its importance to the field, and how each stage of your work has contributed to addressing that question. Detail the future trajectory of your research by providing plans for future projects and how you hope to answer the questions you pose. Briefly outline how you could achieve your goals, providing both short term (under a year) and long term (3 years or more) goals if necessary. Explain how the institution will benefit your goals and how you your goals will benefit them.Support the feasibility of your goals. If there is equipment unique to the university that you need, make sure to mention that. If you need tools they can’t provide, explain how you plan to acquire them (most likely, through funding). Offer potential research collaborations within the university with faculty, students, and external funding partners. When identifying potential funding sources, it can be helpful to cite connections you have already made or those most relevant to the field that seem achievable, like National Institutes of Health or National Science Foundation.
Finally, remember that the committee members reviewing your application will be reading a lot of statements. Make sure yours is memorable (in a good way!) and helps them to see you as an individual—ideally, an individual they would enjoy having in their program.
Also recommended for you:
Personal Statements
Cover Letters
Curricula Vitae (CV)