Narrative CVs

We are committed to recognising and rewarding the full range of contributions a researcher makes to their field. Moving away from the traditional CV formats, we hope to increase the diversity of researchers applying for our grants and to put diversity and inclusion at the forefront of our decision-making processes.  

This decision to change our funding procedures is part of a wider commitment to greater inclusivity and diversity in dementia research. Over the past year, we have: 

• endorsed the ALBA Declaration on Equity and Inclusion, aiming to promote a more inclusive brain research culture for all. 
• become a San Francisco Declaration on Research Assessment signatory, recognising the need to improve the ways in which researchers and research outputs are evaluated. 
• developed an Equality, Diversity and Inclusion strategy, making a commitment to improve equality both in clinical research and within the research workforce. 

We have adapted the questions in our applications from the Résumé for Researchers Narrative Style CV developed by the Royal Society. This is in line with the recommendations set out by the University of Glasgow – UK Reproducibility Network (UKRN) Pilot.  

We then convened a focus group to discuss and provide feedback on the proposed narrative-style CV format. The focus group consisted of researchers from a diverse background in terms of career stage, research area, career path, and experience in grant applications. After considering and incorporating their feedback, we are now moving forward with piloting this proposed CV format in our upcoming Research Fellowship applications.  

Assess applications responsibly 

• Focus on qualitative (quality, significance and impact), rather than quantitative (metrics) assessment. 

• Facilitate the work of grant review panels by offering a broader view of applicants’ experience.
  

Create an inclusive process by removing barriers and broaden who can apply  

• Support non-linear research career paths. 
• Support early-/ mid-career researchers for whom a traditional CV may not be well suited compared to more established researchers.
  

Create the right incentives 

• Incentivise researchers to broaden outputs. 
• Promote open access publishing and move away from a focus on the venue of publication. 
• Encourage team science and collegiality
  

Reduce barriers across disciplines and sectors 

• Align our procedures with other funders, including the Joint Funders Group. 
• Save applicants’ time. 

The narrative CV is structured with three modules and space for a personal statement, personal details, other relevant details and career breaks. Download a template with guidance notes for each of the modules.  

The guidance includes examples of what could be included in each module, but the individual decides what information to include. The outputs and success measures found on a standard research CV, such as publications, funding and awards, fit naturally within the modules. However, the narrative CV allows these achievements to be put in the broader context of the researcher’s activities. Early career researchers may refer to the ECR career framework as a basis to reflect on their achievements and strengths 

The narrative CV has a suggested word limit of 400 words per module however we recognise that relevant outputs and contributions will differ depending on discipline, career stage and area of scientific research. Therefore, by this nature, some of the CV sections may be lighter in content than others or some may be left empty. Reviewers are asked to consider the CV sections holistically, and not in isolation, when making assessments on the skills and expertise of the candidate to deliver the proposed work. 

There are no specific guidelines on text formatting. 

Applicants and reviewers from the Grant Review Board completed feedback surveys which we summarise below.

From applicants

• High response rate (72%)
• 87% of respondents thought the Narrative CV gave them a better opportunity to showcase broader skills and experience
• 81% were happy with the length of the application
• 81% found our guidance clear (or very clear) and complete
• Host organisations gave varying levels of support to those filling out the application
• 56% found it took longer compared to other applications

From reviewers

• Lower response rate (55%) but complemented by discussion in a meeting
• All reviewers found that the narrative CV gives a broader view of an applicant’s skills and expertise compared to a traditional CV
• 70% of reviewers found the narrative CV to be useful at providing the information needed to make a well-informed decision
• The majority of reviewers felt the length of the CV was ‘about right’
• 42% of reviewers sought information from other sources (pubmed/google scholar)
• 42% of reviewers felt reviewing applications with the narrative CV format took longer than with traditional CV. 42% felt it took around the same time
• The main points of feedback from reviewers are around time taken to review the narrative format, mostly relating to the structure and variability of the information given and it being more difficult to pull out certain pieces of information

Based on these, Alzheimer’s Research UK will consider adopting the narrative CV for lead applicants across all grant schemes, ensuring that the main points of feedback are addressed.