Narrative CVs

The Tri-Agency (SSHRC, CIHR, and NSERC) recently introduced narrative-style CVs for their competitions and it is currently being piloted in a few funding competitions. Narrative CVs allow a more holistic story of a researcher’s impact by highlighting the quality and context of contributions —whether in advancing knowledge, mentoring, collaboration, knowledge mobilization, or service to communities. This format provides space for researchers to reflect on the meaning and influence of their work, making academic assessment more inclusive and recognizing diverse pathways to impact.

Foundational Overviews

• Tri-Agency Overview of the Narrative CV
  Official introduction to the narrative CV format, including purpose and structure.
• Fonds de recherche du Québec (FRQ)
  Announcement of FRQ’s transition toward narrative CVs, including templates and FAQs.

Webinars, Presentations & Recordings

• Concordia University Presentation (Dr. RIC Call in April 2025)
  Presentation by Eli Friedland and Prem Sooriyakumar on the emerging Narrative CV landscape. Includes a recording and slide deck (recording will be made public soon, currently stored in our internal database).
• Canadian Reproducibility Network & Canadian CoP on Responsible Research Assessment (Sept 25, 2025)
  Webinar featuring University of Calgary (Raad Fadaak) and Concordia University (Eli Friedland) discussing the shift to narrative CVs. Includes the recording and slide deck.

Institutional Resource Collections

• University of Winnipeg
  • Create A Compelling Narrative
  • Instructions and Sample Statements

• University of Calgary
  • Narrative CV guidance and templates
  • How to write a Most Significant Contribution Statement

• Concordia University
  • Collection of Narrative CV guides and tools

• Simon Fraser University
  • Narrative CV resources and support materials

• University of Alberta
  • Baseline Competencies for Writing A Compelling Narrative

• University of Glasgow
  • Resources on how to write a narrative CV

• University of Oxford:
  • Developing a narrative CV: guidance for researchers

Collaborative Platforms

• Peer Exchange Platform for Narrative-style CVs (PEP-CV)
  A shared resource space developed through partnerships between funders and the research community to support narrative CV adoption and best practices.

Books

• Cornerstones of Impact Management. How to Plan, Implement, Assess and Understand Factors for Success – Edited by Anne-Maree Dowd, Thomas Keenan, Kathryn Graham

Other

• DORA Principles
  The San Francisco Declaration on Research Assessment (DORA) principles and the Narrative CV format are deeply interconnected. Both aim to transform how researchers and their contributions are evaluated by shifting away from narrow, metrics-driven assessment toward contextual, qualitative, and holistic evaluation.

If there’s a resource you’d like to add here, please reach out to us! We are also looking for resources for the following, as it relates to Narrative CVs:

• Funder expectations
• Guidance for internal reviewers
• Strategies for ethical and effective use of AI tools
• Structured mentorship/peer feedback models
• Training/workshops (including rationale/philosophy behind NCVs, storytelling, impact articulation, common challenges, etc)
• Internal grants
• Postdoctoral fellowships

If there are any you’d like to contribute, please contact Sandy Chan at sdychan@yorku.ca.