Skip to main content

Research Statement

Research statements are a frequent component of the academic job market application portfolio and one of the more field-specific documents. In a research statement, you are explaining to the search committee your scholarly profile, research agenda, impact of your work, and how your scholarship fits into the department and institution.

The Basics

While the research statement can vary widely depending on field and institution, in general, research statements:

  • Are up to two pages in length
  • Written as first-person narratives (e.g., "My research focuses on ..."; "I consider ...")
  • Address research topic and details
  • Demonstrate methodologies used, approach, techniques, etc.
  • Address the impact of your work
  • Speak to future research agendas
  • Can address questions of diversity, equity, and inclusion

Content Considerations

While your research statement needs to specify your current research and the foundation you have developed in your doctoral program, you also need to speak to how this current work relates to a future-looking research agenda. You want to talk the search committee through the evolution of your research from current project to future pathways. Think of the statement in three parts:

  1. What is the current state of research and why is it important to your field?
  2. What immediate work (publications, grants, impact) will you get out of this research? Why is it important?
  3. How will you use the skills built in the first two parts to develop future projects? In what direction do you hope to grow? How is this research possible at this particular institution?

Finally, think about the reader of your research statement: a search committee that may be familiar with your field but still requires an easily legible and accessible statement. While drafting and revising, keep this reader in mind:

  • Will they understand the jargon?
  • Can your research be understood by colleagues outside of your adviser, committee, and immediate peers?
  • What about the student population at this institution? How can they be involved and help develop your research agenda?
  • What resources (equipment, access, buildings) does the institution have and how can that help with your research agenda?

You as a Peer

Of utmost importance in a research statement is that you are not talking as a graduate student. You are not proposing a dissertation or potential experiment. In the research statement, you are delineating the contours of your research so a hiring committee can determine if it is in the interest of the department to invest in your candidature. Think about the position you are applying to:

  • How does your research style fit within the department?
  • How does your research complement projects or programs already underway within the department?
  • How would your research engage with the department’s broader interests (e.g., their teaching output or interdisciplinary perspectives)?
  • How would your research benefit the institution (grants, collaborations, new courses, new projects, etc.)?

As with all application documents, make sure to have multiple eyes on the content before submitting your statement. Take advantage of the support Northwestern provides from the Graduate Writing Place, Office of Fellowships, and Northwestern Career Advancement.

Postdocs can make appointments for individualized feedback with the Office of Postdoctoral Affairs.