Biosketches

Biosketches are the responsibility of faculty members. Update and maintain parts A & B of the biosketch and review part C; Sherry is available to assist with part C if needed.

A biosketch is a faculty member's curriculum vitae presented in a specified format

• Biosketches highlight key personnel and other significant contributors' relevant experience and/or qualifications
• Biosketches are specific to a proposed project
• Biosketches must follow the guidelines of the sponsor

Regardless of the length, they must contain four sections

• Header: Personal Information & Education

1. Name is consistent with eRA Commons
2. Position Title is consistent with eRA Commons
3. Education/Training begins with earliest

• Section A: Positions & Honors

1. Use chronological order
2. End with current position
3. Include dates, places, nature of position
4. Add professional experiences
5. List present membership on any Federal Government public advisory committee
6. Don't forget any relevant honors
7. Please place the Personal Statement in this section. Briefly describe why your experience and qualifications make you particularly well-suited for your role (e.g., PD/PI, mentor, participating faculty) in the project that is the subject of the application. Each biosketch will have to be amended for each submission unless you provide a generic enough statment to cover every grant on which you may participate.

• Section B: Selected Peer-Reviewed Publications or Manuscripts in Press

1. List relevant publications in chronological order during the past (3) years. If the list of publications in the last (3) years exceeds (2) pages, select the most pertinent publications. PAGE LIMITATIONS APPLY.
2. Many people hightlight the person's name
3. Give titles, all authors, and complete references
4. Only peer-reviewed publications, not reviews
5. Do not include manuscripts submitted or in preparation, only if they have been accepted for publication
6. When citing articles that fall under the Public Access Policy, were authored or co-authored by the applicant and arose from NIH support, provide the NIH Manuscript Submission reference number (e.g., NIHMS97531) or the PMCID reference number (e.g., PMCID234567) for each article. If the PMCID is not yet availble because the Journal submits articles directly to PMC on behalf of their authors, indicate "PMC Journal - In Process." Citations that are not covered by the Publice Access Policy, but are publicly available in a free, online format may include URLs or PMCID numbers along with the full reference.
7. Encourage applicants to limit the list of publications to no more than 15.

• Section C: Research Support

1. List selected ongoing/completed support during the past (3) years
2. Begin with the projects that are most relevant to the research proposed in the application
3. Include both federal and non-federal
4. State the goals of each research project and the role of the person involved
5. Do not include percent effort or direct costs
6. Include grant number, title, PI and project dates
7. This is NOT the same as Other Support
8. Recommend titling the section "Research Ongoing and/or Completed in Last Three Years" in order to avoid constant reshuffle between Ongoing and Completed categories
9. If no research support, list "none"

Mechanics of the Biosketch

• Use the right font (Arial)
• Use the right point size (11 point)
• Ink color should be black
• Strict guidelines on margin width (1/2 inch on all sides)
• Do not remove headers/footers from the biosketch

Common Problems with Biosketches

• Not including the eRA Commons User Name
• Including current and pending support instead of current and completed support
• Including % of effort on projects
• Adding budget amount to projects

Additional Resource Information

Converting a PMID number to a PMCID number in PubMed

Locating a PMCID Reference Number in PubMed

You may perform a relevant literature search and view the PMCID reference number by selecting the AbstractPlus display. You will find the PMCID reference number located under the abstract on the lower bottom right of the display.

Locating a PMCID Reference Number in PubMed Central

You may perform a relevant literature search and view the PMCID reference number by selecting the Summary display. You will find the PMCID reference number located under the citation on the lower bottom left of the display.

Sample of a completed Biographical Sketch

Blank Biographical Sketch Format Page