Workers in industries with a strong emphasis on publications and accomplishments, such as medicine and academia, typically provide a curriculum vitae, or CV, to potential employers instead of a resume. A proper CV follows strict formatting guidelines that extend to a publications section, which makes proper citation extremely important.

CV Basics

A CV is a living document, which means it is updated regularly to reflect new information about your career and professional accomplishments. Unlike resumes, which are tailored toward specific open positions, multiple potential employers could receive a copy of the same CV. The document needs to be presented in a clean font, such as Arial or Times New Roman, and the same font size should be used throughout the body of the document.

Publication Section Basics

The publication credits listed in many CVs appear under a combined "Publications and Presentations" heading that features both your print and digital publications and any presentations made at industry or academic conferences. After you have developed a lengthy list under the combined heading, you may separate it into two different CV sections. Some professionals with extensive, varied credits may also separate the list into publication types, such as peer-reviewed articles, books, book chapters and abstracts.

Publication Order

Major universities differ in their recommendations for organizing your publications list. The University of California at Berkeley Career Center recommends using a reverse chronological order to put your most recent publications front and center while the University of Massachusetts Medical School prefers chronological order because it makes updating and numbering easier over your career. When in doubt, ask the opinion of an industry professional to determine the standard practice in your line of work.

Publication Citation Methods

When you list a book, article or presentation under your publications sections, pick the citation method relied upon for other documents in your industry. For example, researchers and scientists rely on American Psychological Association, or APA, style for citing references while academics working in the liberal arts use Modern Language Association, or MLA, style. No matter the citation method required, use a single line space within the publication entry and a double space to separate each credit.

Citation Structure

When using APA style for a book you authored, use the formatting "Smith, John (2013). My book name: My subtitle. Publication City: Publisher's Name." MLA format for the same book reads "Smith, John. My Book Name. Publication City: Publisher, Publication Year. Publication Medium." If your book or article has been accepted for publication but is not yet in print, list "accepted for publication" instead of the publication year.