{"id":3259,"date":"2026-07-03T23:27:23","date_gmt":"2026-07-03T23:27:23","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/casrai.org\/wp\/narrative-cv-r4ri\/"},"modified":"2026-07-03T23:27:23","modified_gmt":"2026-07-03T23:27:23","slug":"narrative-cv-r4ri","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/casrai.org\/wp\/narrative-cv-r4ri\/","title":{"rendered":"Narrative CV (R4RI): Format, Sections and a Worked Example"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><strong>A narrative CV, called the R\u00e9sum\u00e9 for Research and Innovation (R4RI) at UK Research and Innovation, replaces bullet-pointed achievement lists with a structured, evidence-based prose account of a researcher&#8217;s contributions across four fixed modules, each mapped to a specific funding-opportunity word count.<\/strong> This guide walks through the R4RI format section by section, with a worked example for each module.<\/p>\n<p>The Declaration on Research Assessment (DORA) defines a narrative CV as a CV format that provides a structured written description of a person&#8217;s contributions and achievements, reflecting a broader range of relevant skills and experience than a traditional academic CV typically shows \u2014 a definition UKRI&#8217;s own guidance cites directly.<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><a href=\"#what-is-r4ri\">What is a narrative CV (R4RI)?<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"#four-modules\">What are the four required R4RI modules?<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"#worked-example\">How do you write an R4RI? A worked example<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"#individual-vs-team\">Individual vs team R4RI: what changes?<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"#faqs\">Frequently asked questions<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"#implications\">What this means for applicants and institutions<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2 id=\"what-is-r4ri\">What is a narrative CV (R4RI)?<\/h2>\n<p>The <strong>R\u00e9sum\u00e9 for Research and Innovation (R4RI)<\/strong> is UKRI&#8217;s flexible narrative CV template. UKRI describes it as an evolved version of the Royal Society&#8217;s R\u00e9sum\u00e9 for Researchers, redesigned to be inclusive of the full range of sectors and roles that make up the global research and innovation community.<\/p>\n<p>Unlike a conventional academic CV built around publication lists and grant totals, the R4RI asks applicants to explain, in prose, <em>how<\/em> they achieved impact \u2014 through ideas, people, community leadership and societal reach. UKRI&#8217;s narrative CV explainer page (last updated 13 November 2024) frames this as aligning with DORA and Coalition for Advancing Research Assessment (CoARA) principles on responsible research assessment, alongside equality, diversity and inclusion goals and support for non-linear careers.<\/p>\n<p>R4RI is not the only narrative CV format in use \u2014 funders including NIHR and Cancer Research UK run comparable schemes \u2014 but it is the template most UK researchers will meet first, since UKRI&#8217;s seven research councils, Research England and Innovate UK all draw on it.<\/p>\n<h2 id=\"four-modules\">What are the four required R4RI modules?<\/h2>\n<p>UKRI&#8217;s R4RI-specific guidance, last updated 30 April 2026, is explicit: <strong>&#8220;You need to structure your answer into the four module headings. The word count is specified in the funding opportunity.&#8221;<\/strong> There is no fifth mandatory module \u2014 only an optional &#8220;Additional information&#8221; section for context, not extra achievements.<\/p>\n<table>\n<tr>\n<th>Module<\/th>\n<th>Title<\/th>\n<th>What it evidences<\/th>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>Module 1<\/td>\n<td>Generation of new ideas, tools, methodologies or knowledge<\/td>\n<td>How you communicated ideas and results; key outputs such as datasets, software, research and policy publications; skills acquired from past projects<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>Module 2<\/td>\n<td>Development of others and effective working relationships<\/td>\n<td>Expertise critical to a team&#8217;s success; teaching, workshops and mentoring; leadership shaping a team&#8217;s direction<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>Module 3<\/td>\n<td>Contributions to the wider research and innovation community<\/td>\n<td>Positions of responsibility; reviewing, editing and committee work; strategic leadership influencing a research agenda<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>Module 4<\/td>\n<td>Contributions to broader users, audiences and societal benefit<\/td>\n<td>Engagement with the public sector, clients and the public; research contributing to public understanding or policy<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/table>\n<p>The optional &#8220;Additional information&#8221; section covers career breaks or voluntary work that provide context \u2014 for example, an interruption that affected output volume. UKRI states this section <strong>&#8220;will be seen by the panel and reviewers even if it references a sensitive issue,&#8221;<\/strong> and warns applicants not to use it to smuggle in extra skills or outputs, since that content will not be assessed.<\/p>\n<h2 id=\"worked-example\">How do you write an R4RI? A worked example<\/h2>\n<p>Each module should read as a short, evidenced narrative rather than a list. The University of Oxford&#8217;s Narrative CV Guide advises that, absent a specific funding call, applicants should aim for the whole CV to sit <strong>under 1,000 words<\/strong> and should never attach a separate publications list unless the funder asks for one.<\/p>\n<p>A simplified, illustrative Module 1 entry might read:<\/p>\n<p><em>&#8220;My work on [research area] identified a gap in existing measurement methods, which I addressed by developing a new protocol now used by three collaborating laboratories. I communicated this through a peer-reviewed publication and two conference presentations, and the underlying dataset is archived for reuse. Contributing to this project built my skills in [named technique], which I will apply directly to the proposed work.&#8221;<\/em><\/p>\n<p>Note the pattern: a specific problem, a concrete action, a verifiable output, and a link forward to the funding bid \u2014 not a bare list of publications. The same discipline applies to Modules 2 to 4: name the relationship, activity or audience, describe the action taken, and state the outcome.<\/p>\n<p>Practical drafting tips that recur across UKRI, Oxford and Cancer Research UK guidance:<\/p>\n<ol>\n<li>Write in the first person, in continuous prose \u2014 no bullet points within a module.<\/li>\n<li>Support every claim with a specific, checkable example rather than a general assertion.<\/li>\n<li>Select five to ten of your most relevant contributions rather than attempting an exhaustive record.<\/li>\n<li>Tailor the narrative to the specific funding opportunity&#8217;s assessment criteria before each submission.<\/li>\n<li>Use active verbs \u2014 &#8220;led,&#8221; &#8220;developed,&#8221; &#8220;convened&#8221; \u2014 to make your role unambiguous.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<p>Applicants describing intellectual contributions in Module 1 can also borrow precision from established contributor-role vocabulary. CASRAI originated the CRediT contributor role taxonomy in 2014; the standard is now stewarded by NISO as <a href=\"\/credit\/roles\/\">ANSI\/NISO Z39.104-2022<\/a>, and its named roles (such as methodology, data curation or writing \u2014 original draft) offer a ready vocabulary for stating precisely what a contribution involved.<\/p>\n<h2 id=\"individual-vs-team\">Individual vs team R4RI: what changes?<\/h2>\n<p>A team submits <strong>one R4RI for the whole group<\/strong>, even where members sit in different organisations \u2014 UKRI&#8217;s guidance is explicit that individual achievements can be highlighted, but the four modules should demonstrate the appropriateness of the team overall, with different members showing complementary skills.<\/p>\n<p>Assessors also use the R4RI differently from a scored checklist. UKRI states that assessors <strong>&#8220;will not view it in isolation&#8221;<\/strong> and <strong>&#8220;will never be asked to score individual modules&#8221;<\/strong> \u2014 the R4RI informs the overall application assessment rather than generating its own numeric mark. For some funding opportunities it is instead used to establish team eligibility, so applicants should always check the specific opportunity&#8217;s guidance on how the R4RI will be used before drafting.<\/p>\n<p>Completed R4RIs are shared with reviewers and panel members without anonymisation, and treated the same way as a traditional CV within UKRI&#8217;s evaluation process.<\/p>\n<h2 id=\"faqs\">Frequently asked questions<\/h2>\n<h3>What is the difference between a narrative CV and a traditional CV?<\/h3>\n<p>A <strong>narrative CV<\/strong> replaces bulleted lists and metrics with structured prose describing <strong>contributions and achievements<\/strong> across fixed modules, while a traditional academic CV lists publications, grants and posts chronologically. UKRI&#8217;s own definition frames the narrative format as capturing a broader range of skills than a conventional CV typically shows.<\/p>\n<h3>Is a narrative CV written in first person or third person?<\/h3>\n<p>Most guidance, including the Mental Health Research Incubator&#8217;s explainer, recommends writing in whichever person you find clearest to write, but notes that <strong>first person<\/strong> often suits questions phrased as &#8220;how have you\u2026&#8221;. Check whether the specific funding call&#8217;s wording implies a preferred voice before drafting.<\/p>\n<h3>How long is a narrative CV?<\/h3>\n<p>Length is normally set by the individual <strong>funding opportunity&#8217;s word count<\/strong>. The University of Oxford&#8217;s guide recommends that, without a specific call in mind, applicants keep the whole document to <strong>under 1,000 words<\/strong> and avoid attaching a separate publications list unless requested.<\/p>\n<h3>How does a narrative CV look compared with a covering letter?<\/h3>\n<p>The University of Edinburgh describes a narrative CV as <strong>&#8220;a blend of a traditional academic CV and covering letter,&#8221;<\/strong> since it explains the context \u2014 the &#8220;how&#8221; \u2014 behind achievements, typically across four modules covering contributions beyond immediate research outputs.<\/p>\n<h2 id=\"implications\">What this means for applicants and institutions<\/h2>\n<p>Narrative CV adoption is spreading beyond UKRI: NIHR, Cancer Research UK and a growing number of UK universities now request R4RI-like formats for recruitment as well as funding, and UKRI signposts the Peer Exchange Platform on Narrative CVs for applicants who want structured support drafting one. Institutions are responding by building local guidance and review services rather than leaving researchers to interpret module headings unaided.<\/p>\n<p>For <a href=\"\/research-administration\/\">research administrators<\/a> supporting applicants, the practical task is less about policing word counts and more about coaching researchers to replace generic claims with specific, evidenced sentences \u2014 the single change UKRI, Oxford and Cancer Research UK guidance converge on most consistently. As more funders formalise R4RI-style requirements, institutions that build this coaching capacity now will reduce rework at the application stage rather than after rejection.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>A section-by-section walkthrough of the UKRI R4RI narrative CV format, with a worked example for each of the four modules.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":15,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_casrai_contributor_statement":"","_casrai_contributors_json":"","_article_doi":"","_article_license":[],"_article_funding":[],"_casrai_article_id":"","_casrai_registry_status":"","_casrai_registry_date":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[1621],"tags":[83,3378,3382,3377,3379,3380,3381],"credit_role":[],"dictionary_domain":[],"class_list":["post-3259","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-guides-explainers","tag-narrative-cv","tag-narrative-cv-example","tag-narrative-cv-template","tag-narrative-cv-ukri","tag-r4ri-examples","tag-resume-for-research-and-innovation-2","tag-ukri-funding-applications"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/casrai.org\/wp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3259","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/casrai.org\/wp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/casrai.org\/wp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/casrai.org\/wp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/15"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/casrai.org\/wp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=3259"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/casrai.org\/wp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3259\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/casrai.org\/wp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=3259"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/casrai.org\/wp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=3259"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/casrai.org\/wp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=3259"},{"taxonomy":"credit_role","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/casrai.org\/wp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/credit_role?post=3259"},{"taxonomy":"dictionary_domain","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/casrai.org\/wp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/dictionary_domain?post=3259"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}