Overview
A research statement appears in PhD applications (sometimes as a research interests statement or short proposal), in fellowship and postdoc applications and in almost every faculty application. It summarizes what you have done, what questions drive you and what you plan to do next, and it is read by specialists and non-specialists on the same committee.
Diversity statements, sometimes called statements on diversity, equity and inclusion, contribution statements or community engagement statements, ask how your experience and actions have supported or will support an inclusive academic community. Their use has changed considerably: since 2024 a number of US universities and some state systems have dropped or restricted them, particularly in hiring, while other institutions and many countries still request them or ask related questions under different names. We work from whatever your application actually asks, and we do not assume a requirement that is not there.
In both cases you remain the author. We help you plan, give feedback on drafts and edit, and we are careful that every claim reflects work you have actually done or can credibly plan.
Who it’s for and the problems it solves
This is for you if you are…
- PhD applicants asked for a research statement, research interests statement or statement of research experience
- Doctoral candidates and postdocs applying for fellowships or postdoctoral positions
- Early-career researchers on the faculty job market preparing a research statement
- Applicants to programs or jobs that request a diversity, inclusion, community or contribution statement
- Researchers returning to academia who need to present a non-linear record coherently
Common problems we help with
- Your research statement reads like a dissertation abstract and loses non-specialists
- Your future research plan is vague or too ambitious to be credible
- You do not know how to present co-authored work and your own contribution
- You are unsure what a diversity or contribution statement should contain beyond good intentions
- The prompt has been renamed or rephrased and you are unsure what the institution now wants
What’s included — and what isn’t
Included
- Analysis of the prompt, length and audience (department, fellowship panel or admissions committee)
- Planning the research narrative: central question, past contributions, current work and future agenda
- Feedback on accessibility for non-specialist readers, including the opening and a one-paragraph overview
- Advice on presenting collaborative and co-authored work with an accurate account of your role
- Guidance on future research plans: feasibility, funding sources and fit with the department
- Planning a diversity or contribution statement around specific actions, reflection and realistic plans
- Editing for clarity, concision and consistent terminology across your application documents
Not included
- Writing either statement for you to submit
- Inventing research results, publications, grants, outreach work or personal experiences
- Advising on legal questions about statement requirements, which differ by jurisdiction
- Guaranteeing interviews, fellowships, offers or admission
What you receive
- Statement outline
- An agreed structure built from your notes, CV and publications, with the key message of each section.
- Commented drafts
- Margin comments on each agreed round, covering argument, evidence, audience and tone.
- Non-specialist read
- Flags on terms, acronyms and leaps in logic that a committee member outside your subfield would stumble on.
- Edited final
- Tracked-changes edit and a clean copy, checked against length limits and your CV.
How it works
Understand the ask
We read the job ad, program page or fellowship call and identify what each statement is for and who will read it.
Plan
We work through your record and plans in a call or written exchange and agree an outline.
Feedback rounds
You draft; we comment. We pay particular attention to specificity and to claims that need evidence.
Edit and align
We edit the final version and check that it is consistent with your CV, cover letter and other statements.
What strong statements do
- A clear research identity
- One or two sentences that tell any reader what your research is about and why it matters.
- Past, present, future
- A narrative linking completed work to current projects and a specific next agenda, not three separate lists.
- Credible plans
- Next projects scoped to the position's length, resources and likely funding, with an idea of first outputs.
- Evidence of contribution
- Concrete actions such as mentoring, curriculum work, outreach or accessibility changes, and what resulted.
- Reflection
- What you learned from experience and how it shapes your teaching, research or collaboration practices.
- Institutional fit
- Links to the department's research strengths, centers, facilities or community commitments where genuine.
Research statements for PhD applications versus faculty jobs
At the PhD stage, committees do not expect a finished research program. They look for curiosity, a sense of how research is done and interests that match the department. A research statement at this level usually describes one or two experiences in detail and outlines questions you would like to explore, often naming potential supervisors.
For postdoc and faculty applications, the statement becomes a research plan. Committees want to see an independent agenda, several years of projects, how you will fund them and how they fit the department. Each audience needs a different balance of past and future, which we help you calibrate.
Diversity and contribution statements: a changing landscape
Requirements for diversity statements have shifted quickly. MIT announced in 2024 that it would no longer request them for faculty positions, and several other US institutions and public systems have since removed, renamed or restricted them. Elsewhere, including many UK, Canadian, European and Australian institutions, applicants may still be asked how they will contribute to an inclusive environment, sometimes within a teaching or leadership statement.
Because of this, we treat the prompt as the authority. If a statement is optional, we help you decide whether you have something specific to say. If it is required, we help you write about actions and reflection rather than general values, and to avoid disclosing personal information you are not comfortable sharing.
- Check the current application instructions; older guides may describe requirements that no longer apply
- Focus on what you did and will do, with examples
- Personal background is your choice to share; it is not required to write a strong statement
- Keep the statement consistent with your teaching and research statements
Honesty and authorship
Statements are read alongside your CV, references and interviews, so overstated contributions tend to surface. We help you describe your real role accurately, including in collaborative projects, and to frame modest experience honestly and positively.
What the work can look like
Illustrative example — fictional data
Illustrative comment on a research statement opening
A fictional postdoc in materials chemistry opens her faculty research statement with three dense sentences on perovskite defect passivation. The comments show how we help make the opening work for a mixed committee.
Comment
A search committee will include inorganic chemists, biochemists and perhaps a physicist. Start with the problem your work addresses in plain terms, such as why solar cells made from these materials degrade, before the mechanism.
Suggested structure
Paragraph 1: the problem and your approach in plain language. Paragraph 2: your key contribution so far and its evidence. Paragraph 3: three future directions, each with a first project and the equipment or funding it needs.
Check
Your CV lists two first-author papers; the draft calls them "a series of high-impact studies". Describe what they showed instead of characterizing them.
Invented example to illustrate feedback. It does not represent a real client or statement.
What you’ll need to provide
- The exact prompt, job advertisement or fellowship guidance, including length limits
- Your CV and list of publications, presentations and grants
- Your current draft or notes, and any previous versions
- For research statements, a short description of your future research ideas
- For contribution statements, notes on relevant teaching, mentoring, outreach, service or lived experience you choose to share
You don’t need everything ready to ask for a quote — tell us what you have and we’ll say what’s missing.
What affects price and turnaround
Price depends on
- Which statements you need and their length
- Stage: PhD application, fellowship, postdoc or faculty position
- Number of feedback rounds and whether you want planning sessions
- Tailoring for multiple institutions or calls
Turnaround depends on
- Application deadlines, which for faculty and fellowship calls may cluster in the same weeks
- How much of your future research plan is already worked out
- Your availability to revise between rounds
Every project is quoted individually. How we price our work.
Questions people ask before starting
My application asks for a diversity statement but I don't know what to write. Can you help?
Yes. We start with questions about your teaching, mentoring, service, outreach and working practices, and help you identify concrete examples and realistic plans. The content must be your own; we help you organize and express it.
Do I need a diversity statement if the job ad doesn't mention one?
Generally not. Submit what the application asks for. If a prompt asks about community, mentoring or inclusion under a different heading, we help you respond to that wording.
How long should a research statement be?
Follow the stated limit. Faculty research statements are commonly two to five pages; PhD research interest statements are often much shorter. We help you fit the argument to the space.
Can you help with my teaching statement too?
Yes. Teaching statements are covered on our academic careers pages, and we can review them alongside your research statement for consistency.
Is my information kept confidential?
Yes. Unpublished research plans and personal information are used only for your project and are not shared.