Unpublished? Try your dissertation

VOLUME 30, NUMBER 11 December 1999

Faculty and journal editors offer tips on transforming doctoral research into a journal article.

By Jamie Chamberlin
Monitor staff

If 24-year-old Edward Lee Thorndike hadn't gone to the trouble of getting his doctoral dissertation on animal intelligence published in 1898, behavioral science might still be in the 19th century. But the young scientist had faith in "Animal intelligence: An experimental study of the associative processes in animals," and the work, published in Psychological Review Monograph Supplement, is considered a turning point in the history of behavioral science in the United States.

Most faculty members agree that publishing the dissertation is a great kickoff for an academic career and good experience for breaking into journal publishing--as was the case with Thorndike, who taught at Teachers College at Columbia University for his entire career and published more than 500 articles.

But while some new psychologists are eager to publish their dissertations, many others--relieved that the tome is finally behind them--let theirs collect dust on their desks or pack their notes and files into storage. One reason, say faculty, is that many recent graduates dread transforming their dissertations into journal articles.

"To go back to it seems anticlimactic," says Jacquelynne Eccles, PhD, the Wilbert McKeachie collegiate professor of psychology at the University of Michigan. "And they feel that the amount of work to convert it is overwhelming."

In addition, many new psychologists land faculty positions or postdoctoral fellowships that distract them from publishing their dissertations.

Converting a dissertation is challenging, admit faculty, even for students who write their dissertations as a series of journal articles--an option that is offered at many schools, including the University of Michigan and Harvard University. Even those dissertations need to be pared down and targeted toward a broad audience, says Eccles. Not to mention additional revisions once reviewers critique the articles. But the process teaches new psychologists to assimilate their research, communicate succinctly and write for people other than dissertation committees or professors--skills they will need throughout their careers.

Faculty and journal editors offer these tips to freshly minted psychologists on revising their work, identifying potential journals and using criticism constructively to increase the chance of publishing a dissertation as a journal article:

Decide--is it good enough? First, students need to ask themselves: Is the dissertation worth converting into a journal article? Harvard psychologist Daniel Gilbert, PhD, says students should submit their work only if it is outstanding and the findings are solid--not simply to gain experience. Advisors and members of the dissertation committee can help a student make the call--some dissertations are better suited as a springboard to future publishable work, says Gilbert. Joan Bolker, EdD, author of "Writing Your Dissertation in Fifteen Minutes a Day" (Henry Holt and Co., 1998) agrees.

"I wouldn't encourage anyone to publish just for the sake of publishing," she says. "The only reason to do it is if you are really interested in the topic and think other people will want to read about your findings."

Not to say that most new psychologists shouldn't consider submitting. Robert Bjork, PhD, the editor of Psychological Review, says that at least two-thirds of the dissertations he reads as a psychology professor at the University of California at Los Angeles merit publication. He suggests seeking the advice of a dissertation chair or other committee member when deciding whether publication is worth pursuing.

But every graduate student should begin a dissertation project with an eye toward publishing in a peer-reviewed journal, says APA's Executive Director for Science Richard McCarty. "This sets the tone at the beginning that the dissertation is not merely one last major hurdle until the PhD is awarded--rather, it's the beginning of a scholarly life."

Target journals. Identify the journals that would be most interested in the article, editors say. Look at the recent articles each journal publishes to develop a sense of the work they publish.

Seek advice from a faculty advisor or dissertation chair--they have publishing experience and know which journals would be appropriate, says Robert Roeser, PhD, an assistant professor of education at Stanford University. Also, consider journals that were a resource during the writing process, he says.

For detailed information about APA journals, the APA Journals web site (www.apa.org/journals/) lists descriptions of each APA journal, manuscript submission procedures, statistics on rejection and acceptance rates, manuscript turnaround time and editor contact information.

Get to the point. Revising for journal publication requires more than cutting and pasting your dissertation. It demands careful "selecting and rewriting," according to the Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association whose fourth edition includes the section "Converting the dissertation into a journal article." The manual advises using active voice, including only the most significant references for the literature review and avoiding excessive reporting.

James Dannemiller, PhD, editor of Developmental Psychology and a professor of psychology at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, says he can quickly spot an article submitted as an entire section of a dissertation--"It is usually too long and needs to be more concise and focused," he says. He suggests asking a colleague or former adviser who can read with an eye toward journal style to point out which sections can be pared and which passages aren't clear.

Roeser, who published three articles based on his dissertation, says students should avoid incorporating every piece of information from their dissertations into their articles. Instead, he urges them to include the most salient findings and strive for readability.

Discuss and determine authorship. Authorship can be a complicated part of the publication process--especially collaborations between students and faculty advisors, according to John D. Cone, PhD, and Sharon L. Foster, PhD, authors of "Dissertations and Theses From Start to Finish" (APA Books, 1993). Often, a student and faculty advisor both contribute significantly to the research, so it is important to determine who will be listed as the first author if the work is published.

APA's ethics code states that students are usually listed as the first author on articles that are based on their dissertations. For further guidance, students should consult APA's Publication Manual, which includes a section on authorship, and the American Psychologist article "Reflections on determining authorship credit and authorship order on faculty-student collaborations," (Vol. 48, No. 11, p. 1141-1147). Authors Mark Fine, PhD, and Lawrence Kurdek, PhD, suggest faculty and students thoroughly discuss the meaning of authorship and how decisions are made to determine what contributions will be expected for a given level of authorship credit.

Submit the manuscript. Once they've targeted a journal to which to submit their work, students should follow that journal's guidelines for submissions explicitly, editors say. They must list contact information, enclose permission forms for use of any copyrighted material submitted, and include a cover letter stating that the paper is not being considered concurrently by any other journal, advise Cone and Foster.

If considering submitting more than one article from a dissertation, students should learn what constitutes duplicate and fragmented publication from APA's Publication Manual. A dissertation--or any study--should not be the basis for more than one journal article unless the information in each article is substantially different, states the manual. Because duplicate publication wastes valuable journal space and review time and can lead to copyright violations, the Publication Manual advises informing the editor of any previous reports based on a given dissertation or study.

Appreciate feedback. It is uncommon for anyone--seasoned researchers included--to have an article accepted on the first round, says Developmental Psychology editor Dannemiller. And while rejections can be frustrating, they bring excellent feedback that can ultimately improve the work, says Bjork.

"It is important for students to understand the realities of peer-reviewed journals," he says. "The suggested revisions may not be minor." He suggests that new psychologists "push down emotional reactions a bit and take full advantage of the comments."

When resubmitting to a journal after making revisions, students should indicate in their cover letters how they responded to the reviewers, says Bjork. Keep in mind that submitting the article to another journal without making the recommended revisions is considered unprofessional, he says. The probability that the same article will be sent to one of the original reviewers may be high.

"And then what tends to happen is that the reviewers get outraged because they have spent an enormous amount of time suggesting revisions," he says.

Even if a manuscript is not ultimately accepted, an author will have gained publishing experience that will be helpful the next time they submit.

"The process can be daunting, especially when it comes on the heels of the dissertation," says Dannemiller. "But it is a really good opportunity to start learning about publishing."