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The publication of dissertations comes with both technical and ethical problems.

Discerning the Challenges of Publishing Dissertations

By IGI Global on Mar 14, 2018
imageAs an academic publisher, IGI Global strives to disseminate timely, innovative, and relevant research, and we understand the need to publish such research from a variety of different academic levels. However, problems can arise when specific types of academic papers are published, such as dissertations. While an important milestone for academicians and researchers, dissertations pose various concerns for publishers that range from technical to ethical, and these issues can make it problematic to publish them at the highest level.

From a research perspective, dissertations present problems of timeliness and depth. Structurally, theses tend to rely on lengthy reviews of literature as well as repetitive, step-by step descriptions of what was done in order to prove a specific hypothesis through a specific single lens. In contrast, research publications focus on methodologies, theories, and techniques from various fields and research areas of interest, taking multiple approaches to the same problem through the view of various relevant fields. While the methods of research are relayed, step-by-step processes tend to be avoided in favor of a more descriptive and engaging approach.

Similarly, many dissertations do not reach the point at which they are ready for publication until long after they have been written and subsequently presented. This means that the research being presented through the dissertation can be months and even years old. It is essential for academic publications to examine current and future research directions in order to remain timely and innovative amongst the research community. The major downfall of dissertations, in this regard, is that the research runs the risk of being outdated before it has even been published, which can affect the relevance and shelf life of publications based on dissertations. Consequently, dissertations would require extensive updates and revisions before publishers can consider sending them to print.

In addition to the technical problems that arise with the publication of dissertations, a number of ethical issues tend to arise. The most significant of these problems lies largely in publishing a dissertation verbatim. Generally, the institution at which the dissertation was originally presented will have it on file, and often available via their university website. The verbatim publication of these papers would cause the libraries at these institutions to raise questions as to the motivations of the publisher, and reduce the likeliness of accessing it through the publisher for their library.

For these reasons, it is in the best interest of publishers like IGI Global to discourage the submission of dissertations. Authors may use their dissertation as a starting point of a new book project, and we would like to encourage the submission of edited and authored books that focus on new and timely research instead. More information on publishing with IGI Global can be found at here, the submission form for books can be found here, and for journals it can be found here.

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