How to turn a thesis into a journal article
Writing a thesis for your PhD is a significant achievement that requires countless hours of research, writing, and editing. But once you have successfully defended your thesis, what comes next? Your work holds valuable insights and makes an original contribution to your field. It deserves to be seen and discussed by other scholars. Moreover, in an increasingly competitive job market, academic employers require early career researchers to have a number of articles published in order to qualify for an interview.
But, getting published is difficult – especially as the ‘perish or publish’ paradigm is putting additional pressures on an already overstretched publishing ecosystem. Plus – a PhD thesis is very different in form, structure, tone and content to an academic article.
A journal article needs to be structured to highlight findings efficiently, presenting only the most relevant data and discussions with a focus on clarity and impact. Developing your thesis into a publishable article requires refining your arguments and removing excess content.
KNE CLUE: HOW TO TRANSFORM YOUR THESIS INTO A RESEARCH ARTICLE
Turning your thesis into a research article requires careful revision to meet the expectations of academic journals. And remember, your thesis is probably big enough with enough content for multiple articles!
Here’s a guide to help you through the process:
Identify the main focus of your article
- Determine the most significant findings or arguments from your thesis that are suitable for publication. Develop a research question that particularly focuses on the findings.
- Consider which part of your research has the most novel contribution to your field. An article that significantly adds to your field is more likely to be accepted.
Select a journal
- Find journals in your field that publish articles similar to your topic. These can be journals that you enjoy reading, journals that publish early-career researchers or a very niche journal that has a strong focus on your topic.
- Review the journal’s aims and scope and submission guidelines to ensure your article aligns with their requirements.
- Look into the journal’s impact factor, readership, and indexes. These can affect your chances of being accepted and the audience that will see your paper. It also may be important if you are publishing as part of an institutional requirement.
Restructure your thesis into the journal article’s format
- Title and abstract: Write a concise and engaging title. Summarize your study in 200–300 words, focusing on the problem, methodology, findings, and significance.
- Introduction: Include background information, but make sure it is concise and effective. Clearly state your research question, and emphasise the importance of your study and the contribution it makes to your field.
- Literature review: Shorten this section from your thesis to include only the most relevant sources that focus on your article topic.
- Methodology: Focus on essential methods. Avoid overly detailed descriptions unless necessary.
- Results & discussion: Present your findings in a clear way. Compare your results with existing studies and discuss their implications.
- Conclusion: Provide a concise summary of your findings and suggest areas for future research.
- References: Ensure all sources are relevant, formatted correctly, and up to date.
Edit content to be concise and efficient
- Remove unnecessary explanations and background details that are not relevant to your article topic.
- Use clear and concise language. Journal articles require a more direct writing style than a thesis to keep the reader engaged.
- Ensure the argument flows logically, with each section contributing to the overall narrative.
Follow journal submission and style guidelines
- Adhere to the journal’s specific formatting, referencing style, and word limit.
Edit and finalise your manuscript
- Refine your article for clarity, coherence, and impact.
- Double-check for grammatical errors, typos, and citation accuracy.
By following these steps, you can effectively transform your thesis into a research article and increase your chances of successful publication.