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Open Access Theses and Dissertations

Thursday, April 18, 8:20am (EDT): Searching is temporarily offline. We apologize for the inconvenience and are working to bring searching back up as quickly as possible.

Advanced research and scholarship. Theses and dissertations, free to find, free to use.

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October 3, 2022. OATD is dealing with a number of misbehaved crawlers and robots, and is currently taking some steps to minimize their impact on the system. This may require you to click through some security screen. Our apologies for any inconvenience.

Recent Additions

See all of this week’s new additions.

About OATD.org

OATD.org aims to be the best possible resource for finding open access graduate theses and dissertations published around the world. Metadata (information about the theses) comes from over 1100 colleges, universities, and research institutions . OATD currently indexes 7,225,126 theses and dissertations.

About OATD (our FAQ) .

Visual OATD.org

We’re happy to present several data visualizations to give an overall sense of the OATD.org collection by county of publication, language, and field of study.

You may also want to consult these sites to search for other theses:

• Google Scholar
• NDLTD , the Networked Digital Library of Theses and Dissertations. NDLTD provides information and a search engine for electronic theses and dissertations (ETDs), whether they are open access or not.
• Proquest Theses and Dissertations (PQDT), a database of dissertations and theses, whether they were published electronically or in print, and mostly available for purchase. Access to PQDT may be limited; consult your local library for access information.

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EBSCO Open Dissertations

EBSCO Open Dissertations makes electronic theses and dissertations (ETDs) more accessible to researchers worldwide. The free portal is designed to benefit universities and their students and make ETDs more discoverable. 

Increasing Discovery & Usage of ETD Research

With EBSCO Open Dissertations, institutions are offered an innovative approach to driving additional traffic to ETDs in institutional repositories. Our goal is to help make their students’ theses and dissertations as widely visible and cited as possible.

EBSCO Open Dissertations extends the work started in 2014, when EBSCO and the H.W. Wilson Foundation created American Doctoral Dissertations which contained indexing from the H.W. Wilson print publication, Doctoral Dissertations Accepted by American Universities, 1933-1955. In 2015, the H.W. Wilson Foundation agreed to support the expansion of the scope of the American Doctoral Dissertations database to include records for dissertations and theses from 1955 to the present.

How Does EBSCO Open Dissertations Work?

Libraries can add theses and dissertations to the database, making them freely available to researchers everywhere while increasing traffic to their institutional repository.  ETD metadata is harvested via OAI and integrated into EBSCO’s platform, where pointers send traffic to the institution's IR.

EBSCO integrates this data into their current subscriber environments and makes the data available on the open web via opendissertations.org .

You might also be interested in:

The Penn Libraries has built a new, user-focused library catalog, with a simpler look and easier search features. Explore it at find.library.upenn.edu .

Publish Your Dissertation

Find resources to guide you through the process of revising your dissertation for publication, choosing a publisher, copyright, and more. Many of these topics are also covered in the Libraries’ Support for Publishing workshop series.   

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Navigate the Publishing Process

Get help with copyright, support for publishing workshops.

Learn the ins and outs of the publishing process through a series of workshops hosted by the Penn Libraries in collaboration with the Grad Center at Penn.

Upcoming Events

Image Permissions for Dissertations, Publications, and Research

In this session Deb Stewart (Head, Penn Museum Library), and Mia D'Avanza (Director, Fisher Fine Arts Library) share their expertise in understanding image rights and seeking permissions to use images in dissertations and other publications.

• 10:00am - 11:00am
• Class of 1955 Conference Room 241, Van Pelt-Dietrich Library Center, 2nd Floor
• Get Expert Help
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Dissertation & Thesis Publishing: Home

• LIU Post Print Dissertation Retrieval
• Ask a Librarian
• Dissertation/Thesis Binding

How To Publish Your Dissertation or Thesis Online and/or in Digital Commons@LIU repository

You have three options for publishing your dissertation or thesis online:

• Publish your dissertation  or thesis  in Digital Commons @ LIU - our Institutional Respository
• Publish your dissertation  or thesis  with Proquest /UMI Digital Dissertation Publishing (EDT Administrator)
• Publish your dissertation  or thesis  in BOTH of the above.

Proquest/UMI Digital Dissertation & Thesis Publishing

The library provides access to an online dissertation or thesis  publishing platform through Proquest/UMI Digital Dissertation & Thesis Publishing.  When you publish your dissertation or thesis online using this service it will be available in the Proquest Dissertation & Theses  Global   database and in Dissertations & Theses @ LIU database .  These databases can also be found on our library online databases page.  The links are provided below for your convenience. You may submit your dissertation or thesis once you have permission from your department to do so.

 You can go to the LIU dedicated “ETD Administrator” website at:

http://www.etdadmin.com/liu

On this page you will find links to information about publishing your dissertation or thesis online.  You are encouraged to read all of the provided information under the “Resources and Guidelines” tab so that you have a full understanding of the process and of your rights as an author. 

If you have not already done so you will first need to create an account by clicking on the "Sign up and get started today!" button. Once you have logged in and are ready to publish, you will be asked several questions during the process concerning copyright protection, open access publishing, and if you wish to delay (embargo) the publication of your dissertation or thesis.   The “traditional” publishing option is free of cost.  If you choose additional options you can pay online with a credit card. The online resources provided should answer your questions. 

You will be asked for your "Institutional Student ID" number during the process.  This is not your University login.  Your Institutional Student ID number can be found within your "My LIU" account or by contacting your academic department.

During the process you can also choose to order one or several personal print copies. These would be in addition to the bound copies you may have already ordered through the library if your department requires this. This online publishing service for digital dissertations and the bound dissertations oe thesis service in the library are separate programs. Please contact the Dean's office (516-299-2764) concerning ordering print copies of a dissertation through the library.

Once you submit your dissertation, the ETD Administrator will review your submission for formatting and other quality control issues.  The final submittal to the Proquest Dissertation & Theses Full-text database will take place after your graduation.

You must follow the formatting guidelines as stipulated by your department.   It is particularly important that you follow the correct format on the title page so that your dissertation or thesis can be indexed correctly.  For security reasons, do not include a page containing personal signatures.  Please remove the page or submit a replacement page without the signatures .  Proquest has advised not to include signatures.   If you include signatures in the document, you will need to resubmit and the publication of your dissertation or thesis will be delayed.

The Proquest publishing process can take up to 8 to 12 weeks to complete.  You will receive an email from Proquest when your dissertation or thesis is published in the databases.

If you still have questions concerning this program you can contact the ETD administrator, professor Natalia Tomlin ([email protected]).

In addition to submitting your dissertation or thesis to the ProQuest EDT Administrator, you can also submit your dissertation to the LIU Institutional Repository Digital Commons@LIU.  You do not need to submit your dissertation or thesis to the Digital Commons separately. During the submission process to ProQuest, you will be asked to indicate if you want your work to be in the Digital Commons @LIU repository as well. If you chose so, we will upload your work in the repository on your behalf.

Dear  Student,

We would like to invite you to submit your dissertation or thesis (free of charge) to our Digital Commons @LIU open access Institutional Repository.

Your submission to Digital Commons (should you chose to submit) would be in addition to submitting the dissertation or thesis to ProQuest. The advantage is broader dissemination of your scholarship. PLEASE NOTE that if you already indicated that you wish your work to be submitted into repository during ProQuest submission process, you don't need to do the steps outlined below. H owever, if you did not submit the work to ProQuest, OR you forgot to indicate that you wish your work to be in our repository, please follow the procedure " How to submit your thesis/dissertations to Digital Commons@LIU"

How to submit your thesis/dissertations to Digital Commons@LIU:

•  sign the submission agreement  http://digitalcommons.liu.edu/creative_works_permission.pdf  (electronic signature is fine) and scan it.
• email scanned permission and the copy of your thesis/dissertation to  http://digitalcommons.liu.edu . Please note that your paper can be in either World Document or PDF format. The front page has to be free of signatures.
• The library will upload your dissertation or thesis once/if your agreement is received.

Once your dissertation or thesis is posted:

• Once your work is uploaded, the system will automatically create an account for you in BePress. The account will use email address that you supplied during submission. Bepress is the name of platform that hosts our repository. You can log into the system and create/change your password. To do so, log into the site via "My Account" link (you will need to use email address that your supplied during submission process). Click on the "Edit Profile" option from "My Account" page and update email.
• your dissertation or thesis is periodically featured as a Paper of the Day
• you receive URL “for life’ that you can include in social media sites, digital portfolio, blackboard etc.
• you also receive monthly report if your research is downloaded during specific month period
• you have access to personal author dashboard that shows the location in the world where your work is read and downloaded as well as by what kind of organizations (educational, commercial etc.)
• your work is disseminated world-wide
• potential for increased Google citation statistics 

Proquest Dissertation Databases

• Dissertations & Theses @ LIU
• Dissertations & Theses Global

Example Title pages

• Library and Information Science
• Clinical Psychology

ETD WorkFlow

Attribution.

Created by Professor Robert Battenfeld

• Next: LIU Post Print Dissertation Retrieval >>
• Last Updated: Jan 6, 2024 4:05 PM
• URL: https://liu.cwp.libguides.com/dissertations

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• Writing Tips

The Ultimate Guide to Getting Your Thesis Published in a Journal

7-minute read

• 25th February 2023

Writing your thesis and getting it published are huge accomplishments. However, publishing your thesis in an academic journal is another journey for scholars. Beyond how much hard work, time, and research you invest, having your findings published in a scholarly journal is vital for your reputation as a scholar and also advances research findings within your field.

This guide will walk you through how to make sure your thesis is ready for publication in a journal. We’ll go over how to prepare for pre-publication, how to submit your research, and what to do after acceptance.

Pre-Publication Preparations

Understanding the publishing process.

Ideally, you have already considered what type of publication outlet you want your thesis research to appear in. If not, it’s best to do this so you can tailor your writing and overall presentation to fit that publication outlet’s expectations. When selecting an outlet for your research, consider the following:

●  How well will my research fit the journal?

●  Are the reputation and quality of this journal high?

●  Who is this journal’s readership/audience?

●  How long does it take the journal to respond to a submission?

●  What’s the journal’s rejection rate?

Once you finish writing, revising, editing, and proofreading your work (which can take months or years), expect the publication process to be an additional three months or so.

Revising Your Thesis

Your thesis will need to be thoroughly revised, reworked, reorganized, and edited before a journal will accept it. Journals have specific requirements for all submissions, so read everything on a journal’s submission requirements page before you submit. Make a checklist of all the requirements to be sure you don’t overlook anything. Failing to meet the submission requirements could result in your paper being rejected.

Areas for Improvement

No doubt, the biggest challenge academics face in this journey is reducing the word count of their thesis to meet journal publication requirements. Remember that the average thesis is between 60,000 and 80,000 words, not including footnotes, appendices, and references. On the other hand, the average academic journal article is 4,000 to 7,000 words. Reducing the number of words this much may seem impossible when you are staring at the year or more of research your thesis required, but remember, many have done this before, and many will do it again. You can do it too. Be patient with the process.

Additional areas of improvement include>

·   having to reorganize your thesis to meet the section requirements of the journal you submit to ( abstract, intro , methods, results, and discussion).

·   Possibly changing your reference system to match the journal requirements or reducing the number of references.

·   Reformatting tables and figures.

·   Going through an extensive editing process to make sure everything is in place and ready.

Identifying Potential Publishers

Many options exist for publishing your academic research in a journal. However, along with the many credible and legitimate publishers available online, just as many predatory publishers are out there looking to take advantage of academics. Be sure to always check unfamiliar publishers’ credentials before commencing the process. If in doubt, ask your mentor or peer whether they think the publisher is legitimate, or you can use Think. Check. Submit .

If you need help identifying which journals your research is best suited to, there are many tools to help. Here’s a short list:

○  Elsevier JournalFinder

○  EndNote Matcher

○  Journal/Author Name Estimator (JANE)

○  Publish & Flourish Open Access

·   The topics the journal publishes and whether your research will be a good fit.

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·   The journal’s audience (whom you want to read your research).

·   The types of articles the journal publishes (e.g., reviews, case studies).

·   Your personal requirements (e.g., whether you’re willing to wait a long time to see your research published).

Submitting Your Thesis

Now that you have thoroughly prepared, it’s time to submit your thesis for publication. This can also be a long process, depending on peer review feedback.

Preparing Your Submission

Many publishers require you to write and submit a cover letter along with your research. The cover letter is your sales pitch to the journal’s editor. In the letter, you should not only introduce your work but also emphasize why it’s new, important, and worth the journal’s time to publish. Be sure to check the journal’s website to see whether submission requires you to include specific information in your cover letter, such as a list of reviewers.

Whenever you submit your thesis for publication in a journal article, it should be in its “final form” – that is, completely ready for publication. Do not submit your thesis if it has not been thoroughly edited, formatted, and proofread. Specifically, check that you’ve met all the journal-specific requirements to avoid rejection.

Navigating the Peer Review Process

Once you submit your thesis to the journal, it will undergo the peer review process. This process may vary among journals, but in general, peer reviews all address the same points. Once submitted, your paper will go through the relevant editors and offices at the journal, then one or more scholars will peer-review it. They will submit their reviews to the journal, which will use the information in its final decision (to accept or reject your submission).

While many academics wait for an acceptance letter that says “no revisions necessary,” this verdict does not appear very often. Instead, the publisher will likely give you a list of necessary revisions based on peer review feedback (these revisions could be major, minor, or a combination of the two). The purpose of the feedback is to verify and strengthen your research. When you respond to the feedback, keep these tips in mind:

●  Always be respectful and polite in your responses, even if you disagree.

●  If you do disagree, be prepared to provide supporting evidence.

●  Respond to all the comments, questions, and feedback in a clear and organized manner.

●  Make sure you have sufficient time to make any changes (e.g., whether you will need to conduct additional experiments).

After Publication

Once the journal accepts your article officially, with no further revisions needed, take a moment to enjoy the fruits of your hard work. After all, having your work appear in a distinguished journal is not an easy feat. Once you’ve finished celebrating, it’s time to promote your work. Here’s how you can do that:

●  Connect with other experts online (like their posts, follow them, and comment on their work).

●  Email your academic mentors.

●  Share your article on social media so others in your field may see your work.

●  Add the article to your LinkedIn publications.

●  Respond to any comments with a “Thank you.”

Getting your thesis research published in a journal is a long process that goes from reworking your thesis to promoting your article online. Be sure you take your time in the pre-publication process so you don’t have to make lots of revisions. You can do this by thoroughly revising, editing, formatting, and proofreading your article.

During this process, make sure you and your co-authors (if any) are going over one another’s work and having outsiders read it to make sure no comma is out of place.

What are the benefits of getting your thesis published?

Having your thesis published builds your reputation as a scholar in your field. It also means you are contributing to the body of work in your field by promoting research and communication with other scholars.

How long does it typically take to get a thesis published?

Once you have finished writing, revising, editing, formatting, and proofreading your thesis – processes that can add up to months or years of work – publication can take around three months. The exact length of time will depend on the journal you submit your work to and the peer review feedback timeline.

How can I ensure the quality of my thesis when attempting to get it published?

If you want to make sure your thesis is of the highest quality, consider having professionals proofread it before submission (some journals even require submissions to be professionally proofread). Proofed has helped thousands of researchers proofread their theses. Check out our free trial today.

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Copyright Questions?

The University of Michigan Library Copyright Office provides help with copyright questions for University of Michigan faculty, staff and students. Please email us with questions or visit our website for more information.

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The information presented here is intended for informational purposes and should not be construed as legal advice. If you have specific legal questions pertaining to the University of Michigan, please contact the Office of the General Counsel .

If you require legal advice in your personal capacity, the lawyer referral services operated by the Washtenaw County Bar Association and the State Bar of Michigan may be helpful to you.

Preparing for Publication

Norms around publishing dissertation material vary from one field to another. For instance, in some scientific fields, it is common to publish individual chapters from the dissertation before it is submitted. In the humanities, it is common to develop a monograph from the dissertation after completing the graduate degree.

Whether you publish before or after submitting your dissertation, it is important to plan ahead when signing publishing contracts or submitting your dissertation. Will the publishing contract you sign allow you to use the article in your dissertation later? How does depositing your dissertation in Deep Blue impact this? Can you use material that you've coauthored in your dissertation or thesis? For questions about the norms in your field, talk with your advisors. With copyright questions, contact the library copyright office.

If you are about to sign a publishing agreement, consider using the U-M Author's Addenda , which may help you negotiate and keep the rights you need in your work.

From Dissertation to Book

Thinking about transforming your dissertation into your first book? Hardly any dissertations are published as books without significant work on the author's part to refocus the manuscript for an audience beyond the dissertation committee.

Here are a few resources to help you understand the process of reworking a dissertation for publication as a monograph:

• Dear First-Time Author: How to Turn Your Dissertation Into a Book, by Theresa MacPhail MacPhail shares advice from writing her own first book as well as advice from editors at university presses.

In reading some of the resources listed above, you might encounter discussions of how having your dissertation available online (for example, in  Deep Blue ) could negatively impact a publisher's willingness to look at your manuscript. Some authors assert that you should not put your dissertation online if you hope to sign a publishing contract. However, please note there is very little evidence to support this view. In fact, research has shown that publishers will indeed consider manuscripts that are revised versions of openly-accessible dissertations.

• Do Open Access Electronic Theses and Dissertations Diminish Publishing Opportunities in the Social Sciences and Humanities? Findings from a 2011 Survey of Academic Publishers, by Ramirez, et al.

• Enroll & Pay

Open Access Theses and Dissertations (OATD)

OATD.org provides open access graduate theses and dissertations published around the world. Metadata (information about the theses) comes from over 1100 colleges, universities, and research institutions. OATD currently indexes 6,654,285 theses and dissertations.

Open Access Theses and Dissertations

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Publish with Elsevier

Learn about the publication process and how to submit your manuscript. This tutorial will help you find the right journal and maximize the chance to be published.

Your step-by-step guide to publishing with Elsevier

Every year, we accept and publish more than 470,000 journal articles so you are in safe hands. Publishing in an Elsevier journal starts with finding the right journal for your paper. We have tools, resources and services to help you at each stage of the publication journey to enable you to research, write, publish, promote and track your article. Let us help you make the most out of your next publication!

1. Find a journal

Find out the journals that could be best suited for publishing your research. For a comprehensive list of Elsevier journals check our Journal Catalog . You can also match your manuscript using the JournalFinder tool, then learn more about each journal. You can find information about how to log in to each journal’s editorial system here .

JournalFinder

Search the world's leading source of academic journals for a list of recommended journals that best match your research paper. You can search by using your abstract, or by using keywords and other details .

Read the journal's aims and scope to make sure it is a match

Check whether you can submit — some journals are invitation only

Use journal metrics to understand the impact of a journal

If available, check the journal at Journal Insights   opens in new tab/window for additional info about impact, speed and reach

2. Prepare your paper for submission

Download our  get published quick guide   opens in new tab/window , which outlines the essential steps in preparing a paper. (This is also available in  Chinese   opens in new tab/window ). It is very important that you stick to the specific "guide for authors" of the journal to which you are submitting. This can be found on the journal's home page.

You can find information about the publishing process in the understanding the publishing process   opens in new tab/window guide. It covers topics such as authors' rights, ethics and plagiarism, and journal and article metrics.

If you have research data to share, make sure you read the guide for authors to find out which options the journal offers to share research data with your article.

Read about publishing in a special issue

Use an external editing service, such as Elsevier’s Author Services   opens in new tab/window if you need assistance with language

Free e-learning modules on preparing your manuscript can be found on Researcher Academy   opens in new tab/window

Mendeley   opens in new tab/window makes your life easier by helping you organize your papers, citations and references, accessing them in the cloud on any device, wherever you are

3. Submit and revise

You can submit to most Elsevier journals using our online systems.  The system you use will depend on the journal to which you submit. You can access the relevant submission system via the "submit your paper" link on the Elsevier.com journal homepage of your chosen journal.

Alternatively, if you have been invited to submit to a journal, follow the instructions provided to you. Once submitted, your paper will be considered by the editor and if it passes initial screening, it will be sent for peer review by experts in your field. If deemed unsuitable for publication in your chosen journal, the editor may suggest you transfer your submission to a more suitable journal, via an article transfer service.

Check the open access options on the journal's homepage

Consider the options for sharing your research data

Be accurate and clear when checking your proofs

Inform yourself about copyright and licensing

4. Track your paper

Track your submitted paper.

You can track the status of your submitted paper online. The system you use to track your submission will be the same system to which you submitted. Use the reference number you received after submission to track your submission. Unsure about what the submission status means? Check out  this video   opens in new tab/window .

In case of any problems, contact the Support Center   opens in new tab/window .

Track your accepted paper

Once your paper is accepted for publication, you will receive a reference number and a direct link that lets you follow its publication status via Elsevier’s "Track Your Accepted Article" service.

Even without a notification you can track the status of your article by entering your article reference number and corresponding author surname in  Track your accepted article   opens in new tab/window .

5. Share and promote

Now that your article is published, you can promote it to achieve a bigger impact for your research. Sharing research, accomplishments and ambitions with a wider audience makes you more visible in your field. This helps you get cited more, enabling you to cultivate a stronger reputation, promote your research and move forward in your career.

After publication, celebrate and  get noticed   opens in new tab/window !

Unable to find the answer to your question? Visit our support center for more information on all Elsevier solutions.

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Questions about submission and discoverability.

• Why should I allow ProQuest, a commercial provider, to disseminate and archive my dissertation?  

How does ProQuest make dissertations available to academic databases?

What are the best channels to use in disseminating my work, does proquest make dissertations discoverable via search engines such as google, how much does it cost to submit my dissertation to proquest, i want to submit a dissertation in a non-pdf format [e.g. audio file, video file]. how can i do that, my university doesn’t submit dissertations to proquest. how can i include my thesis or dissertation, questions about publication and embargoes, how do i navigate different publication policies, why are some dissertations/theses embargoed, what are the specific embargo options, questions about publishing rights, does proquest “publish” dissertations, can i distribute my dissertation elsewhere if i submit it to proquest.

• If my dissertation is published into a book, will the copyright shift to the book publisher and will the dissertation need to be removed from the ProQuest database?

Will my dissertation be available for sale?

Does proquest sell dissertations on commercial sites such as amazon.

• Will ProQuest have the right to reproduce the thesis in other formats ("microform and print formats") and sell them?

Does ProQuest pay author royalties?

Do you allow open access discovery, are there author rights concerns for theses and dissertations once they are submitted to turnitin/ithenticate, how can i have my work removed from turnitin/ithenticate, questions about the submission process, why should i allow proquest, a commercial provider, to disseminate and archive my dissertation.

ProQuest is not a “new media” publishing company jumping into a perceived market opportunity. We have been partnering with scholars and academic institutions to publish dissertations since the late-1930s and have proven our commitment to the academic community.

Working with ProQuest provides unparalleled dissemination of authors’ dissertations and theses to the scholarly community. ProQuest’s dissertations services exist and evolve to fulfill the information requirements of academic institutions and their authors. Disseminating and archiving dissertations is an investment for both ProQuest and our partner institutions. Our dissertations solutions add value for authors and institutions on several different levels, such as the following:

• ProQuest assists researchers and institutions in the discoverability and dissemination of their dissertations and theses; the database is accessed by researchers at more than 3,100 institutions worldwide.
• Inclusion in ProQuest provides access to an author’s dissertation alongside decades of groundbreaking research from doctoral and master’s institutions.
• Metadata is made available to key subject indexes and database services including PsycINFO (psychology), ERIC (education), MLA (modern languages, literature, folklore, and linguistics), MathSciNet (mathematics), Compendex (engineering), etc. ProQuest continues to develop and expand partnerships in order to raise the visibility of dissertations and theses through high-quality, relevant indexes and databases.
• Inclusion in PQDT enables discovery alongside the work of established leaders in their fields. ProQuest aggregates content from thousands of publishers that are used every day in every major research library in the world. ProQuest’s acclaimed research platform cross-searches journal databases with dissertations content, enabling your dissertation to be viewed along with other major works on the topic.

ProQuest plays a key role in the aggregation of dissertations ─ preserving, archiving and making them accessible at the authors’ discretion and direction to researchers at more than 3,100 institutions around the world. Through our dissemination program, we also make un-embargoed works available to major academic databases including PsycINFO (psychology), ERIC (education), MLA (modern languages, literatures, folklore, and linguistics), MathSci.Net (mathematics), Compendex (engineering) – full list here. This enhances discovery within the author’s discipline and enables the authors’ works to be showcased for use in other academic journals, working papers, reports and studies. ProQuest continues to develop and expand partnerships in order to raise the visibility of dissertations and theses through high-quality, relevant indexes and databases.

ProQuest recommends that authors explore all available options for the dissemination of their work. We encourage authors to consult with their universities to understand how institutional policies might impact their dissemination options. ProQuest’s author agreement for dissertations and theses is non-exclusive. Authors have the full right to make their works available to other commercial services or for open access outside of the ProQuest service. Further dissemination options, such as distribution via an Institutional Repository, can occur in parallel with availability through ProQuest. Our view is that dissemination via a combination both of ProQuest and an Institutional Repository provides maximum exposure for authors and institutions.

Authors submitting their dissertation to ProQuest have the option to allow discovery of their work via ProQuest’s partnership with Google Scholar. However, note that it is also possible for search engines and other vendors to harvest your work if it is posted in a university institutional repository. Authors always have the option to opt-out of this offering.

For authors that submit electronically, there’s no charge to disseminate and archive dissertations and theses in ProQuest Dissertations & Theses Global.

To do this using ETD Administrator, please upload a PDF containing the title of your graduate work and any other relevant written material in the “PDF” section of the site. In the "Supplemental Files section, please upload the non-PDF component of your graduate work. (You may upload multiple files as needed in the “Supplemental Files” section).

Authors that wish to include their work in ProQuest Dissertations & Theses Global outside of their university program can submit their request to [email protected] .

ProQuest Dissertations & Theses is a dissemination channel and is not a publisher in the traditional definition applied to journals or monographs. Generally, the submission of an author’s graduate work to the ProQuest platform does not qualify the work as being “published.” However, each publisher/editorial board sets its own policy as to whether the dissemination of a dissertation or thesis via ProQuest disqualifies the author from submitting a journal article or monograph on the same subject for future publication. While most publishers do not find the wide distribution of a full-text dissertation or thesis problematic, potential conflicts should be carefully considered and explored by students, with the advice of their faculty advisors. If there is concern about publishing the final version of an article as part of a dissertation, ProQuest recommends including the preprint version of the article in the dissertation instead. Should a concern arise, ProQuest can apply a full-text embargo to the graduate work upon request. Requests can be made at [email protected] . Further information is available here .

At any given time, some of the works from ProQuest Dissertations & Theses are unavailable due to embargoes. Embargo restrictions are typically requested by authors as copyright holders, in consultation with their universities, and may be placed for various reasons. Some examples include patents pending on elements contained within the graduate work and concerns about data privacy and the privacy of subjects involved in the studies.

Authors have the ability to embargo their work indefinitely or for a certain period of time. ProQuest honors the author’s wishes and can accommodate them as needed. ProQuest also upholds a policy for the removal of works within 48 hours of receiving the request. Find details on ProQuest’s Full Text Take Down process here . If an author wishes, he/she/they may contact [email protected] to request that their work be embargoed or removed at any time.

Primarily, ProQuest is an archiving and dissemination partner for thousands of institutions worldwide, enabling the works of their graduate students to become part of the larger scholarly record. Authors retain the copyright to their work. ProQuest retains a non-exclusive right to disseminate the dissertation. Because ProQuest assigns ISBNs to dissertations, inclusion in the database could be considered to represent a form of publishing. However, most publishers do not hold this viewpoint, dissemination via ProQuest complements and is in no way a substitute for monograph or scholarly journal publishing.

Yes, submission to ProQuest is non-exclusive, and authors are totally free to publish their work or make it available elsewhere at any time. Authors retain copyright and direct decisions regarding the dissemination of their work. Dissemination choices can be modified at any time after submission to ProQuest by contacting our customer service team.

If my dissertation is published into a book, will the copyright shift to the book publisher and will the dissertation need to be removed from ProQuest’s database?

The copyright of the dissertation is held by the author. The author grants ProQuest the “license” – i.e. the right to display the dissertation on the ProQuest platform. The license is non-exclusive: the author has full authorization to publish a book or to have the dissertation available on another website. The work can exist in both places – both with ProQuest and elsewhere. In most cases, a book has considerable changes from the original dissertation and is defined as a derivative and not an exact replication. In some instances where an author has their dissertation turned into a monograph, the author can contact ProQuest at the request of the publisher and put a “do not sell” restriction on the work. This would prohibit ProQuest from selling the dissertation in formats such as downloadable PDFs and print copies. If you wish to request this option, please email [email protected] .

Unless authors choose to embargo their work, copies are available for sale directly from ProQuest via the Dissertation Express service and the PQDT index database – for researchers or libraries to purchase copies. These services focus on serving the information needs of the global research community. Dissertations and theses are also made available in the libraries of more than 3,100 academic institutions around the world via subscriptions to our databases such as ProQuest Dissertations & Theses Full Text and ProQuest Dissertations & Theses Global. Authors earn royalties based upon the print copy sales and downloads of their work. For questions contact [email protected] .

No, ProQuest no longer provides graduate works to third-party retailers for distribution. Our reseller program with Amazon was discontinued in 2014.

Will ProQuest have the right to reproduce the thesis in other formats and sell them?

Many researchers and academic libraries want a bound print copy for archival purposes. ProQuest offers print formats as purchase options for these reasons. Authors receive royalty payments on all purchases of their work. See above Author royalty question for details.

Yes, ProQuest pays royalties to authors based on copy sales and usage of dissertations. ProQuest pays royalties of 10% of its net revenue from sales of your dissertation or thesis in all formats, including PDF, hardbound, softbound, and microfilm formats. We also pay royalties for downloads as part of a ProQuest Dissertation & Theses Global subscription. Sales in all formats are added together on an annual basis and checks remitted to authors. Royalties are paid when they reach a total of $25.00 USD. If royalties in a single year do not reach $25.00 USD, the funds are rolled over to the following year. Royalties are not paid if they do not accrue to $25.00 USD after 25 years. You must maintain a current address on record with ProQuest to receive royalty. For further questions about royalties, or to update your address for future royalty payments, please contact [email protected] .

Yes. For authors and institutions wishing to make their works available via Open Access, ProQuest supports the dissemination in two different ways:

Institutional Repository Dissemination: Authors and institutions are at liberty to make their works freely available through their Institutional Repositories or other Open Access sites to be discovered through Google or other search systems. We also partner with libraries to make it easier to secure author approval and post-graduate works to institutional repositories. Where university sites have enabled the functionality, authors can even specify rights granted for the version of their work in the Institutional Repository through a Creative Commons license. ProQuest helps to enhance the discoverability in the IR by enhancing keywords and metadata for improved search results. ProQuest Open Access Service: At participating institutions, authors who wish to extend discovery of their works via open access, can pay a publication fee ($95) to have their full-text work made discoverable and accessible through several additional channels:

• PROQUEST.COM
• Search Engine Optimization – ProQuest allows Google, Bing, etc. to index PQDT to retrieve bibliographic information. Additionally, discoverability for Open Access titles is enhanced through ProQuest’s metadata editorial process and a ProQuest partnership with Google Scholar.

No, students retain the copyright of documents submitted to Turnitin/iThenticate, which has a limited license to use the works as part of the plagiarism prevention system. Turnitin's use of student papers under Fair Use was settled in a United States District Court of Law in 2007 and affirmed upon appeal in 2009.

While most authors appreciate inclusion in the Turnitin and iThenticate databases, some authors do not want their work included. To request the removal of the ProQuest copy of graduate works, authors should contact [email protected]. Please note that while the ProQuest copy of the dissertation or theses will be removed from Turnitin/iThenticate, if the work appears on other open access websites or institutional repositories, those copies may continue to be included in TurnitIn/iThenticate because of the work’s availability online.

EBSCO Open Dissertations

Search millions of electronic theses and dissertations (etds).

With EBSCO Open Dissertations, institutions and students are offered an innovative approach to driving additional traffic to ETDs in institutional repositories. Our goal is to help make their students’ theses and dissertations as widely visible and cited as possible.

This approach extends the work started in 2014, when EBSCO and the H.W. Wilson Foundation created American Doctoral Dissertations which contained indexing from the H.W. Wilson print publication, Doctoral Dissertations Accepted by American Universities, 1933-1955. In 2015, the H.W. Wilson Foundation agreed to support the expansion of the scope of the American Doctoral Dissertations database to include records for dissertations and theses from 1955 to the present.

Get involved in the EBSCO Open Dissertations project and make your electronic theses and dissertations freely available to researchers everywhere. Please contact Margaret Richter for more information.

Research Guides

Submit and publish your thesis.

• The Graduate Thesis: What is it?
• Thesis Defences
• Deadlines and Fees
• Formatting in MS Word
• Formatting in LaTeX
• Making Thesis Accessible
• Thesis Embargo
• Review and Release
• Your Rights as an Author
• Re-using Third Party Materials
• Creative Commons Licenses for Theses
• Turning Thesis into an Article
• Turning Thesis into a Book
• Other Venues of Publication

Publishing from your thesis before or after graduation

"Will repository submission affect my publishing plans?"

... this is a common question for someone looking to publish from their thesis before or after graduation.

Most journals welcome submissions based on a thesis or dissertation. Some may have additional requirements, such as to:

• Let them know about the university’s requirement to make your thesis publicly available
• Submit a manuscript that is substantially different than the thesis content
• Embargo the thesis until after publication, etc.

Your steps will depend on the following scenarios:

Scenario 1 - you ARE NOT planning on publishing your thesis before or after graduation

In this case:

• You can submit your thesis without an embargo
• Your thesis will become publicly available in TSpace  and Library and Archives Canada after your convocation and will be widely indexed via search engines and indexes
• Use the TSpace-generated permanent URL to share and cite your thesis - see example of such citation below

Tajdaran, K. (2015). Enhancement of Peripheral Nerve Regeneration with Controlled Release of Glial Cell Line-derived Neurotrophic Factor (GDNF) (Master’s Thesis, University of Toronto). Retrieved from http://hdl.handle.net/1807/74747

Scenario 2 - You ARE planning on publishing your thesis AFTER graduation

Most journals are interested in “original, previously unpublished” research. Some journals consider theses as a form of “prior publications”, others do not, and the majority does not have a clear definition. It will be best to check journal policy before you submit your thesis.

Nature Research will consider submissions containing material that has previously formed part of a PhD or other academic thesis which has been published according to the requirements of the institution awarding the qualification.

►►►How to check journal policies:

• MIT Libraries' list of policy excerpts from major publishers
• Journal’s website - usually under Information for Authors or Copyright / Permissions or Editorial Policy; or in the publication agreement if available online
• If such information cannot be located online, contact the editors directly
• If the journal requires that you place an embargo on your thesis until after publication, see the SGS instructions on how to request an embargo on your thesis .

Scenario 3 - You ARE planning on publishing (or have already published) from your thesis BEFORE graduation

You may want or be expected to publish parts of your thesis before your thesis is submitted, such as with an integrated/publication-based/sandwich thesis. The most important thing to keep in mind here is copyright. You own copyright of your written materials, and a publisher may require copyright transfer of your manuscript.

You need to ensure you retain certain rights or obtain permission in order to satisfy the university’s requirement of making your thesis openly accessible via TSpace, ProQuest and Library and Archives Canada (LAC). For more details on these repositories, see the  Review and Release  section of this guide.

Check whether the journal requires prior notification about U of T’s open access requirement for theses. Some journals want to be notified of this mandate whether or not they restrict the re-use of articles in theses.

Check whether the publisher requires copyright transfer . This should be stated on their website, in the publication agreement, or you can inquire directly with the journal.

If the publisher does not require copyright transfer , i.e. author retains copyright, then you can reuse your article/chapter in your thesis; no permission needed.

If the publisher requires copyright transfer , follow these steps:

Check if the publisher has special provisions for reusing your published work in your thesis. They may permit the inclusion of a non-final version, such as your submitted or accepted manuscript. See more below on understanding different article versions for sharing .

►►►How to check journal policies:  See MIT Libraries' list of policy excerpts from major publishers or the journal/publisher website.

For example, Taylor and Francis policy allows to:

Include your article Author’s Original Manuscript (AOM) or Accepted Manuscript(AM) , depending on the embargo period in your thesis or dissertation. The Version of Record cannot be used. https://authorservices.taylorandfrancis.com/copyright-and-you/

Check if the article is distributed under a Creative Commons license. This may allow re-use.

►►►How to check journal's CC license:  See the journal/publisher website or contact the journal directly.

If the publisher requires copyright transfer, has no special provisions and does not publish under a CC license, you will need to contact them to request permission to include your article in your thesis. You can:

• Negotiate making the article available as part of the thesis in TSpace, ProQuest, and LAC Theses Portal; 
• Request an embargo [link to Lisa’ section on embargo] if the publisher only permits open sharing after some time post-publication;
• If permission is denied you may include in place of the chapter an abstract and a link to the article on the journal website.

If you have specific questions about your situation, publisher policy or author rights, contact the Scholarly Communications and Copyright Office at [email protected] for a consultation (best before you publish!)

Understanding different versions of a published article

A publisher may distinguish between the versions of an article that you may be allowed to include in your thesis:

• Submitted manuscript / pre-print - version you initially send in (often permitted)
• Accepted manuscript / post-print - version after peer review but before copyediting, layout editing, formatting, etc. (sometimes permitted; publisher may require an embargo/access restriction for a period of time)
• Version of record / final publisher’s PDF - version that appears in the journal (many publishers do not permit sharing this version)

►►►How to check article versions permitted for sharing:

• MIT Libraries’s list of policy excerpts from major publishers
• Sherpa/RoMEO database of publisher policies
• Journal’s website - usually under Information for Authors or Copyright/Permissions or Editorial Policy; or in the publication agreement if available online
• << Previous: Creative Commons Licenses for Theses
• Next: Turning Thesis into an Article >>
• Last Updated: Sep 15, 2023 3:23 PM
• URL: https://guides.library.utoronto.ca/thesis

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How to publish your dissertation or thesis

Dr Caroline Palmer

Age of Awareness

Publishing your undergraduate dissertation or master’s research is often the ticket to the next stage of your career. Career aside, being a published academic is a pretty awesome personal achievement. I knew I wanted to publish my findings after my first research project but academic publishing seemed like a black box. It was a total mystery to me but with a lot of effort I finally got my first manuscript accepted in Proceedings of the Royal Society, B . I now have a number of scientific publications under my belt, and really enjoy the writing process — so much so, I am now a freelance academic editor .

So, how exactly do you get your research project published? Here’s a short guide on how to get started. It’s based on my experience as a biologist and academic editor .

Things to consider before we jump in

Some undergraduate and master’s projects won’t be strong enough for publication. Your grade will give you some idea about the suitability for publication, and your supervisor should be able to provide more guidance. I strongly suggest you ask your supervisor about publishing before you start re-working your thesis for publication.

Something else to ask your supervisor is whether or not there are funds to cover publishing fees. Academic publishing often costs A LOT of money, especially if you’re aiming for Open Access (the new gold standard), so make sure there are funds available. You may have to apply for your own funding or apply to the journal for a fee waiver (though this is usually after or at submission).

Remember, writing your first academic paper is hard. Even if your dissertation or thesis was written in publication format and with a journal in mind, you will likely have to do a lot of tweaking and re-writing before it is ready to submit. You have never done this before, so expect a steep learning curve and many (many) draft versions (label them clearly!). It’s a process, so be kind to yourself.

A note about journal choice

Selecting your first choice journal for your paper to is really important, but it can be really hard if this is your first venture into research publishing. You will likely have received some guidance from your supervisor and coauthors, who all need to agree. Note I mentioned “first choice journal”. This is because there is a (quite high) chance that your manuscript won’t be accepted for publication the first time you submit it, so it is good to have a Top 3 list. How to get your Top 3 journals?

Try answering these questions:

· Who are your audience? What do they research or study?

· Is your research specific to a certain subject, generally relevant to a wider subject area or perhaps somewhere between?

· Is your research highly impactful (will it revolutionise a field or create one?) or is it an incremental contribution to a field?

· Is your research enough for a full Research Article or is it a small study better summarised as a Note?

· Which journals appear multiple times in your reference section?

You might now have an idea of the type of journal that your work is suitable for and perhaps what kind of Impact Factor you could aim for.

Never heard of Impact Factors? Welcome to the world of academia! Everything is measured so we can be ranked (sigh). The impact factor is supposed to indicate how impactful a journal is, and it is based on the number of citations published articles get per year. The general rule of thumb is that the higher the impact factor, the better the journal and the more likely your article is to be read and cited. General journals tend to have the highest impact factors (e.g., Nature and Science), as well as medical journals. In theory you want to aim for a high impact factor but you also need to be realistic. Typically the higher the impact the harder it is to get your article accepted for publication. Your supervisor will likely weigh-in here.

OK, let’s get on with writing!

Quick steps to get started (especially if you are demotivated)

In a copy of your dissertation or thesis:

• Format your title page.

The first page of your manuscript should include:

· Title. Usually with capitalisation only on the first word and names.

· Author list. You are probably first author and your lead supervisor last.

· List the institutional affiliations of all authors.

· Corresponding author name and email address.

2. Format your document.

Ensure your manuscript is clear and easy to read. Different journals have slightly different specifications for this. If you have chosen your journal, check Author Guidelines on their website for how to format your manuscript. If you haven’t confirmed your first choice journal, it is a good idea to format your document as follows:

· Select a standard, easy-to-read font, like Arial, Calibri or Times New Roman.

· Select double line spacing.

· Select continuous line numbering.

· Number your pages.

· Keep margins at about 2.5cm.

· Move all figures and tables to the end of your document, or put them in a separate file.

· Check you have headings as follows: Abstract, Keywords, Introduction, Methods, Results, Discussion, Acknowledgements, References. (This is typical for scientific articles, though required headings and structure do vary among subjects and journals).

Ok, now you have the basic format and structure, let’s get started with editing.

Writing for publication: A few steps to get started

You can still tighten-up your writing for submission even if you don’t yet know where you are sending your manuscript.

1. Read articles. To get you going, and especially if you can’t yet face re-reading your own work, read articles from journals that you think might be suitable for your research. It is particularly helpful to find an article that has some similarities to your own. As you read, consider what kind of information the authors provide in each section, how the papers are structured, and the types of phrases used.

2. Read and quick-edit your dissertation. Yep, now is the time to look at your work again. I recommend reading your work out loud and edit as you go. If you work in Microsoft Word, use Track Changes. This will show your progress (which helps motivation) and gives you the chance to change things back. You might be amazed at what you find. It’s ok to find typos and weird phrasing. You’ve done your dissertation, now you are looking to publish. Make changes and highlight things you are not certain of or where information is missing. Once you’ve done a complete read through, try answering these questions in as few words as possible:

i. What is the research question?

ii. What is/are the main finding(s)?

iii. Why are your findings important, why should someone care?

3. Ensure information in the right place. Now you have remembered what your dissertation was about and the key points (answers to the questions above), it is time to make sure everything is where it should be. Your article should be easy for the reader to understand and follow. This means you need to make sure you give the reader the right information in the right place, and guide them through your research. You’ve likely spent time on this for your dissertation, but it is easy for information to sneak into the wrong section. Here is a super quick guide to what goes in each section:

Abstract: Background information, methods summary, results summary and main conclusions. (Often written last).

Introduction: The information the reader needs in order to understand what your study is about, why it is important and what question(s) or knowledge gap you are addressing.

Methods: How you did the work, including statistics. Keep this short and informative by citing papers that used the same methods.

Results: Describe your findings. Refer sequentially to figures and tables in the text, describing what they show with the help of statistics. Do not interpret findings here.

Discussion: Interpret and discuss your findings in the context of relevant literature. Highlight main conclusions and their importance/relevance to the wider field.

4. Whittle! It’s time to cut-down that word count and ensure your writing is concise and informative. There will be a lot of interesting information that you learned while doing your research. That’s brilliant and absolutely part of a successful learning journey but it doesn’t necessarily all need to go into your manuscript. As you re-read your manuscript consider how much detail you need to provide — often a short synopsis and a well-placed citation will be appropriate. Examine sentence structure and phrasing. Is your writing long-winded? Can you reword a sentence to make it more concise?

5. Check your citations. I often find that students will use a handful of papers that generally cover their subject area, and cite them over and over again in their dissertations. This could be entirely appropriate though often it isn’t. You should try to find the best citation for the point you are making or the information you are presenting. To do so, try going back to the original research, rather than just citing a paper that mentioned something similar in its introduction. It can be a bit of a red flag if the reference list is too short and doesn’t have citations older than 10 years — where are the papers that laid the foundation of the field?

6. Figures and tables. Journals often have very specific requirements for figures and tables, so make sure you check the guidelines on their website. Most journals require figures and tables to be submitted as separate files, and not within the manuscript text. Check that everything is legible and in a consistent font and font size. Remove titles and white space, and ensure the legends are concise and informative. Are any of your figures interesting but not pertinent to the main findings? Could they be deleted or moved to a supplementary section?

7. About keywords . Keywords are used to help search engines and readers find your paper and know what it is about. If your paper can be found easily more people will read it, and the more citations it will accrue over time. Keywords are almost an extension of the title, so don’t waste them by repeating words. Search engines will “see” both. A good way to think of excellent keywords is to think about what you would type into Google Scholar to find your paper, or similar papers. What words would you use?

8. Get help. We all struggle to move papers along to the point of submission. Asking for help is absolutely OK. Your co-authors are also responsible for the quality of the publication, so it is important that they are part of the process. Note that you are more likely to get quick, constructive feedback from supervisors and co-authors if you send them a high-quality draft. Swapping manuscripts with your course-mates, asking a friend to read a draft or getting professional feedback are all valid ways to improve manuscript drafts. In the process, you’ll learn more about academic writing and hone your skills.

Submitting your manuscript

After several iterations with the input from your co-authors, perhaps you are sensing you may be close to submission. Now is the time to double check the Author Guidelines for the chosen journal, ensure your document is formatted correctly and proof-read. You will need to write a cover letter to the journal Editor. Your cover letter is an important document; you need to pique the editor’s interest in your article, explaining why it is so wonderful and why it will be of interest to lots of readers.

To actually submit your article, if you are the corresponding author you will usually need to register with the journal’s author portal and follow the steps to up-load your documents. You will probably need to enter the details of all of the co-authors, and might be asked for Orcid numbers (unique identity codes that link publications to academic’s names). You might also be asked to suggest up to 5 reviewers, so have a few experts in mind who you think know the subject area well and will give a fair review.

There is a lot to learn about academic writing and publishing. I’ve only skimmed the surface here, but I hope I have demystified the process a little for you and given you some steps to get started. Remember, writing is a process and academic writing is a skill that takes time to develop. Be kind to yourself, get help when you need it and good luck!

Written by Dr Caroline Palmer

Freelance academic copyeditor & proofreader. I write about academia, home educating, parenting & health. www.cvpediting.com

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How Do I Publish My Dissertation?

At the end of the doctoral journey, graduates are encouraged to publish their dissertation. Publishing the dissertation enables graduates to advance their academic career and establish valuable connections that can open doors for collaborating on future projects.

Publication Options

The first thing to know when understanding the process is that there are several ways to do it, each having different advantages. Grand Canyon University’s Center for Innovation in Research and Teaching (CIRT) provides four ways to publish a dissertation.

This commercial service for full-text theses and dissertations allows authors to choose between restricted and open-access publication. As this is not an academic source, publishing with ProQuest may diminish the credibility of your dissertation. Be aware that prior publications may lead to the rejection future submissions of your dissertation manuscript.

Self-Publishing

You may consider self-publishing your content, using a self-publishing services and retaining all profits that come from printing and distributing the book. As with ProQuest publications, self-publishing may diminish credibility and make it difficult to submit work.

Book publication is an option for some students. Most research is suitable for academic journals, but it may be appropriate to publish the dissertation as a book if it contains a significant amount of original work.

Scholarly Journals

Journals are the most common route for publishing dissertation content. Publishing in a journal has the benefit of editorial or peer review, and the narrow focus of most journals usually enables authors to publish parts of their dissertation in multiple publications.

Publishing in a Journal

Academic journals are the most common choice for publishing a dissertation, so it is the most important process to understand. It is important to know which journal best fits your dissertation, become familiar with the journal’s guidelines and to carefully interpret feedback on your work.

Select a Journal

Academic journals have a great deal of variety, organizing content tailored to specific academic interests. Peer-reviewed journals are the most common. In peer-reviewed journals, editorial boards will ask experts to review each submission to filter out low-quality content that would damage the journal’s integrity.

Open access journals leave their content free, unrestricted and online for public view. The most common way to make an open access journal is by directly publishing content in a “gold” journal, which provides open access to its readers. Non-open access journals are the traditional route for publication. Non-open access journals require that readers purchase a subscription.

To help decide which journals work best, read previous issues to get a sense of the journal’s academic focus. Make sure that the scope and aims of the journal align with your target audience and research. Be careful to avoid “predatory” publishers who appeal specifically to researchers willing to pay to have their work published. CIRT recommends that graduates check Beall’s List of Predatory Journals, an online resource that lists publications to avoid.

Rework Your Dissertation

Once you have selected your journal, you will need to tailor your research. Familiarize yourself with the journal’s submission guidelines and then begin reading through your dissertation. Keeping organized is crucial here, and the best place to start is to summarize your dissertation in a separate document and eliminate unnecessary information. After cutting unnecessary content, re-organizing the material into a smooth and logical order will provide a guideline for rewriting your dissertation.

Writing Your Cover Letter

When the time comes to submit your work, the first impression that comes from your cover letter is the difference between publication and an immediate rejection. Closely follow the submission requirements, avoid jargon, be concise and do not include any information that that the journal does not ask for.

Revision and Resubmission

If you receive reviewer feedback in a letter from the editor, read these comments carefully and mark any suggested revisions on your manuscript. Keep track of each revision so that you can reference them when writing a response letter to the editor.

Make the revisions you agree with, and be prepared to address the ones you disagree with in your response letter. You should proofread and review your work again carefully before resubmitting. If the changes are accepted, you will receive a number a proof copies to proofread before final production.

Take the next step in your career with the College of Doctoral Studies at Grand Canyon University. Our doctorate programs, such as the DBA in Data Analytics , will prepare you to advance in your academic career and give you the resources to lead and innovate in your field. Learn more by visiting our website or clicking on the Request More Information Button at the bottom of this page.

The views and opinions expressed in this article are those of the author’s and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of Grand Canyon University. Any sources cited were accurate as of the publish date.

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IJSER Thesis Publication

Thesis publication with ijser – showcase your academic work.

The International Journal of Scientific and Engineering Research (IJSER) is a US based Journal dedicated to disseminating scholarly theses to a global academic audience. We provide a platform where Master's and Doctoral research thesis papers can be published and accessed by a global audience of fellow researchers, students, and academics.

Access our current Thesis Publications here .

Global Platform for Thesis Publication

• Embark on the final step of your academic journey with IJSER. Publish your thesis and ensure it is seen and cited by researchers internationally.
• Retain full rights to your academic thesis while allowing IJSER to distribute and showcase your work.

Open Access Thesis Availability

• IJSER's Gold Level open access policy ensures your thesis publication is free to download, increasing its potential impact.
• Your thesis will be optimized for visibility on Google Scholar, making it easy for peers to find and cite your work.

Quality Assurance and Ethical Standards

• Ethical research and submission practices are paramount at IJSER.
• We encourage submissions that are clear, concise, and uphold the highest academic standards.
• For authors where English is a second language, consider professional language editing to ensure your thesis meets publication standards.

Copyright and Support

• Granting IJSER the copyright license to publish your thesis does not relinquish your ownership. We protect your academic rights while ensuring wide dissemination.
• Our editorial team is ready to assist you through the publication process.

Celebrate and Share Your Published Thesis

• Receive your official digitally signed e-certificate from IJSER as a token of your published thesis.
• Your Thesis will be given a permanent dedicated page that highlights your academic profile.

Publish Your Thesis Now!

Begin by completing our Thesis submission form to obtain a unique ID for your work. Our dedicated Editorial Team will review your paper and get back to you within 3 business days.

IJSER: Where Your Thesis Achieves Global Academic Impact. Join the ranks of researchers who have chosen IJSER for their thesis publication, and let your work be recognized on an international scale.

Revising Your Dissertation for Publication

While a dissertation’s in-depth research and analysis can provide a strong foundation for a book, the dissertation itself is not a book and will not be published by an academic press without substantial revisions. Some acquisitions editors are interested first books, especially if they bring new perspectives and fresh ideas to a field, while others do not often publish first books. If you are considering submitting your dissertation for publication, we recommend that you contact editors at university presses that publish in your subject area for guidance on revising your work. Many editors prefer to be involved in the early stages of this process so they can advise you on how to structure the book and your arguments to create a publishable book. Editors generally require changes in the length, content, tone, and style of a dissertation in order to produce a book that will appeal to buyers in the academic market. Read more about submitting a proposal in our Scholarly Publishing Guide .

Below are selected resources to help you revise your dissertation for publication as a book or journal article(s).

Advice from publishers

• Harvard University Press
• Palgrave Macmillan
• Rowman & Littlefield
• Taylor & Francis
• University of North Carolina Press
• Yale University Press
• Publisher Policies on using content in both a thesis or dissertation and an article (from MIT Libraries)
• From Dissertation to Book by William Germano (Lauinger Library, 4th Floor, PN162 .G37 2013)
• Revising Your Dissertation, Updated Edition : Advice from Leading Editors (updated edition, 2008) edited by Beth Luey (online; GU NetID and password required)
• From Dissertation to Book , Duke University (February 27, 2018)
• From Dissertation to Book ( full transcript ), Harvard University (December 17, 2010)
• How To Turn Your Dissertation into a Book , Yale University (April 6, 2016)
• From Dissertation to Book by Leonard Cassuto (Chronicle of Higher Education, May 30, 2011)
• From Dissertation to Published Book (lanugageandphilosophy.com report on an American Comparative Literature Association workshop)
• Give It a Rest by Laura Portwood-Stacer (Inside Higher Ed, August 6, 2019)
• The Stages of Revising a Dissertation into a Book by Amy Benson Brown (Journal of Scholarly Publishing, vol. 52 no. 2, 2021, p. 127-140) (GU NetID and password required)
• Turning Your Dissertation into a Book (University of Washington)
• Publishing your Dissertation (American Psychological Association)

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Completed dissertation examples.

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• NU Dissertations ProQuest - Review National University Dissertations & Theses.

Writing a dissertation is a serious and lengthy task, with so many steps to complete, revise, and perfect. The NU Dissertation Template provides a lot of helpful info, but students still often have many questions and need additional guidance.  Seeing completed examples helps a lot.  This guide will help you to access completed NU dissertations in the NU library to inspire and inform your own research and writing.

Accessing completed NU dissertations can help students with the following common issues:

• Finding examples/inspiration for methodology, focus, topic, and other “big-picture” concerns.
• Identifying specifics on length/depth/breadth of each section of the dissertation.
• Seeing examples of formatting in context, such as APA style headings.
• Understanding specific dissertation committee expectations.
• Finding new references on completed reference lists.
• Supporting your peers’ scholarly work by reading their dissertations and participating in the scholarly community.

It’s easy to locate completed NU dissertations in the NU Library!

• Log into NCUOne and click on the NU Library link  - https://resources.nu.edu
• Access the pull-down menu on left entitled “Research Resources” and click on “Find Dissertations”.
• Access the pull-down menu for Vendors/Providers in the top middle of the page and click on “ProQuest”.
• Click on ProQuest Dissertations & Theses @ Northcentral University .

Narrow your search

Once you have located the published NU dissertations, you can narrow your search, just like you would with any other library resource.  Try the following strategies to start:

• Keywords/terms that you are using in your own research.
• General area of focus (for example, “Special Education”).
• Methodological approach (for example, “Phenomenology”).
• Dates (Tip – Consider narrowing your search to only the past 5 years).
• Advisors (Dissertation Chairs).
• Committee members.
• References/citations you plan to use.
• Just like with any other library resource, you can perform an advanced search using a combination of these strategies.
• In addition to the NU dissertations, you may want to consider accessing non-NU dissertations via the general ProQuest link on the pull-down menu (see steps outlined above).  This can be helpful if your topic is extremely specific, if you are very far along in your work, and if you need to broaden your search.

Now that you have accessed the completed NU Dissertations in the NU Library, the possibilities to inspire and guide you in your own work are endless.  Be excited that one day soon, your own dissertation will be published in the NU library!

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