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From dissertation to book

Overview and research

Whether it is reasonable, and even possible to develop a book from a dissertation is usually discipline specific. In the Humanities it is common for graduates to expect to publish a book based on their dissertation, and often contractual arrangements with university employers include the provision of time to complete and submit the manuscript for publication. In other disciplines, not only would it not be practical, but even foolish to consider a book when journal articles are more timely. Having said this, in some European countries it is the norm that the dissertation be published in book form, but this should not be confused with revising the dissertation as an academic monograph.

Certainly one wouldn't consider publishing their thesis for the money given that monographs are seriously unlikely to make the best-seller list, however, there are other reasons why candidates might be encouraged to consider publishing their dissertation:

  • A book is likely to get a wider readership than a thesis which, as the saying goes has a readership of five; the candidate, the supervisor, the two examiners and the candidate's Mother.
  • In some disciplines a book is a necessary requirement on one's CV for tenure or promotion
  • A third reason proposed by Dunleavy (2003) is that a book is more likely to be cited than journal articles.

A useful book re publishing is Successful research careers: A practical guide by Sara Delamont and Paul Atkinson. In this book Delamont and Atkinson not only describe how to develop a successful research career but at the end of the book include the prospectus that they submitted to the editor for the very book that they have written. It's actually quite helpful to be able to see what it was the proposed and then read the editor's letters to and from during the development of the book.

The above text was based on the following research:

Craswell, G. (2005). Writing for academic success: A postgraduate guide. London Sage.

Delamont, S., & Atkinson, P. (2004). Successful research careers: A practical guide. Buckingham: SRHE and Open University Press.

Dunleavy, P. (2003). Authoring a PhD: How to plan, draft, write and finish a Doctoral thesis or dissertation. Hamps: Palgrave Macmillan.

Ideas and tools

Professor Robert Cribb from the ANU Research School of Asia and the Pacific recommends the following to research candidates who are thinking of turning their thesis into a book.

1. Throw out your introduction which puts the thesis in the context of the literature and sets out the theoretical framework. Instead write a new introduction which sets the book in the context of an analytical problem that needs to be solved.

2. Ruthlessly deconstruct your idea for a book title. If it contains imagery, is it really the image you want? If possible, put the central analytical conclusion into the title, ideally as an 'intelligent oxymoron', that is, an unexpected combination of adjective and noun (imagined communities, hopeful monsters, moral panic, social bandits etc.). Think of terms that will work when people do a Google search for your book.

3. Prune your footnotes: a PhD normally needs more footnotes than a book because you need to show your capacity to do reputable scholarly work. Once the thesis is accepted, you have proven yourself and you can limit the footnotes. Combine them where possible, reduce the number of items that are not strictly sources for your statements, and be ruthless with explanatory footnotes, prose should be in footnotes only sparingly.

4. Update: make sure you keep abreast of the new literature relevant to your topic, so that your book is not frozen in the moment that you completed the thesis and hence being condemned to being dated even before it appears.

5. Despite #3 above, judiciously cite the works of important people in your field if they are reasonably relevant to your topic. A bit distasteful, yes, but it 'butters them up' in a relatively civilized way.

ANU information

The Academic Skills and Learning Centre has a staff member specialising in research student assistance.

The Centre for Public Awareness of Science has staff members specialising in science communication.

 

For College-specific information contact:

Currently ANU colleges are compiling information for writing a book from a dissertation. In the meantime, contact the College Associate Dean (HDR) for more general college information.