From Completion to publication.
The successful turning over of a research project into publication is arguably one of the most significant stages of any academic career. For most scholars, completing a thesis is only the initial stage; the real work begins with preparing the research into a high quality publication which would not simply enhance its academic credibility but, importantly, give the author and their work a global audience and profile. Often, many fail to get published not as a result of the weakness of their research, but through lack of attention to essential factors, from correct formatting to the journal they decide to submit to.
The sheer volume of research available in digital form via search engines such as Google Scholar or through university repositories has greatly increased visibility of research. However, in today’s increasingly competitive environment, errors in structure, citation and presentation can lead to a publication being rejected by journals or, worse, losing its credibility. To successfully publish a thesis requires not a simple submission, but careful planning, thoroughness, and a systematic strategy.
This begins by establishing a clear plan or publication strategy, ensuring researchers consider the purpose of their publication – i.e. Book or journal article, or digital repository – and, consequently, identify their target audience and, therefore, where best to submit to.
Most theses are too broad to submit directly. This would require researchers to break down their thesis into smaller papers or journals and highlight their key findings, removing all superfluous material and concentrating only on aspects relevant to the intended journal. While doing so, the literature review should also be updated.
In order to convince journals that a researchers' study is credible and worthy of publication, a clear and robust methodology is needed. A detailed account of research design and sampling methods used to enable replication is essential during peer review. A clear structure following academic norms, with titles, abstracts, introductions, methodology, results, discussion and conclusions, with accompanying references, is equally important.
Attention should be paid to the writing process, ensuring that titles and abstracts are concise, informative and key-worded in order to be easily discoverable and attractive. Plagiarism must be avoided in every form, both through avoiding improper paraphrasing, but also through the correct citing and listing of all resources, with a consistent referencing style such as that laid out in APA or Harvard being preferred.
Thorough editing and proofreading of written work and a commitment to the strict adhering to journal guidelines will help avoid immediate rejection from any journal. Many journal websites will list submission requirements which should be consulted and adhered to before any paper is submitted. Researchers must understand the peer review process, the purpose of it being to enable improvement of the written work rather than an attempt to ridicule the author.
Researchers must uphold ethical considerations and ensure honesty in the handling of data, also requiring necessary approval from committees. Digital tools, such as Grammarly and Zotero, are beneficial in enabling researchers to refine their work. However, reliance should never be placed on the ability of these systems to identify all mistakes.
A researcher who faces rejection must not lose hope, but be prepared to re-work, re-submit and persevere until they achieve their goal of getting published. It is also vital that they take responsibility in promoting their research and maintaining a long-term research vision.
To sum up, publishing a thesis to a perfection is a challenging, though extremely rewarding process that involves meticulous preparation, diligent attention to detail, persistence, and ultimately leads to publication and a global academic standing.
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