How to Publish your Dissertation in Brazil.

 

The publication of your dissertation is a crucial step towards making your research become an academic creation. In Brazil, the process is influenced by the universities, funding agencies and national evaluation systems. Although a thesis is a significant milestone, getting it published dictates the extent to which your work will be viewed, and how many people will refer to it and appreciate it.

The main body of the Brazilian academic organization is CAPES, which assesses postgraduate education and classifies journals by its Qualis system. In addition to it, CNPq promotes researchers and publication in high-impact journals. In most universities dissertations are also submitted in institutional repositories making them accessible and compliant.

Publication of your dissertation can be done in various ways. The easiest pathway is the transformation of the chapters into journal articles, which are highly recognized academically. Publishing a book or monograph is also a good alternative in such disciplines as humanities and social sciences. Also, journals such as SciELO, university online libraries, and conferences enhance exposure, and early dissemination and comments can be made.

Your work has to be adapted before you submit it. The dissertations can be too long and too detailed, and so you have to work on them, cut part, delete redundant section, address main research questions, and conform to the journal standards. Most scholars divide their dissertation into several papers in order to get maximum output.

It is very important to select an appropriate journal. The CAPES Qualis rankings (A1 to B5) assist in making the selection, however, such aspects as the journal area, its target audience, and search in databases (Scopus and Web of Science) are also significant. International publication helps to reach the whole world whereas local journals stay within the region.

Brazil is also a big advocate of open-access publication particularly via SciELO. There is the visibility and citations of open access but it can be accompanied by fees. Traditional publishing has its limitations, however, in that it restricts access whilst at times lowering the initial expenditures of the author.

Submission process normally involves preparation of manuscript, editorial screening process, peer review, revision and publication. The number of rejections and revisions is usually high, so it is necessary to respond to the reviewer feedback with care.

What one says is a language issue as well. Although most dissertations are in Portuguese, writing in English can contribute a lot to becoming more visible internationally and finding more partners to cooperate with. Most of the researchers use direct English to translate or write.

There should be ethical standards that are followed. It involves referencing, the prevention of plagiarism, obtaining consent of copyrighted works and ethical consent to carry out research on human beings.

Supervisor and institutional support is important. Advisors assist in improving the manuscripts, recommending appropriate journals and guiding revisions and universities usually offer workshops, financial assistance and editing.

Visibility is important after publication. To have a high number of citations and career opportunities, it can be highly beneficial to create a profile at Google Scholar, post work at ResearchGate and Academia.edu, and speak at conferences.

Finally, there is a difference between publishing your dissertation in Brazil and doing it as an academic necessity, and having a wider audience to your research. Under the right instructions, the selection of the strategies, and the efforts you can make your work rise out of your university and make any contribution to the academic discourse in the world.