More than submission: the true research begins after graduation.

 Many students feel that submitting their dissertation marks the end of their challenging academic endeavors. Following years of research, writing and thinking, the moment of submission marks a period of relief and achievement. What many researchers fail to comprehend, however, is that the real work and exploration of their research begins, typically, after they have graduated.

In today's world, research has influence and importance far beyond the sphere of academic achievement;

today knowledge shapes industry, influences policy, drives innovation, and ultimately defines professional prospects. Companies are keen to recruit individuals who have the ability to develop their own original insights, rather than those that merely posses academic understanding. It is the dissertation that demonstrates that a researcher has both.

Unfortunately, this wealth of knowledge is wasted with thousands of dissertations unused in libraries and storage cupboards. This occurs, perhaps because academia has conditioned a lot of researchers to see research as something that exists for the university and the examiners only; they are conditioned to complete their research for the sake of producing the dissertation, but seldom taught to use it for further influence.

As such, there is a gap between research and application. Researchers therefore need to consider that the dissertation is merely the basis upon which their future contributions will be made. Any research project will contain knowledge that has the potential to influence the relevant spheres: from health care and business to the fields of education, sustainability, psychology, innovation and leadership, the discoveries of a thesis have wide reaching applicability.

The first step to influencing the world around us is through making our knowledge visible. Any research that is trapped inside the archives of the university can never influence industry or even wider audiences. Publishing your work, whether it be in an academic journal, an article, a book, a blog, a podcast, a webinar, a white paper or even a course on the web (which provides academic credibility in a practical, transferable format), takes your ideas to the public.

This trend is particularly important in this new digital world where there are now less traditional boundaries, making it far easier to make oneself visible on a global scale. A researcher from anywhere can make themselves visible and develop credibility with their peers around the world through communication. This communication needs to be at the appropriate level for the audience; academics are more comfortable reading a highly complex, academically phrased paper; however, for influencing, the writing needs to be easily readable and focused on the relevant issues.

Developing a "personal brand" is important here. An expert is not defined by his or her knowledge, but by how they manage to be visible. People gain a sense of trust and familiarity through constant engagement with audiences through publications, speeches and interaction, ultimately shaping them as recognized experts. Visibility through a consistent output, regardless of its current flaw or imperfections (for they can be corrected later), produces greater opportunity. Speaking engagements, consulting jobs, collaborative projects with other experts and organizations, not to mention media exposure, are just some of the opportunities generated by publication.

Yet despite all this, there are many people still too afraid to promote themselves and to believe that they do not possess sufficient knowledge or skills; however, influence grows through sustained exposure. The research of the future will focus on both communication and the creation of ideas.

The dissertation is not the end; it is the beginning.

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