MDPI Books distinguishes between two forms of publication: monographs that have been further developed from dissertations and PhD thesis publications in their original form.

Turning your PhD thesis into a monograph requires significant revision of the original text. Usually, this revision involves adjusting tone and language until they are suitable for a broader audience, among other adjustments.

In this blog post, we’ll look at turning your PhD thesis into a monograph and the differences between each publication type.

PhD theses vs. monographs

A PhD thesis is a comprehensive academic argument developed and established by a researcher. The purpose of a PhD thesis is to address gaps in the existing knowledge of the author’s chosen research field. PhD theses are typically developed over several years, highlighting the extensive research, planning, and writing undertaken by the author.

Like a PhD thesis, a monograph is an extensive discussion of a topic of relevance. However, monographs are aimed at a broader audience, rather than an exclusively academic audience. This means that monographs may adopt a more personable tone and employ clearer language.

Another key difference is purpose. A PhD thesis is designed to showcase the research skills of the author and their ability to work independently and contribute to a research field. With a monograph, the emphasis is less on the author and more on the work’s potential to advance the knowledge base for a research field (or several) and contribute to ongoing academic discussions.

Turning your PhD thesis into a monograph

As a researcher and prospective author, you may want to turn your PhD thesis into a monograph for many reasons. Perhaps your academic reviewers recognized its potential and encouraged you to publish your research as a monograph. Or you might feel like becoming a published author is the next logical step in establishing yourself as an academic. Whatever the reason, the process needs to be considered carefully.

To help you with turning your PhD thesis into a monograph, here’s a breakdown of the elements you need to consider.

Proposal

In publishing a monograph, you’ll need to choose a publisher and propose your book’s concepts in the hope of your work being selected for publication.

A book proposal is a document that authors submit to publishers to convince them of their project’s originality, viability, and marketability. It serves as a business plan, outlining the book’s key selling points and aligning it with a target audience. It also functions to highlight why the book is necessary now and how it will inform, influence, and advance certain research fields.

There’s specific information you need to include in your book proposal. This can range from basic author information to outlines of your topic, approach, rationale, and book chapters. For a full breakdown of everything you’ll need to cover in your book proposal, see our article.

Initial revision

The initial revision is where you adjust the text to make it more suitable for a broader audience. This involves adopting a more personable tone and removing unnecessary technical language where possible.

Your monograph should be well-researched and extensive in its discussion. However, it shouldn’t be as academically rigorous as a PhD thesis. Try to keep the general reader in mind while also appealing to those with a potential interest in your research areas.

You may also want to cut out sections or footnotes that only provide specialist knowledge aimed at academic audiences. Making this extra space early in the process of turning your PhD thesis into a monograph will benefit you if your writing requires you to digress at any point. Additionally, it will help the flow and clarity of your monograph.

Utilizing feedback

After your initial revision, your monograph manuscript will be subjected to subsequent assessments to check its progress.

Utilize the feedback you receive at this point to strengthen your manuscript. Assessments at this stage may involve recommendations to revise certain sections or restructure chapters.

Although you may disagree with some recommendations, remember that your publisher has extensive knowledge of the market and your target audience. The editing team is there to help steer your monograph and keep it as focused as possible. In turn, this helps improve the visibility and impact of your book.

It’s a process, not a race

Turning your PhD thesis into a monograph can feel like a race against time. You’re probably eager to revise your research as quickly as possible while it’s still fresh in your mind. However, it’s advised to take your time completing your manuscript. You don’t want to write too much only to realize too late that it isn’t quite working.

Numerous revisions are normal. Turning your PhD thesis into a monograph is a process. To stay focused, think of it as an opportunity to be able to revisit and refine your research over an extended period. The completed project will be a lot more visible than your PhD thesis. You don’t want to hasten anything that needs careful consideration.

Stay connected with editors, academics, and peers during the writing process and be receptive to guidance. Many of these people have direct experience in writing or publishing a book. Although they may not be familiar with the subject matter of your monograph, they can certainly comment on its general direction and suitability.

Want to get started on turning your PhD thesis into a monograph? Submit a proposal to MDPI Books today. You can also read our article on publishing your academic book as open access.