Scholarly journal publishing is a key part of scientific progress and knowledge creation. Less established is the pursuit of scientific research in long-form publication types such as monographs. But why the discrepancy? And are the natural sciences missing out by not embracing the monograph as a valuable research tool for thorough, reflexive scientific analysis?

The landscape of scientific publishing

The progression of science largely depends on the established journal article publishing model. Within this model, scholarly articles are published by subject-specific journals. These journals aim to disseminate important research to their target audiences and the broader scientific community.

This model, largely underpinned by gold open access (Gold OA) licensing agreements, is dominant because the progression of science depends on accelerating publication turnaround times. Vital research needs to enter the knowledge ecosystem as quickly as possible. The focused scope of research articles combined with optimised peer review workflows means faster dissemination. And this means increasing the immediate real-world impact of scientific research.

Why scientific monographs have been left behind

The world of scientific research is a fast-paced, competitive landscape. It is filled with researchers wanting to establish priority of discovery in their respective field.

This cultural desire for speed and priority goes hand in hand with the need to effectively summarise study findings. Within scientific publishing, short-form publications provide a framework for concision and clarity. As a result, communication of ideas to policymakers and the public is made easier.

Together, these factors have seen the scientific monograph being neglected by researchers and the broader scientific community.

But in a heavily congested publishing landscape, scientific monographs offer more than just information—they also offer conceptual fluency, historical context, and durability in a rapidly changing landscape.

Why we should embrace scientific monographs

In contrast to journal articles, academic books are more of an invitation to pause for a moment and reflect on certain issues. Based on several years of sustained research, scientific monographs can synthesise various strands of data and analysis into a conceptual framework. This way, research no longer depends entirely on providing quick answers. Instead, it thrives on onnecting numerous threads of research to provide a more comprehensive picture of issues.

Instead of simply writing up methodologies and analyses conducted over a short period of time, writers of scientific monographs can also allow the evolution of methods or data to shape the writing process itself. This results in a more self-reflexive work. And as a result, monographs can incorporate theoretical limitations much more organically than a 20–30-page research paper.

Lastly, monographs serve as a bridge between the scientific world and the public. Often, they take complex data and turn it into information that general readers can understand.

When published as open access, monographs further support public accessibility to knowledge. Our interactions with scholarly materials such as monographs are becoming increasingly digitized. Open access publishing models act as platforms for monographs to reach the public through already optimized digital avenues like online libraries and scientific databases, offering more equitable access to research.

Publishing a scientific monograph with MDPI Books

Embracing scientific monographs will depend on changing our attitudes towards how we define research value. Scholarly output rate and priority of discovery should not be solely prioritised. Researchers need to be encouraged to pursue more flexible forms of scholarly publication.

MDPI Books supports researchers looking for a peer-reviewed monograph pathway. On this author support page, you’ll find more information on MDPI Books’ author focus and high-quality and rapid publication, book processing charges (and how to find funding), and submission guidelines for book manuscripts.

Alternatively, if you don’t have a monograph for submission but have research from your doctoral degree sitting idle in an online repository, publish your PhD thesis with MDPI Books today.