LibGuides: CCOL Writing Tools: Publishing Center

Guide to Publishing Your Doctoral Dissertation

Are you thinking about publishing your dissertation? If so, you have several options to consider. Some doctoral students are successful at finding a book publisher. This, however, usually requires significant work on the author's part to refocus the manuscript for an audience beyond the dissertation committee. Other options include writing articles, conference papers, or book chapters based on your dissertation.

Here is some useful advice on how to proceed:

Publishing your work
Leaving Academia. (n.d.). Publishing your work.
Publishing your dissertation in a scholarly journal
Coombs, J. (2016, March 9). Publishing your dissertation in a scholarly journal. PAEA.
From qualitative dissertation to quality articles: Seven lessons learned
Bowen, G. A. (2010). From qualitative dissertation to quality articles: Seven lessons learned. The Qualitative Report, 15(4), 864-879
Publishing from a dissertation—A book or articles
Paltridge, B. (2017). Publishing from a dissertation—A book or articles. Doing research in applied linguistics: Realities, dilemmas and solutions, 243-252.
A graduate student's guide to publishing scholarly journal articles
Van Cott, D. L. (2005). A graduate student's guide to publishing scholarly journal articles. PS: Political Science & Politics, 38(4), 741-743.

Publishers of Academic Journals

If you are interested in publishing your research in an academic journal it is important to identify the journal(s) that are most likely to accept your manuscript for publication. This will require some research on your part but it will be well worth it. One thing to know is that the publishing industry for academic journals is quite concentrated.

The Oligopoly of Academic Publishers in the Digital Era
This 2015 study found that seventy percent of papers in the Social Sciences were in journals published by five companies: Springer, Elsevier, Wiley, Taylor & Francis, and SAGE.

Each of their websites offers guidance on picking the appropriate journal(s) to submit your manuscript.

Springer
Elsevier
Wiley
Browse all of Wiley's 1,600+ journals by title or subject
Taylor & Francis
SAGE

Professional Associations

Professional associations can be a great way of publishing your research whether it be in the form of a conference paper, magazine, newsletter or academic journal. Below are two examples.

American Society for Quality
The American Society for Quality provides numerous types of publishing opportunities in journals, magazines, books, conference papers, etc. They even offer guidance at helping identify which publishing venue might be best.
American Quality Institute
The American Quality Institute sponsors the ISO 9000 World Conference. It was the first, and is the longest running conference on ISO 9000 & Related Standards. Information on submitting a conference paper proposal is here: https://iso9000conference.com/Proposal-Submission-Guidelines