Understanding the Publication Process

Understanding the Publication Process

The following module outlines the basic steps necessary to help a student publish their dissertation.

Learning Objectives:

• Outline the basic steps involved in the journal publication process.

The first step in publishing the dissertation is to research and understand the publication process before you begin. Following is a list of steps involved in publishing your work. Because the most common choice for publication is scholarly journals, these steps focus on that process. 

1. Select a journal - Journals have their own requirements, guidelines, and styles. Therefore, it is best to begin the process with an understanding of what the publisher will be looking for in your manuscript.
2. Prune and prioritize content - Create a list of bullet points of the key points and findings in your dissertation. Publishing your dissertation is not a matter of simply cutting out words, it requires pulling out the core material and major points that you want to share with readers and building your manuscript around those points. 
3. Edit - Once you have identified the major point/findings you want to publish, you will begin the process of editing your dissertation work. The manuscript should use simple, direct language that shares your work in a concise and organized manner. For some, it will require considerable editing of the dissertation to create this type of manuscript. It will be important to consider the requirements and style of the journal during this process.
4. Submit the manuscript - You will submit your manuscript to an academic journal editor who will determine whether it has sufficient merit to be further reviewed. If so, the manuscript will go to an editorial review board or will be reviewed by external reviewers. This is referred to as the peer review process and the feedback is extremely valuable in revising your manuscript before final publication. If it is not sent on, it will be sent back to you with a rejection letter.
5. Receiving feedback and decisions - After the review process, the editor reviews the comments and returns the manuscript to you with a rejection or a request for revisions. If revisions are requested, you will revise the manuscript and return it to the editor, who will send it back to the reviewers if necessary. The editor will then make a final decision regarding rejection or acceptance. If accepted, you have a final opportunity to edit and proof the manuscript before publication.

Each of these steps will be covered in greater detail in the remaining modules in this series. For a detailed, step-by-step look at the entire process, Publish, Not Perish, is an excellent online resource that contains a series of modules providing additional details and information.

The following video, How to Get Published, breaks down the entire publication process. It provides additional insights to all the steps. 

Suggested Readings:

• Belcher, W. (2009). Writing your journal article in 12 weeks: A guide to academic publishing success. Thousand Oaks: SAGE Publications.
• Berg, B. L., & Lune, H. (2004). Qualitative research methods for the social sciences (Vol. 5). Boston: Pearson.
• Bryman, A. (2012). Social research methods. Oxford university press.
• Calfee, R.C., & Valencia, R.R. (2001). APA guide to preparing manuscripts for journal publication. Washington, DC: APA.
• Day, R. A. (1998). How to write and publish scientific papers.
• Devlin A. (2006) Research Methods.  Thompson Wadsworth.
• Fox, M. F. (1985). The transition from dissertation student to publishing scholar and professional. Scholarly writing & publishing: Issues, problems. and solutions. Westview Press: Boulder, 6-16.
• Rocco, T.S. and Hatcher, T. (2011). The handbook of scholarly writing and publishing. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass