LibGuides: Publish your research: Dissertation to book

Dissertation vs book

This section explains how one can approach revising their dissertation into a book. There are many differences between a dissertation and book, which often include differences in purpose, audience, voice, structure, and length.

Purpose: A dissertation provdes that the author has earned the PhD degree; a book disseminates new knowledge and solidifies the author's credentials.
Audience: A dissertation's audience is a committee; a book's audience is a community of researchers and/or the public.
Voice: A dissertation's voice is the student; a book's voice is the expert.
Structure: A dissertation is usually divided into multiple arguments (e.g. chapters) to fulfill multiple requirements; a book is united under a main argument and each chapter is articulated under the main argument.
Length: A dissertation's length is determined by degree requirements; a book's length is determined by the audience and market.

Adapted from "Dissertation to Book" by University of Illinois Library licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY) 4.0 license.

Resources for revising a dissertation into a book

Dissertation to Book guide: For more information on the steps for the process of revising a dissertation into a book, please see "Dissertation to Book" from University of Illinois Library.
Turning Your Dissertation into a Book (University of Washington)
Turning your PhD into a Successful Book (Taylor & Francis- major publisher)
Should You Turn Your Dissertation Into a Book? (Chronicle of Higher Education)

From Dissertation to Book by William Germano When a dissertation crosses my desk, I usually want to grab it by its metaphorical lapels and give it a good shake. ?You know something!? I would say if it could hear me. ?Now tell it to us in language we can understand!? Since its publication in 2005, From Dissertation to Book has helped thousands of young academic authors get their books beyond the thesis committee and into the hands of interested publishers and general readers. Now revised and updated to reflect the evolution of scholarly publishing, this edition includes a new chapter arguing that the future of academic writing is in the hands of young scholars who must create work that meets the broader expectations of readers rather than the narrow requirements of academic committees. At the heart of From Dissertation to Book is the idea that revising the dissertation is fundamentally a process of shifting its focus from the concerns of a narrow audience?a committee or advisors?to those of a broader scholarly audience that wants writing to be both informative and engaging. William Germano offers clear guidance on how to do this, with advice on such topics as rethinking the table of contents, taming runaway footnotes, shaping chapter length, and confronting the limitations of jargon, alongside helpful timetables for light or heavy revision. Germano draws on his years of experience in both academia and publishing to show writers how to turn a dissertation into a book that an audience will actually enjoy, whether reading on a page or a screen. Germano also acknowledges that not all dissertations can or even should become books and explores other, often overlooked, options, such as turning them into journal articles or chapters in an edited work. With clear directions, engaging examples, and an eye for the idiosyncrasies of academic writing, From Dissertation to Book reveals to recent PhDs the secrets of careful and thoughtful revision?a skill that will be truly invaluable as they add ?author? to their curriculum vitae.
ISBN: 9780226062044
Publication Date: 2013-10-18

From UC Berkeley licensed under CC-BY-SA-4.0.