departments may require evidence that students are familiar with a broader spectrum of literature than that
immediately relevant to their research. In such instances, the reference list may be called a bibliography, or the
student may be asked to provide a bibliography along with the reference list.
Appendices. Although space and content requirements may limit the use of appendices in journal articles (with
the exception of supplemental material placed in supplemental online archives; see section 2.13), the need for
complete documentation often dictates their inclusion in undergraduate and graduate papers.
Reframing for Journal Publication
Compared with a dissertation, a journal article requires a tighter theoretical framework, a more succinct review
of the literature, a more controlled presentation of methodology, and a more restrained discussion of results.
Trimming the length. Articles derived from dissertations are often longer than other manuscripts. In disser-
tations there is a tendency to say everything about the research problem under investigation. Trimming the
length effectively is not a matter of “cutting and pasting” but of selecting and rewriting. The substance must
be preserved while cutting the extraneous detail that is important for the dissertation but irrelevant for the
journal article.
The following approaches often help with selectivity and brevity:
n If the dissertation covers several distinct research questions, narrow the focus to a specific topic—be selective
in presenting the problem.
n Try to bring the results under control. Often the dissertation reports everything, including “almost significant”
results. These results are briefly mentioned in journal articles and detailed in supplemental materials.
n Try to avoid the common presentation pitfalls of many novice writers. These include, for example, report-
ing that the data were analyzed with a certain computer package or presenting significant findings in the
Discussion section.
n Certain conventions in dissertations do not lend themselves to the presentation format for journal articles.
For example, as Carver (1984) advised, “do not include a ‘Definitions’ section. . . . This section is popular
in doctoral dissertations but it is often a sign of naivete in research r
eports” (pp. 22–23).
3
n Be selective in the references that are reported in the literature review. Dissertations often have an exhaustive
number of citations—choose the most salient when revising for a journal article.
Writing style. Many theses do not follow APA Style for tables, figures, references, and organization of sections.
Failure to attend to APA Style often signals stylistic problems throughout the manuscript. Pay particular atten-
tion to the quality of expository writing. Strive for clarity; delete extraneous words; avoid excessive reporting
and repetition; be explicit, but not overly detailed; use the active voice; and, of course, use correct grammar.
Interpretation of data. A common problem in a poorly prepared manuscript derived from a dissertation study
is overinterpretation of the data. Inexperienced researchers tend to have unbridled faith in the strength of their
results. Problems of overinterpretation in dissertations are not unexpected, given that the candidate has invested
much time and energy in an academic undertaking. Thus, going beyond the results may come out of a sense of
ownership and pride. Nevertheless, show restraint in forming your conclusions.
In closing, remember that reviewers and editors easily recognize a manuscript that has been carelessly
converted from a thesis or dissertation. The harder a new member of the profession works to alleviate some
of the more obvious and fixable problems that distinguish a thesis from a journal article, the easier the path
to publication will be.
3
Carver, R. P. (1984). Writing a publishable research report in education, psychology, and related disciplines. Springfield, IL: Charles C Thomas.