phd thesis by publication example

Graduate Research Hub

• Preparing my thesis

Incorporating your published work in your thesis

A streamlined procedure has been approved for obtaining co-author authorisation.  You now only need to provide a Declaration for publication incorporated in a thesis form for the inclusion of in progress or published material in the thesis, that is completed by your Principal Supervisor and the Coordinating Author.

Accepted statuses for publications

• Unpublished material not submitted for publication
• Submitted for publication to [publication name] on [date]
• In revision following peer review by [publication name]
• Accepted for publication by [publication name] on [date]
• Published by [publication name] on [date]

You may include in progress or published material written during your enrolment upon approval from your advisory committee, as part of your thesis, by having either:

• “included publications", in which your publications are included as components that are distinct from the rest of the thesis, in the format described below; or
• “included material” that is drawn from your publications and combined with text that is otherwise written specifically for the thesis.

In this page we refer to both these kinds of inclusion of published work as “incorporated publications”; the first format, where the publications are included as distinct components, is also known as “thesis with publications”.

The  Graduate Research Training Policy (section 4.65) outlines what can be included in the thesis. Your thesis must include a literature review that clearly details the research questions and a general discussion that integrates the work and places the publications into the context of the research question.

You may have to supplement the incorporated publications with additional methods sections as they are often abbreviated in published articles. You are also encouraged to include any data and discussion that was omitted from the article as an addendum in the thesis. Where a publication is included as a distinct component, you are also encouraged to include a critical reflection on the work, which could, for example, acknowledge or address limitations or impacts of the work that have appeared since publication.

When submitting your thesis, you will be required to confirm that:

(a) the work in the incorporated publications is your own, and (b) that any co-authors give permission for the article to be included in the thesis.

To do this, you must complete the  Declaration for publication incorporated in a thesis form.  You will need to submit a completed form for each in progress or published work included in your thesis.

Your principal supervisor must sign the Declaration form for each publication.  Where there is more than one author of a publication, at least one co-author by agreement amongst the authors, should be nominated as the coordinating author (also known as corresponding author), as defined in the University’s Authorship Policy . The coordinating author is responsible for communication between the publishers and managing communication between the co-authors. The coordinating author must maintain records of any authorship agreement.  The coordinating author must also sign the Declaration form.

You must upload all completed Declaration forms as a single combined file to the Thesis Examination System when submitting your thesis for examination.  The signed forms should not be included in the thesis itself. Plan well ahead to obtain the required signatures to avoid delays to your examination.

Don’t forget to include your ORCID when submitting your work to publishers, conference organisers, etc.  This will help you to distinguish your research activities and outputs, and make sure you get credit for your work throughout your career.

The Preface

As detailed in the  Preparation of Graduate Research Theses rules , your preface should outline:

• the publication status of any incorporated publications
• your contribution to any incorporated publications
• any work carried out in collaboration with others
• editorial assistance received
• parts of the work completed outside of your candidature.

There is no prescribed format for a preface; you may wish to include a written description or a table outlining the tasks performed by others and the proportion of the contribution as a percentage.

Usually this means you will have written the initial draft and you performed any subsequent editing in response to co-authors' and editors' reviews.

As specified in the Graduate Research Training Policy , your principal supervisor and coordinating author must declare that:

(a) you are the primary author of the included material, and

(b) you contributed more than 50% of the work towards the publication.

No. You need to have contributed more than 50 per cent for it to be included. You could, however, include this paper as an appendix.

Yes. It is understood that portions of the thesis that have been published or accepted for publication will have been through an editorial process. Such editorial changes should be explicitly acknowledged.

Refer to the Authorship page for information about the requirements and responsible practice.

Format of the thesis

When including complete publications, you should use the author accepted manuscripts of articles that have been accepted or published. This is the final draft as accepted by the publishers, including any changes based on referees’ suggestions before it has undergone copy-editing, typesetting and proofing. If you are certain you will not breach your agreement with your publisher, you may include the published version in your thesis.

If you are using your author accepted manuscript, while some journals request that the version you send them includes any figures or tables at the end of the submitted document, when you reproduce the article in your thesis you should place them where they logically flow within the text. It is also recommended that you use similar formatting (e.g. line spacing, font type and size) as the rest of the thesis.

You can view suggested formats for arranging the chapters of a thesis that includes publications as distinct components here . See also example theses in the University of Melbourne repository.

In most cases it is preferred that you include a separate literature survey.  Even with the literature reviews included in your publications you may find you still need to add further supplementary material if the publications do not directly address all the research questions you are trying to answer in your thesis.  Your supervisors and advisory committee are best able to advise you whether the literature reviews included in your incorporated publications will meet disciplinary expectations and satisfy your examiners that you: - Have clearly detailed your research question/s and how they integrate with the current literature - Have demonstrated sufficient familiarity with, and understanding and critical appraisal of the relevant literature.

No. The policy allows the thesis to be submitted with publications, it is not a thesis by publication. You must include a literature review that clearly details the research question, and a concluding general discussion that integrates the work and places it into the context of the research questions. You should also introduce each publication that is included as a distinct component, explaining its role in the work, and, where appropriate, provide a critical reflection on its contribution.

Yes, but you must cite it correctly and indicate in the preface the source of the information (eg. that the text on page(s) xx is from [name of publication], or that chapter yy is adapted from [name of publication]. In each case you should give its publication status and your contribution to the publication). It will assist your examiners if, at the start of each chapter that includes work drawn from a publication, there is a footnote explaining where the work came from and how it has been used in the chapter. You may wish to include the entire publication as an appendix so that your examiners can see where the material came from.

• Theses which include publications in a “thesis with publications” style can typically be slightly shorter; for example the typical PhD length is 80,000 words, but a PhD including publications as distinct components has a typical length of 50,000-80,000 words).
• While the writing style may be more concise, there is no difference in the expected volume and requirements of work presented in theses with publications. The examination criteria remain the same whether or not publications are incorporated. Your examiners are asked to consider your thesis on its merits as an independent piece of research. Refer to the information available for examiners .
• Maximum limits apply to all theses.

If you are including the list of references as part of the publication they do not need to be repeated in the overall reference list/bibliography for the thesis.

Incorporated publications can be referenced via a footnote, but if references to them are included in the bibliography an examiner may be unsure as to whether the work was completed as part of the research.

No, but you may do so if you think that it will assist readers of your thesis.

It is up to you whether you update the publication style or not. Whatever you chose, you should acknowledge your choice in the Preface, stating the differences between the publication and thesis, due to the requirements of different publishers.

Yes. Revised and resubmitted theses are examined in their entirety and the inclusion of a new incorporated publication may strengthen your response to examiners.

In most cases you should include the latest version, up to the author accepted version and update the publication status in the preface. If your examiners request changes which conflict with the editorial or peer review advice you have since received from your publisher, you may choose to address this elsewhere in your thesis, or in your written response to the examiners’ reports.

Publication suitability

A work is suitable for inclusion if the research was conducted and the publication was in progress or published during your enrolment in your current degree. This includes:

You may need to supplement this with analysis of literature published between writing the article and submitting your thesis.

All methods need to be covered to a high degree of detail in your thesis.

• literature reviews where you are the primary author .
• systematic reviews of a research question as a results chapter.
• a protocol paper involving novel method development.
• material exploring key methodological issues .

No. Only work completed during your candidature can be included in the thesis. You can cite your earlier work just like you would any work that is relevant to your research. The work should be listed in the preface of your thesis.

Yes. You will need to clearly acknowledge in the preface that its status is ‘in progress’ or, that the paper has been published but not peer reviewed.

Completing the forms

Yes. You may wish to include the entire publication as an appendix so that your examiner can see where the information came from.

Yes. All sections of the form must be completed for any multi-authored material. The coordinating author is required to reassure that all co-authors have had an opportunity to agree to the inclusion of the material in the thesis and to the contribution declared on the form. The authorship agreement template is available here.

No. You can use the figure in your thesis without completing the form but you should acknowledge the origin of the figure in the preface and appropriately cite the publication in your thesis.

No. You should provide this evidence to your advisory committee when you are discussing the proposed format for your thesis. Your principal supervisor must sign the  Declaration for publication incorporated in a thesis form which confirms their agreement to the inclusion of any publication/s.  The coordinating author will need to sign the form for any multi-authored material.

You can use Adobe Acrobat's 'Combine Files' tool which will allow you to combine files of different filetypes into a PDF. Alternatively, you can open a PDF copy of a file and then use the 'Organise Pages' tool which will allow you to drag additional pages where you can then save it as a single file.

iThenticate report

You should run your whole thesis through iThenticate, including the chapters comprised wholly or partly of your published work.  You can then exclude the specific matching publication source/s that correspond to the publications you have included in your thesis in a “thesis with publications” style. This means that the thesis chapter or publication is reviewed against the other literature in the repository, but not matched to itself. You should only exclude matching sources that are articles which you have appropriately included.  You should outline and explain any filters and exclusions you applied in iThenticate in an accompanying declaration which you can also upload to TES.

You should not exclude publications from which you have included material (but not the complete publication), as the iThenticate report will then show where the material is present in the thesis, allowing your supervisors and Chair of Examiners to verify that it has been included appropriately.

Further information on the use of iThenticate can be found here: https://gateway.research.unimelb.edu.au/funding-contracts-and-ethics/ethics-and-integrity/research-integrity/ithenticate-text-matching-tool

The examination

The criteria for examination remain the same whether or not publications are incorporated. See the Graduate Research Training Policy for more information. You can also view the information for examiners here: https://gradresearch.unimelb.edu.au/staff#examiner-information .

If the publication status of your article changes between submission for examination and submission of your final thesis, it is appropriate to include the most recent version (up to the author-accepted version). You should also update the preface to reflect the new status. If you are submitting a list of corrections for approval and/or resubmitting for re-examination you should also note this in your index of changes.

Examples of theses with publications

The following are theses available openly or with University of Melbourne log-in through the University of Melbourne repository that include publications as distinct components in a “thesis with publications” style.

Al Zein, Eza (2019). Taskscape: Caring for Migrant Materials . http://hdl.handle.net/11343/235841

Arundel, Jonathan Paul (2015) The spatio-temporal distribution of honey bees and floral resources in Australia . http://hdl.handle.net/11343/59612

Bamford, Nicholas James (2016) Relationships between diet, obesity and insulin dysregulation in horses and ponies. http://hdl.handle.net/11343/148423

Bibb, Jennifer Louise (2016) Musical recovery: the role of group singing in regaining healthy relationships with music to promote mental health recovery. http://hdl.handle.net/11343/124271

Burfurd, Ingrid Ellen (2018) Beliefs and learning in the laboratory: essays in experimental economics . http://hdl.handle.net/11343/219180

Fan, Yi (2019) Quantification of mandibular morphological changes in 3D . http://hdl.handle.net/11343/225588

Kriesner, Peter (2017) Wolbachia fitness benefits and symbiont interactions in Drosophila . http://hdl.handle.net/11343/207959

Mody, Fallon (2019) Doctors down under: European medical migrants in Victoria (Australia), 1930-60 .   http://hdl.handle.net/11343/221550

Nencini, Sara (2018) Tackling bone pain at the source: identifying and exploring new therapeutic targets . http://hdl.handle.net/11343/216858

Pan, Xuan (2018) Graphene quantum dot based electronic devices . http://hdl.handle.net/11343/222013

Seibt, Susanne (2018) In-situ investigations of molecular self-assembly using microfluidics. http://hdl.handle.net/11343/214671

Smith, Merryn (2018) Non-structural carbohydrate storage and use in eucalypt trees of south-east Australia. http://hdl.handle.net/11343/221163

Uddin, Shihab (2019) Functional aspects of root and leaf development in dryland crop water use under elevated CO2 .   http://hdl.handle.net/11343/219849

Vahedi, Andisheh (2018) The work-family interface and child mental health: longitudinal associations via family functioning across childhood. http://hdl.handle.net/11343/217236

Al Zein, Eza (2019) Taskscape: Caring for Migrant Materials .  http://hdl.handle.net/11343/235841

Schlichthorst, Marisa (2020)   Engaging men in conversations about masculinity and suicide – An evaluation of the Man Up social media campaign .   http://hdl.handle.net/11343/265962

• Resources for candidates
• Orientation and induction
• Mapping my degree
• Principles for infrastructure support
• Peer activities
• Change my commencement date
• Meeting expectations
• Working with my supervisors
• Responsible Research & Research Integrity
• Guidelines for external supervisors
• Pre-confirmation
• Confirmation
• At risk of unsatisfactory progress
• Unsatisfactory progress
• Add or drop coursework subjects
• Apply for leave
• Return from leave
• Apply for Study Away
• Return from Study Away
• Change my study rate
• Check my candidature status
• Change my current supervisors
• Request an evidence of enrolment or evidence of qualification statement
• Change my project details
• Change department
• Transfer to another graduate research degree
• Late submission
• Withdraw from my research degree
• Check the status of a request
• Re-enrolment
• Advice on requesting changes
• Extension of candidature
• Lapse candidature
• How to cancel a form in my.unimelb
• Resolving issues
• Taking leave
• About Study Away
• Finishing on time
• Accepting an offer for a joint PhD online
• Tenured Study Spaces (TSS) Usage Guidelines
• Tenured Study Spaces Procedures
• Research skills
• Academic writing and communication skills
• Building professional and academic networks
• Research internships
• Commercialising my research
• Supplementary PhD Programs
• Writing my thesis
• Examples of thesis and chapter formats when including publications
• Thesis with creative works
• Research Integrity in my Thesis
• Graduate researchers and digital assistance tools
• TES Statuses
• Submitting my thesis
• Depositing multiple components for your final thesis record
• The Chancellor's Prize
• TES Graduate Researcher FAQs
• Career planning
• Publishing my research
• Getting support
• Key graduate research contacts
• Melbourne Research Experience Survey
• Quality Indicators for Learning and Teaching (QILT)
• Current Students

Current students

• Staff intranet
• Find an event
• Research skills for HDR students
• Overview and planning

Theses including publications

• Originality
• Structuring your thesis

Literature reviews

• Writing up results
• Interpreting results

Under the Thesis and examinations higher degrees by research policy (pdf, 199KB) , a research thesis is a coherent and cohesive narrative describing a body of scholarly activity that adds to knowledge.

At the University a collection of published papers is not a thesis, neither is a publication on its own sufficient to warrant the award of a research degree.

However, you can, and should, include papers you have published in your thesis. A thesis including publications (also called a thesis with publications) is one where the core chapters of your thesis consist of papers you have submitted for publication, have been accepted for publication, or have already been published. See our information on preparing your thesis for how to indicate that your thesis contains material you have published as part of your candidature.

A thesis including publication is suited to certain disciplines where your study progresses in discrete stages or involves a sequence of related components; for example, a series of lab experiments or several artworks.

One of the benefits of doing a thesis including publications is that you’ll graduate with a number of publications to your credit. This will get your career as a researcher off to a good start.

You need to check with your faculty/school or department to see if a thesis including publications is possible and to find out their specific requirements. For more information see the Thesis and examination of higher degrees by research policy (pdf, 199KB) .

The following is a general guide to some common requirements for a thesis including publications.

Types of theses including publications

All chapters of your thesis can contain material previously published by you and need to be in a consistent format. Offprints are not considered chapters. These may be papers already published, submitted or accepted for publication, or not submitted.

Published papers need to be supplemented by an introduction (containing your aims and the context of the thesis) and a conclusion that synthesises the knowledge generated during your candidature. In some cases, thesis chapters are amended versions of published papers. The published papers are then put in the appendix.

Only papers researched and written during your candidature can be included in your thesis. Some faculties or schools allow you to include papers regardless of their stage of publication. In other cases, papers need to have been accepted for publication, not just submitted and awaiting acceptance. You need to check with your faculty/school or department regarding their requirements.

Papers need to be accepted by reputable, high-profile journals which require full peer review of contributions.

If you want your thesis to contain material you’ve published elsewhere, you need to get written permission from your publisher.

The University library has more information on copyright .

You should be the main contributor and/or lead author to the papers you include. This means you have been responsible for the key ideas, the development of the study and the writing of the paper. It’s possible to include papers co-written with other authors, as long as you have their permission (preferably in writing).

Find more information about authorship attribution statements and the format required.

A cohesive thesis

The papers you submit need to form a cohesive whole. They need to be linked thematically, having a consistent focus on a particular topic. They also need a cohesive structure, including an introduction, explanatory material between the chapters and a conclusion.

The introduction and conclusion are particularly important in tying your thesis together. Coherence can be made explicit throughout your thesis. You could link your chapters using:

• the list of publications, where you can note which publication corresponds to which chapter
• a concept map or a flowchart at the end of the introduction
• the literature review, where you refer to how the chapters fill in particular gaps in the literature
• a page or half-page introduction or 'bridging section' before each chapter of the body, or at the end of each chapter
• the discussion section, referring back to the various papers.

You don’t need all of these features, but the more links you can establish between the various parts of your thesis the more coherent it will be.

List of publications

You need to include a list of publications either before or after the table of contents. In this section, you can link the publications to the specific chapter in which they are found. Many theses also record the bibliographical details of the article on the title page of each chapter.

If you need to include a co-author contribution statement, this is usually put with the list of publications or before each chapter.

Find more information about authorship statements and the format required.

There are different ways you can give context for your research when you do the literature review for each paper. For example:

• paraphrasing rather than repeating the same information
• where you integrate reviews in the main literature review in the introduction and cut down the literature reviews in the articles
• making each literature review substantially different
• removing the article(s)’s literature review, but only if the published chapter is presented in manuscript form.

Discussion section

Your final discussion section draws together the main points from the discussion in each chapter into a single discussion. You need to avoid presenting or repeating in detail your ideas in the final discussion chapter by chapter or aim by aim, as this will not meet the requirements of a thesis. A way of doing this is to frame the discussion broadly, always in respect to ‘this thesis/research project’ or ‘this thesis’.

Reference lists

• When all articles are in journal format, their individual reference lists are included. This means the reference list at the end of the thesis contains only references from the introduction/literature review and discussion/conclusion.
• When all articles are in manuscript form, there is often no reference list attached to individual articles. Instead, all references are listed at the end of the thesis.
• Some theses have a separate reference list at the end of each chapter, including the introduction/conclusion.

Page numbers

Most theses show both the thesis page number and the journal article page numbers. However, you could omit the thesis page number.

This material was developed by the Learning Hub (Academic Language and Learning), which offers workshops, face-to-face consultations and resources to support your learning. Find out more about how they can help you develop your communication, research and study skills .

See our handout on Writing a thesis proposal (pdf, 341KB) .

Related links

• Thesis submission
• Research progress
• Research supervision
• Academic integrity
• Website feedback

Your feedback has been sent.

Sorry there was a problem sending your feedback. Please try again

You should only use this form to send feedback about the content on this webpage – we will not respond to other enquiries made through this form. If you have an enquiry or need help with something else such as your enrolment, course etc you can contact the Student Centre.

• Find an expert
• Media contacts

Student links

• How to log in to University systems
• Class timetables
• Our Rankings
• Faculties and schools
• Research centres
• Campus locations
• Find a staff member
• Careers at Sydney
• Emergencies and personal safety

• Accessibility

Introduction: Demystifying the PhD by Publication

• First Online: 28 September 2022

Cite this chapter

• Sin Wang Chong   ORCID: orcid.org/0000-0002-4519-0544 3 &
• Neil H. Johnson   ORCID: orcid.org/0000-0001-8604-1193 4  

435 Accesses

This chapter documents the rationale for compiling a collection on the PhD by Publication. The aim of the book is to “demystify” this alternative route of doctoral education because there is a dearth of publications (journal articles or books) on this PhD route which is gaining popularity around the world. This book attempts to “demystify” PhD by Publication by identifying pertinent issues and (mis)conceptions pertaining to policies and practices through research, research syntheses, and surveys of university policies on the PhD by Publication internationally (Part I – Landscapes of PhD by Publication). Another layer of “demystification” pertains to experience (Part II: Narratives of PhD by Publication). The inclusion of reflective and autobiographical accounts by PhD by Publication supervisors, students, and graduates internationally provides a vivid insider’s perspective toward this PhD route. This chapter closes with an outline of each chapter of the book.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this chapter

• Available as PDF
• Read on any device
• Instant download
• Own it forever
• Available as EPUB and PDF
• Compact, lightweight edition
• Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
• Free shipping worldwide - see info
• Durable hardcover edition

Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout

Purchases are for personal use only

Institutional subscriptions

Chong, S. W. (2020). PhD by published work and “doctorateness”: My experience at a UK university. Innovative Practice in Higher Education, 4 (1), 1–12. http://journals.staffs.ac.uk/index.php/ipihe/article/view/204/319

Google Scholar  

Chong, S. W. (2021). Demystifying commentary guidelines of PhD by published work in the UK: Insights from genre analysis. In Innovations in education and teaching international (pp. 1–10). Advanced online publication. https://doi.org/10.1080/14703297.2020.1871396

Chapter   Google Scholar  

Hyland, K. (2015). Genre, discipline and identity. Journal of English for Academic Purposes, 19 , 32–43.

Article   Google Scholar  

Jackson, D. (2013). Completing a PhD by publication: A review of Australian policy and implications for practice. Higher Education Research and Development, 32 (3), 355–368. https://doi.org/10.1080/07294360.2012.692666

O’Keeffe, P. (2019). PhD by publication: Innovative approach to social science research, or operationalisation of the doctoral student … or both? Higher Education Research and Development, 39 (2), 288–301. https://doi.org/10.1080/07294360.2019.1666258

Smith, S. (2017). Supervising on a PhD by published work route: An exploration of the supervisory role. Zeitschrift für Hochschulentwicklung. Journal for Higher Education Development, 12 (2), 19–43.

Smith, S. (2019). The challenge of supervising students who are doing a PhD by published work . Trust Me! Blog. Retrieved from https://eprints.leedsbeckett.ac.uk/id/eprint/5648/1/TheChallengeOfSupervisingStudentsWhoAreDoingAPhdByPublishedWorkAM-SMITH.pdf

Wilson, K. (2002). Quality assurance issues for a PhD by published work: A case study. Quality Assurance in Education, 10 (2), 71–78. https://doi.org/10.1108/09684880210423555

Download references

Author information

Authors and affiliations.

Moray House School of Education and Sport, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, UK

Sin Wang Chong

Wearside View, St Peter’s Campus, University of Sunderland, Sunderland, UK

Neil H. Johnson

You can also search for this author in PubMed   Google Scholar

Editor information

Editors and affiliations.

Wearside View, St Peter's Campus, University of Sunderland, Sunderland, UK

Neil Johnson

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

Copyright information

© 2022 The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature Switzerland AG

About this chapter

Chong, S.W., Johnson, N.H. (2022). Introduction: Demystifying the PhD by Publication. In: Chong, S.W., Johnson, N. (eds) Landscapes and Narratives of PhD by Publication. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-04895-1_1

Download citation

DOI : https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-04895-1_1

Published : 28 September 2022

Publisher Name : Springer, Cham

Print ISBN : 978-3-031-04894-4

Online ISBN : 978-3-031-04895-1

eBook Packages : Education Education (R0)

Share this chapter

Anyone you share the following link with will be able to read this content:

Sorry, a shareable link is not currently available for this article.

Provided by the Springer Nature SharedIt content-sharing initiative

• Publish with us

Policies and ethics

• Find a journal
• Track your research

• PhD by Publication – Explained
• Types of Doctorates

Introduction

Obtaining a PhD by publication is relatively uncommon in higher education. It can, however, be especially useful for established researchers who have published work but don’t yet have a PhD. This article gives information on exactly what a PhD by publication is, how it works and what the advantages and disadvantages are. Read on to learn more.

What is a PhD by Publication?

A PhD by publication is a doctoral degree awarded to a person who has several peer-reviewed publications that have been put together as separate ‘chapters’, contributing to a unified research theme within a specific field.

This format typically consists of a significant introductory chapter, up to 10,000 words, similar to a traditional thesis, followed by around five published research papers and a final chapter to bring things to a conclusion. Although these papers will be separate bodies of work, it’s important that they’re connected along one research theme.

This route to PhD can be attractive to researchers that have published a lot in their academic career but have not followed the traditional PhD path. It helps them gain recognition for their contributions to their research field and recognition that the work they have done has been of a doctoral level without having to write a separate PhD thesis.

A PhD by publication is awarded following a  viva (also known as an oral examination) with examiners, similar to the process of a traditional PhD.

What are the Advantages?

A clear advantage of a PhD by publication is that you’re submitting a portfolio of work that has already gone through extensive peer review. This means that by the time you come to defend your work at a viva, it’s much easier. For example, the questions your examiners may ask you could be very similar to the questions you were asked by your reviewers during your paper publication phase and so you will already have prepared suitable responses to these.

Another advantage of this route is that it’s a much quicker way of obtaining a PhD degree; traditional PhD programmes take between three and four years from registration to completion whereas you can get a PhD by publication within one year of registration with the University, assuming that you enrol on this degree having already published all the papers that you will include in your portfolio of work. The shorter duration means that you often will only have to pay for one year of University fees, meaning that this approach is cheaper than a traditional method. It’s often possible that you can work any part-time job alongside preparing your publication portfolio for viva examination submission.

What are the Disadvantages?

Not all research fields or questions are suitable for a PhD by publication. In some cases, it may be necessary to design, set up and run a new PhD project in the field, recording the generation of further data. Additionally, it may be difficult to expand upon your previous publications and explore different research ideas as you put together your portfolio of papers. As this approach is a relatively uncommon way to get a PhD, some institutions may be unfamiliar or not set up to facilitate a PhD by publication. While the final viva examination will be the same as that in a traditional PhD, there is always the risk that some examiners may not see this publication route as being a ‘real’ PhD.

You’re also likely to miss out on some other aspects of PhD life by going down the publication route, including opportunities to teach or supervise undergraduate students and the experience of working within a research lab alongside other PhD students.

How Long Does a PhD by Publication Take?

You should expect a PhD by publication to take six months to one year to obtain from your point of registration with a UK University. This is on the basis that you have already published work for all the material that you would plan to include within your PhD portfolio, or that it is currently going through the review process. This approach is shorter than pursuing a traditional PhD, which typically takes between three and four years as a full-time student.

What is the Application Process?

You apply using the standard process required by the university to enrol, in the same way as the traditional route of a PhD. In addition, however, you will be asked to submit a portfolio of your prior publication track record and a supporting statement outlining the work of these existing publications, detailing how they tell a coherent story with the relevant subject area you’re applying to. You won’t need to submit a formal PhD research proposal as most, if not all, of the research should already have been completed.

Do you have Supervision?

Yes, in the same way that a traditional PhD student will have a primary supervisor to oversee your project. The role of the supervisor will be to help you establish a clear narrative for the theme you’re putting together of your publications, offering critical appraisal where necessary.

He or she will advise you on how to structure the introductory and concluding bodies of work that are required before you submit your portfolio for external examination and viva. Remember that the supervisor is there to advise and not tell you how to structure your dissertation; this is the same for any research student doing a standard PhD.

With this researcher-supervisor relationship, your options may be open in terms of whether you need to be based at the University in person or if you choose to work remotely as a distance learning student, communicating with your supervisor over email or video calls.

How does Assessment Work?

The body of work that you submit will be read and assessed by two examiners that are experts within your subject area of research. This will be followed by the viva examination with the two examiners, in line with the conventional PhD approach. To be awarded this research degree you will need to demonstrate that your work has made an original contribution to furthering the subject knowledge within your field.

Finding a PhD has never been this easy – search for a PhD by keyword, location or academic area of interest.

How Much Does It Cost?

As a PhD by publication usually takes about a year to complete, most universities typically charge a fee equivalent to one year of PhD study. The exact amount will vary depending on the University, but usually, the tuition fee will be around  £4,500  for one year for UK and EU students, and considerably more if you are an international student. It’s challenging to secure funding for these types of PhD degrees and you will find that you’re unlikely to be eligible for financial support from research councils or other routes of funding.

What Kind of Publications Can I use in my Portfolio?

Universities will have specific guidance about factors such as how many publications you can include in your portfolio and there may be some restrictions on when they should have been published. Typically, you will include 5 publications in your submission to your PhD examiners, but this can in some circumstances be as low as 3 or 4 or as high as 10 separate papers. Most often these will be in the form of  journal articles accepted by peer reviewed journals but can also include published book chapters, scientific or technical reports that have been published or other forms of publication that have gone through a level of peer review.

A PhD by publication is a good way for you to graduate with a doctorate if you enter this research programme having already published several academic papers on a single research theme. You need to demonstrate that you have made a significant contribution to your field through previous research. At this stage it is likely to be the cheapest and fastest route to gaining a PhD. However, applicants should be mindful when they apply that it may be challenging to secure funding for this.

Browse PhDs Now

Join thousands of students.

Join thousands of other students and stay up to date with the latest PhD programmes, funding opportunities and advice.

APA 7th Edition Citation Examples

• Volume and Issue Numbers
• Page Numbers
• Undated Sources
• Citing a Source Within a Source
• In-Text Citations
• Academic Journals
• Encyclopedia Articles
• Book, Film, and Product Reviews
• Online Classroom Materials
• Conference Papers
• Technical + Research Reports
• Court Decisions
• Treaties and Other International Agreements
• Federal Regulations: I. The Code of Federal Regulations
• Federal Regulations: II. The Federal Register
• Executive Orders
• Charter of the United Nations
• Federal Statutes

Format for dissertations and theses

Dissertations and theses database.

• Interviews, E-mail Messages + Other Personal Communications
• Social Media
• Business Sources
• PowerPoints
• AI: ChatGPT, etc.

Author last name, first initial. (Year).  Title of dissertation/thesis  (Publication No.) [Doctoral dissertation/Master's thesis, University]. Database. URL

• Author:  List the last name, followed by the first initial (and second initial). See  Authors  for more information.
• Year:  List the year between parentheses, followed by a period.
• Title of dissertation/thesis:  In italics. Capitalize the first word of the title, subtitle, and proper nouns.
• Publication number: Can be found in Dissertations and Theses database, listed in the item record as “Dissertation/thesis number.”
• Doctoral dissertation/Master's thesis:  List whether it is a dissertation or a thesis.
• University:  List the university associated with the dissertation/thesis.
• Database:  List database the dissertation/thesis was found in, if found in a database.
• URL:  List URL if found on the free Web rather than in a database.

See specific examples below.

Dissertations:

Pecore, J. T. (2004). Sounding the spirit of Cambodia: The living tradition of Khmer music and dance-drama in a Washington, DC community  (Publication No. 3114720) [Doctoral dissertation, University of Maryland]. ProQuest Dissertations and Theses Global. 

Master's Theses:

Hollander, M. M. (2017). Resitance to authority: Methodological innovations and new lessons from the Milgram experiment   (Publication No. 10289373) [Master's thesis, University of Wisconsin - Madison]. ProQuest Dissertations and Theses Global.

APA calls for the citation to include a unique identifying number for the dissertation, labeling it “Publication No.” That number can be found in Dissertations and Theses database, listed in the item record as “Dissertation/thesis number.”

Karamanos, X. (2020). The influence of professional development models on student mathematics performance in New Jersey public elementary schools [Doctoral dissertation, Seton Hall University]. Seton Hall University Dissertations and Theses (ETDs). https://scholarship.shu.edu/dissertations/2732

Bordo, V. C. (2011). Making a case for the use of foreign language in the educational activities of nonprofit arts organizations [Master's thesis, University of Akron]. OhioLINK Electronic Theses & Dissertations Center. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=akron1311135640

Caprette, C. L. (2005). Conquering the cold shudder: The origin and evolution of snake eyes  [Doctoral dissertation, Ohio State University].

Angelova, A. N. (2004). Data pruning  [Master's thesis, California Institute of Technology].

See  Publication Manual , 10.6.

• << Previous: Federal Statutes
• Next: Images >>
• Last Updated: Mar 18, 2024 12:55 PM
• URL: https://libguides.umgc.edu/apa-examples

Examples of theses and dissertations in the Research Repository

• RMIT Europe
• RMIT Global
• RMIT Vietnam
• Study online
• Enrol as a new student
• Before semester starts
• Orientation
• First weeks
• New research students
• Class timetables
• Important dates
• Fees, loans and payments
• Program and course information
• Assessments and results
• Research students
• Student Connect
• Study support
• My details and ID card
• IT support and systems
• Health, safety and wellbeing
• Financial and legal support
• International students
• Indigenous students
• Under 18 students
• LGBTIQ+ students
• Equitable learning and disability
• Emergency and crisis support
• Feedback, complaints and appeals
• Clubs and societies
• Events and activities
• Sport and fitness
• Creative communities
• Multi-faith chaplaincy
• Make friends at RMIT
• Accommodation
• Student rights and responsibilities
• Jobs, careers and employability
• Internships, work experience and WIL
• Scholarships
• Global experiences
• Volunteering
• Student representatives

The following are examples of PhD theses and dissertations that have been examined and approved for archiving.

College of Business and Law

College of design and social context, stem college, accounting, information systems & supply chain.

• An, L 2023, Developing Wellbeing Literacy for Remote Work Integrated Learning , Doctor of Philosophy (PhD), Accounting, Information Systems and Supply Chain, RMIT University.
• Taj, F 2023,  The Coevolution of Organizational Routines and IT Systems in IT-enabled Organizational Transformation: A Social Constructivist Perspective ,  Doctor of Philosophy (PhD), Accounting, Information Systems and Supply Chain, RMIT University.

Economics, Finance and Marketing

• Ha, H 2015,  Explaining public support for climate change mitigation policies – a case study of Australia , Doctor of Philosophy (PhD), Economics, Finance and Marketing, RMIT University.
• Yeoh, Y 2017,  Microfinance: the impact of institutional environment in Latin America and South Asia , Masters by Research, Economics, Finance and Marketing, RMIT University.

Graduate School of Business and Law

• Taniman, C 2015,  A study of the influence of the professional development and work context of the chief executive officer in Australia, the United States and Hong Kong , Doctor of Philosophy (PhD), Graduate School of Business and Law, RMIT University.
• Popa, M 2018,  Medical negligence and mental harm: practitioner perspectives on challenges in litigation and mediation , Doctor of Philosophy (PhD), Graduate School of Business and Law, RMIT University.
• Mohamed Yusuf, R 2015,  Social inclusion practices of elite universities in Australia and Malaysia: a comparative perspective , Doctor of Philosophy (PhD), Management, RMIT University.

Architecture and Design

• Pferdmenges, P 2015,  Founding Alive Architecture from drawing to initiating lived space , Doctor of Philosophy (PhD), Architecture and Design, RMIT University.
• Gutierrez, L 2015,  Atlas of MAP office’s territories: landmarks, islands and other liquid landscapes , Doctor of Philosophy (PhD), Architecture and Design, RMIT University.
• Barbour, J 2017,  Spatial audio engineering: exploring height in acoustic space , Doctor of Philosophy (PhD), Architecture and Design, RMIT University.
• Zilka, L 2017,  Floppy effects : exploring in the territory between architecture, fashion and textile design. , Doctor of Philosophy (PhD), Architecture and Design, RMIT University.
• Crosbie, S 2022, Trauma, Dissociation and the Boarding School Experience , Doctor of Philosophy (PhD), Art, RMIT University
• Dickson, B 2017, The apprehension of mortality , Doctor of Philosophy (Phd), Art, RMIT University.
• Lu, Y 2015,  Teachers' Mandarin usage in EFL classrooms in two universities in Southeast Mainland China , Doctor of Philosophy (PhD), Education, RMIT University.
• Alharbi, A 2017,  The Social language strategies of Saudi students in an English as a second language context ,  Doctor of Philosophy (PhD), Education, RMIT University.

Fashion and Textiles

• Ha, W 2015,  Falling against texture: writing as fashion practice , Doctor of Philosophy (PhD), Fashion and Textiles, RMIT University.
• Maghrabi, H 2017,  Textile design for diagnostic X-ray shielding garments and comfort enhancement for female users ,  Doctor of Philosophy (PhD), Fashion and Textiles, RMIT University.

Global, Urban and Social Studies

• Ewins, T 2014,  Third roads and third ways in social democracy: reconciling tensions in European Left Debates , 1848–1934, Doctor of Philosophy (PhD), Global, Urban and Social Studies, RMIT University.
• Taylor, W 2017,  Job quality under individualised funding models: perspectives of in-home support workers , Masters by Research, Global, Urban and Social Studies, RMIT University.

Media and Communication

• Sargeant, B 2015,  How Far is Up? the functional properties and aesthetic materiality of children’s storybook applications , Doctor of Philosophy (PhD), Media and Communication, RMIT University.  Note: for examination purposes the application referred to in the dissertation was provided on iPads to SGR Examinations and were sent to the examiners.
• Bennett, C 2016,  Lotjpa Yorta Yorta! Retrieving, reclaiming, and regenerating language and culture through the arts , Doctor of Philosophy (PhD), Media and Communication, RMIT University. Note: contains a link to vimeo of Dr Bennett’s presentation that her examiners attended.
• Velissaris, N 2017,  Making a choice: The Melete Effect and establishing a poetics for choice-based narratives , Doctor of Philosophy (PhD), Media and Communication, RMIT University. Note: contains additional narrative file which was submitted along with the thesis for examination.
• Munz, H 2017,  The dis-play of digital errance: digital animation; becoming play , Doctor of Philosophy (PhD), Media and Communication, RMIT University. Note: contains a zip folder with additional images.

Property, Construction and Project Management

• Alshanbri, N 2015,  Investigating the role of Knowledge Management and Human Resources Management in assisting the employee replacement process: the case of Saudi Arabia’s new localisation program "Nitaqat" , Doctor of Philosophy (PhD), Property Construction and Project Management, RMIT University.
• Kolar, D 2017,  Improving the link between project management and strategy to optimise project success , Doctor of Philosophy (PhD), Property, Construction and Project Management, RMIT University.
• Carnovale, Catherine 2015,  Investigating the effect of gold nanoparticle size, shape and surface corona on cellular uptake and toxicity , Doctor of Philosophy (PhD), Applied Science, RMIT University.
• Knowles, P 2015,  Real-Time deep image rendering and order independent transparency , Doctor of Philosophy (PhD), Computer Science and Information Technology, RMIT University.
• Woodgate, W 2015,  In-situ Leaf Area Index estimate uncertainty in forests: supporting Earth Observation product calibration and validation , Doctor of Philosophy (PhD), Mathematical and Geospatial Sciences, RMIT University.
• Raducan, G 2018,  The impact of bushfires on water quality , Doctor of Philosophy (PhD), Science, RMIT University.
• Tamassia, M 2017,  Artificial intelligence techniques towards adaptive digital games , Doctor of Philosophy (PhD), Science, RMIT University.

Engineering

• Nicholds, B 2015,  An engineering approach to risk assessment of project improvement , Doctor of Philosophy (PhD), Aerospace, Mechanical and Manufacturing Engineering, RMIT University.
• Pramanik, B 2015,  Biological pre-treatment to enhance low pressure membrane filtration for wastewater reclamation , Doctor of Philosophy (PhD), Civil, Environmental and Chemical Engineering, RMIT University.
• Gutruf, P 2015,  Transforming flexible devices to stretchable oxide-based electronics, photonics, and sensors , Doctor of Philosophy (PhD), Electrical and Computer Engineering, RMIT University.  Note: due to copyright restrictions the archived thesis includes DOI links to Dr Gutruf’s publications. The examinable copy of Dr Gutruf’s thesis contained the publications in full.
• Atkin, P 2017,  Investigating novel synthesis, optical properties and applications of model 2D semiconducting nanocrystals ,  Doctor of Philosophy (PhD), Engineering, RMIT University.
• Callingham, T 2017,  A case study investigating the impacts of coagulants on taste and odour reduction in drinking water , Masters by Research, Engineering, RMIT University.

Health and Biomedical sciences

• Hao, X 2015,  Development of Chinese medicine headache questionnaire for tension-type headache , Doctor of Philosophy (PhD), Health Sciences, RMIT University.
• Mandarano, G 2015,  Lymph node imaging with magnetic resonance, positron emission tomography and flourescence techniques , Doctor of Philosophy (PhD), Medical Sciences, RMIT University.
• Mootin, T 2017,  A socio-ecological approach to adolescent suicide ideation: the role of family, peers, and teachers , Masters by Research, Health and Biomedical Sciences, RMIT University.
• Ali, S 2017,  The effect of tocotrienols on vascular function , Doctor of Philosophy (PhD), Health and Biomedical Sciences, RMIT University.

Related links

Need help .

Submit an enquiry to the School of Graduate Research

Acknowledgement of Country

RMIT University acknowledges the people of the Woi wurrung and Boon wurrung language groups of the eastern Kulin Nation on whose unceded lands we conduct the business of the University. RMIT University respectfully acknowledges their Ancestors and Elders, past and present. RMIT also acknowledges the Traditional Custodians and their Ancestors of the lands and waters across Australia where we conduct our business - Artwork 'Luwaytini' by Mark Cleaver, Palawa.

• Campus facilities
• Internships, work experience & WIL
• Copyright © 2024 RMIT University |
• Accessibility |
• Website feedback |
• Complaints |
• ABN 49 781 030 034 |
• CRICOS provider number: 00122A |
• RTO Code: 3046 |
• Open Universities Australia

• Publication Process

How to Write a Journal Article from a Thesis

• 3 minute read

Table of Contents

You are almost done with your PhD thesis and want to convert it into a journal article. Or, you’re initiating a career as a journal writer and intend to use your thesis as a starting point for an article. Whatever your situation, turning a thesis into a journal article is a logical step and a process that eventually every researcher completes. But…how to start?

The first thing to know about converting a thesis into a journal article is how different they are:

Thesis Characteristics:

• Meets academic requirements
• Reviewed by select committee members
• Contains chapters
• Lengthy, no word limits
• Table of contents
• Lengthy research of literature
• IRB approval described in detail
• Description and copies of tools used
• All findings presented
• Verb tenses may vary

Journal Article Characteristics:

• Meets journalistic standards
• Reviewed by a panel of “blind” reviewers
• Word limits
• Manuscript format
• Succinct research of literature
• IRB described in 1 to 3 sentences
• Essential and succinct tool information
• Selected findings presented
• Verb tenses are fairly consistent

Converting your thesis to a journal article may be complex, but it’s not impossible.

A thesis is a document of academic nature, so it’s more detailed in content. A journal article, however, is shorter, highlighting key points in a more succinct format. Adapting a thesis for conversion into a journal article is a time-consuming and intricate process that can take you away from other important work. In that case, Elsevier’s Language Editing services may help you focus on important matters and provide a high-quality text for submission in no time at all.

If you are going to convert a thesis into a journal article, with or without professional help, here is a list of some of the steps you will likely have to go through:

1. Identify the best journal for your work

• Ensure that your article is within the journal’s aim and scope. How to find the right journal? Find out more .
• Check the journal’s recommended structure and reference style

2. Shorten the length of your thesis

• Treat your thesis as a separate work
• Paraphrase but do not distort meaning
• Select and repurpose parts of your thesis

3. Reformat the introduction as an abstract

• Shorten the introduction to 100-150 words, but maintain key topics to hold the reader’s attention.
• Use the introduction and discussion as basis for the abstract

4. Modify the introduction

• If your thesis has more than one research question or hypothesis, which are not all relevant for your paper, consider combining your research questions or focusing on just one for the article
• Use previously published papers (at least three) from the target journal as examples

5. Tighten the methods section

• Keep the discussion about your research approach short

6. Report main findings in the results

• Expose your main findings in the results section in concise statements

7. Discussion must be clear and concise

• Begin by providing an interpretation of your results: “What is it that we have learned from your research?”
• Situate the findings to the literature
• Discuss how your findings expand known or previous perspectives
• Briefly present ways in which future studies can build upon your work and address limitations in your study

8. Limit the number of references

• To choose the most relevant and recent
• To format them correctly
• Consider using a reference manager system (e.g. Mendeley ) to make your life easier

If you are not a proficient English speaker, the task of converting a thesis into a journal article might make it even more difficult. At Elsevier’s Language Editing services we ensure that your manuscript is written in correct scientific English before submission. Our professional proofers and editors check your manuscript in detail, taking your text as our own and with the guarantee of maximum text quality.

Language editing services by Elsevier Author Services:

• Research Process

How to Choose a Journal to Submit an Article

• Publication Recognition

How to Submit a Paper for Publication in a Journal

You may also like.

Publishing Biomedical Research: What Rules Should You Follow?

Writing an Effective Cover Letter for Manuscript Resubmission

Journal Acceptance Rates: Everything You Need to Know

Research Data Storage and Retention

How to Find and Select Reviewers for Journal Articles

How to Request the Addition of an Extra Author Before Publication

Paper Rejection: Common Reasons

Input your search keywords and press Enter.