Publishing Dissertation

[LadyHalcyon]

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Just wanted some opinions/experiences. Thoughts about submitting one's dissertation for publication? Pros vs cons? Did you or didn't you? Do you regret publishing/not publishing. I have been encouraged by one of my committee members to publish my dissertation, but I'm not sure whether it's "worth it". I don't plan on entering academia, but I'm also a VERY early ECP, so it's possible my path could change a bit. Part of me wants to publish simply because I worked very hard on that damn thing. Plus, I think it's potentially an important contribution to that area of research (cognitive dissonance)???

 

[Justanothergrad]

I didn't publish mine, but for some political reasons rather than anything else. It's a shame really, but oh well - it's not the end of the world although a couple good articles could have come out of it. I think people should publish their dissertations - even if it's not in Science, get it in somewhere. There are so many great projects that get done which could really promote the science each year, and that go unpublished (part of the reason I'm in favor of ditching the multi-chapter dissertation - it creates another formatting/rewriting barrier to circumvent during publication). Lots of folks are 'over it' and don't want to touch it again, but if you tackle it quickly enough it's not too hard to edit down because you are still super familiar with all the citations and what you did. Waiting a couple years is drastically more work.

 

[Ollie123]

Even for non-academics...having a couple publications under your belt can be good. Unless you are 100% deadset "I will open my own private practice and literally would leave the field before considering anything else" I think most people would personally benefit from publishing. It also doesn't "really" contribute anything to the field until its published.

That said, its a personal decision. I published one article from mine and still have 2-3 more to write. I'm about 3 years out. And a hardcore academic. So clearly this wasn't a big priority for me either.

 

[WisNeuro]

Even if you are in a predominantly clinical career, always helps. I'll be hiring in the next year most likely and I can't see hiring anyone who doesn't have some legitimate research productivity. Having a few pubs helps with flexibility in career. Makes you more competitive at sites with training programs and the like.

 

[LadyHalcyon]

I didn't publish mine, but for some political reasons rather than anything else. It's a shame really, but oh well - it's not the end of the world although a couple good articles could have come out of it. I think people should publish their dissertations - even if it's not in Science, get it in somewhere. There are so many great projects that get done which could really promote the science each year, and that go unpublished (part of the reason I'm in favor of ditching the multi-chapter dissertation - it creates another formatting/rewriting barrier to circumvent during publication). Lots of folks are 'over it' and don't want to touch it again, but if you tackle it quickly enough it's not too hard to edit down because you are still super familiar with all the citations and what you did. Waiting a couple years is drastically more work.

That is what I am thinking. Now that I am done with my EPPP, I feel like I could have some extra time to devote to it. Plus, I only defended in April, 2018 so I am not far removed from it.

 

[LadyHalcyon]

Yes, I agree it doesn't contribute anything until it is published, which is why I am contemplating working on publishing. Thank you for your feedback! Generally speaking, how many articles does one usually get from their dissertation? I know that is somewhat a difficult question to answer, given the large variability in dissertation quality, topics, length etc.

 

[LadyHalcyon]

Even if you are in a predominantly clinical career, always helps. I'll be hiring in the next year most likely and I can't see hiring anyone who doesn't have some legitimate research productivity. Having a few pubs helps with flexibility in career. Makes you more competitive at sites with training programs and the like.

Ok. Thank you for the feedback. Guess I'll start the process. When I review CV's of established professionals (not for hiring purposes, just for curiosity) it is something I also look for.

 

[deleted343839]

Yes, publish! You don't know what the future holds and it will never be a negative to have the publication on your CV (unless maybe your only publication is in a predatory journal but you can avoid those!). You worked hard on it, so let your work see the light of day. Do it soon, too, because the inertia will just get worse over time.

 

[Ollie123]

Impossible to say how many articles typically emerge. I would say anywhere between one and five is normative.

 

[PsychScience]

Just wanted some opinions/experiences. Thoughts about submitting one's dissertation for publication? Pros vs cons? Did you or didn't you? Do you regret publishing/not publishing. I have been encouraged by one of my committee members to publish my dissertation, but I'm not sure whether it's "worth it". I don't plan on entering academia, but I'm also a VERY early ECP, so it's possible my path could change a bit. Part of me wants to publish simply because I worked very hard on that damn thing. Plus, I think it's potentially an important contribution to that area of research (cognitive dissonance)???

If you think there is any chance you would end up in an academic oriented environment (including an academic medical center), I would publish. I once had a research mentor that told me directly that when hiring one of the first things he looks for on a CV for individuals in their early career is to see if someone published their dissertation or not. He puts a lot of stock in this metric because he believes it represents a failure to follow through when the dissertation work is not turned into a manuscript. For context, this is in an environment that is both clinical and research focused, so take it for what it's worth! Besides, as you said, you worked so hard on it already, might as well turn it into something tangible that benefits your overall resume/CV no matter what you do! Good luck!

 

[erg923]

If you think there is any chance you would end up in an academic oriented environment (including an academic medical center), I would publish. I once had a research mentor that told me directly that when hiring one of the first things he looks for on a CV for individuals in their early career is to see if someone published their dissertation or not. He puts a lot of stock in this metric because he believes it represents a failure to follow through when the dissertation work is not turned into a manuscript. For context, this is in an environment that is both clinical and research focused, so take it for what it's worth! Besides, as you said, you worked so hard on it already, might as well turn it into something tangible that benefits your overall resume/CV no matter what you do! Good luck!

More people requiring more uncompensated work/labor from ECPs. Where do I sign up?

 

[PsyDr]

More people requiring more uncompensated work/labor from ECPs. Where do I sign up?

But then you can get a job where you have to find money to pay (a portion) your own salary!

 

[WisNeuro]

Meh, it's just another investment. It makes you competitive for more jobs. You don't have to do anything with your dissertation if you don't want. just don't expect to beat out other people who have that productivity. Just like most things in the field, putting the work in earlier pays more dividends later.

If you're just going to go PP, just do it if you enjoy it for some reason. If you want to be more competitive for VA, AMCs, or sites with training programs, could be well worth it.

 

[PsychScience]

More people requiring more uncompensated work/labor from ECPs. Where do I sign up?

If it was an empirical dissertation, most of the leg work is done. In fact, many dissertations have enough work in them to be turned into multiple manuscripts. Does it require more work, yes, but you've already invested so much time and energy, seems worth it to me. But it may not be worth it to everyone. So while I get my mentor's point, I also recognize that it's not universal. For greater context, I'll also add that he wasn't a psychologist and was in the position to hire both clinical and research staff across a range of disciplines.

 

[LadyHalcyon]

I think I'm going to go for it. I'll reach out to my committee member and my chair to get their feedback regarding where, when, how....

Thanks for the feedback! Fortunately my dissertation was an RCT, so in that sense the "hardest" part (implementing the intervention and analyzing the data) is finished.

 

[Rivi]

I published mine and was glad that I did. I would recommend it. It stands out on job applications, even in only clinical careers, and isn't that much more work.

 

[tr]

I think I'm going to go for it. I'll reach out to my committee member and my chair to get their feedback regarding where, when, how....

Thanks for the feedback! Fortunately my dissertation was an RCT, so in that sense the "hardest" part (implementing the intervention and analyzing the data) is finished.

Wow you did an RCT for your dissertation and you weren't going to publish it?
Without knowing anything about your area of research, in general RCTs are like gold nuggets of information in a literature tsunami of uninterpretable observational data. You should definitely publish as a service to your field if nothing else.

 

[LadyHalcyon]

Yes. My chair is/was very big on RCTs so I implemented a group intervention with at-risk African-American students in a school setting. Basically, it was about disrupting the school to prison pipeline and seeing whether the intervention reduced their risk for recidivism etc

Wow you did an RCT for your dissertation and you weren't going to publish it?
Without knowing anything about your area of research, in general RCTs are like gold nuggets of information in a literature tsunami of uninterpretable observational data. You should definitely publish as a service to your field if nothing else.