Journal of Social, Behavioral,

and Health Sciences

2022, Volume 16, Issue 1, Pages 94–102
https://doi.org/10.5590/JSBHS.2022.16.1.07
© The Author(s)

Editorial

Rewriting a Social Science Dissertation Into a Journal

Article and Getting it Published
Lee Stadtlander, PhD
Editor, JSBHS
Walden University, Minneapolis, Minnesota, United States
https://orcid.org/0000-0002-8149-7236

Contact: [email protected]

Abstract
Publishing a journal article based on a social science dissertation establishes the credibility of the author and
provides a mechanism for disseminating the results to a much larger audience than is available to the
dissertation. However, rewriting into an article suitable for publication is often an intimidating and
overwhelming prospect. The present article discusses the aspects of the dissertation that should be
maintained in an article, the logistics of writing, as well as information on the review process, the process of
peer review and publication, and the role of the journal editor.

Keywords: publishing, dissertation, social science

Date Submitted: May 3, 2022 | Date Published: June 1, 2022
Recommended Citation:
Stadtlander, L., (2022). Rewriting a social science dissertation into a journal article and getting it published. Journal of
Social, Behavioral, and Health Sciences, 16, 94–102. https://doi.org/10.5590/JSBHS.2022.16.1.07

Introduction
Frequent questions I get, as the editor for the Journal of Social, Behavioral, and Health Sciences are how to
rewrite a dissertation into a journal article and how to get it published. Understanding how journals work
behind the scenes is also useful for the new author. First, definition of terms is needed. The doctoral
dissertation (may be called a “doctoral thesis,” “doctoral project,” or “capstone” in some institutions)
demonstrates students’ abilities to conduct an original piece of empirical research to complete the
requirements of doctoral programs (e.g., Ed.D., Ph.D.; Gardner & Barnes, 2014; Paré, 2017). Yet, completing
the dissertation is only the first step as a professional; the study needs to be rewritten and published in a
professional journal for it to be added to the professional literature. For many individuals, taking the 100–
200-page dissertation and reducing it to a 20–30-page article feels so overwhelming that it is never
completed. In addition, new authors often perceive the processes involved in becoming published as
mysterious and difficult (Cuthbert & Spark, 2008; Kamler, 2008; Lassig et al., 2013; Russell-Pinson & Harris,
2017). This article will be a guide through completing the task of rewriting and the process of publication.
 Stadtlander, 2022

Literature Review
There are several differences between a dissertation and a published journal article. An article based on the
project will be much shorter than the original dissertation. While a dissertation is often between 100–200
pages, a manuscript for a journal article is rarely over 30 double-spaced pages. A dissertation must
exhaustively review the literature; however, the literature in an article is condensed to only put the study into
context; the goal should be to lead the reader to clearly see the need for the study and the gap being
addressed. Much of the information in a dissertation is repeated throughout the paper and it can be
characterized more as a book, whereas a journal article should be succinct and to the point. Editors and
reviewers readily recognize when an article has been hastily converted from a dissertation; careful attention
when reformatting the dissertation is likely to increase the manuscript’s potential for serious consideration
and eventual publication (American Psychological Association [APA], 2019). The basis of a journal article in
the social sciences is typically the APA Manual (APA, 2020), so use the format it describes. Do check the
journal’s website for any exceptions it might prefer over the APA Manual.

Why Publish?

There are a number of reasons to publish the results from the dissertation study. The full dissertation is
available online; however, dissertations are often viewed cautiously by researchers. Members of the
dissertation committee are not true peer reviewers in the sense that they also have a stake in the paper (they are
more of co-authors). Publishing in a professional journal insures that the study has been peer reviewed, it
establishes the author’s credibility as an expert in the field (Tribe & Tunariu, 2016), and allows the published
article to reach a much wider audience. Getting an article published demonstrates “a range of additional,
transferable skills of the author including good time management, confidence in their ideas and knowledge
base, and the ability to write coherently and succinctly to a set structure and audience” (Tribe & Tunariu, 2016,
p. 2; Williams, 2005). The acceptance rate of professional social science journals tends to be between 10–45%
(Björk, 2018); therefore, getting published is itself an achievement. In addition, professional publications
strengthen the curriculum vitae and thefore will be an asset when applying for research-related positions.

Choosing a Journal
There are many opinions on how to choose a journal for publication. The commonly cited journals in the
dissertation are probably good candidates of venues for the article. Some people suggest going for a top
journal, such as with a professional organization; while there is a high probablility of rejection, typically they
provide valuable reviews. Other researchers recommend avoiding these journals, as they tend to have a very
high rejection rate and a lower-tier journal provides a better opportunity of actual publication. Discussing
these issues with experienced researchers, such as the dissertation committee, may be a good idea.

There are two main types of journals, paper versions and open-access journals, both of which publish the
articles online when they are accepted. Some journals, which also publish a paper version, may charge authors
for immediate online access of their paper. Read the information provided carefully on the journal websites on
their Instructions to Authors page. They should indicate whether there are charges for publication and
requirements in terms of format, content, and length. Follow their directions carefully. Be very cautious of
journals who seek you out directly; they are often predatory, providing no peer review and charging a high fee
for publication.

Be aware that you may only submit an article to one journal at a time. If you have the material for multiple
articles, be careful that the same data are not used in different articles. A good rule is that if you want to
submit an article that was reviewed by Journal A to Journal X, withdraw it from Journal A first.

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Beginning to Write
The first step I recommend is to start the writing process over and resist the temptation to just copy sections
from the dissertation. With this in mind, do an outline of the project in an article format. Typically, this will be
the following:

Cover page (title)

Abstract (check journal requirements—typically 200–250 words). Keywords
Body of paper
(1–2 pages) Introduce the need for the study (why should we care about the topic?)
(2–5 pages.) Literature review discussing variables
Method
Participants
Materials
Procedure
Results
Discussion
References

Title

Your title should invite readers to continue reading beyond the first page (Busse & August, 2020; Lang, 2017).
I recommend choosing a title different from your dissertation’s so that the two papers are not confused in the
future. The title should be informative and interesting. APA (2020) recommends that titles be under 12 words;
consider describing the independent and dependent variables, the population and setting, the study design,
and even the main result in your title. Be sure that the title will be useful for potential readers searching for
your topic. Avoid using abbreviations or jargon in your title. Because the focus of the paper can change as you
write and revise, it is recommended that you wait until you have finished writing your paper before composing
the title (Busse & August, 2020.)

Abstract

The abstract should be written last, as it is a summary of the entire paper. However, just because it is the final
step, resist the urge to quickly throw it together. The abstract will be the primary source for readers, with many
researchers only reading this section of the paper. A good abstract attracts database searches with keywords, so
you need to include relevant search terms and keywords (Silvia, 2015). End your abstract with a statement
about the implications of your study (Silvia, 2015). Journals vary a great deal on the length of the abstract they
require, the content, and how it is structured. Read the instructions provided by the journal and follow them.

Literature

Reducing the 50–75 pages of Chapter 2, the Literature Review to a few pages of literature review in an article
is a very daunting prospect. I suggest beginning by thinking through the key concepts/variables. What does
the reader absolutely have to know to understand the study? Then write these down as the beginning of an
outline for the article. Typically, it will look something like this:

Intro
Theory
Variable 1
Variable 2
Gap in the literature

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Your introduction should be approximately three to five paragraphs in length. Begin with a general context,
narrowing to the specific focus of the paper. Include five main elements: why your research is important, what
is already known about the topic, the “gap” or what is not yet known about the topic, why it is important to
learn the new information that your research adds, and the specific research aim(s) that your paper addresses.
Your research aim should address the gap you identified. Be sure to add enough background information to
enable readers to understand your study (Busse & August, 2020).

With the outline as a map, take each section individually and think about the most important literature that is
needed. An exhaustive review is not required, but an understanding of the literature is necessary. It may be
helpful to treat each section as a summary of the literature on the topic in the dissertation. Remember, there
should not be more than five pages or so of literature, so keep to the essentials and be concise. Make sure
every factual statement has one or more citations (Busse & August, 2020).

Do a first draft and let it set for a day or two, and then go back and see if any nonessential sentences can be
eliminated. Have someone else read it for coherence: does it make sense to them and does it make an
argument for the study? Be sure to end the literature review section with a couple of sentences emphasizing
the gap that is being addressed and the purpose of the study. Be sure that your research aim contains essential
details like the setting, population/sample, study design, timing, dependent variable, and independent
variables. Using such details, the reader should be able to imagine the analysis you have conducted (Busse &
August, 2020). Listing the research questions helps the reader know where the study is going.

Methods

The methods section of the dissertation needs to be reduced to just a couple of pages for an article. It is helpful
to go to the APA Manual (APA, 2020) and read the section on methodology and look at their examples.
Reading a recent article from your target journal with similar methodology may also help. Check the
instructions from the journal as to whether they have specific requirements in this section. Again, I suggest
starting with an outline, which will look something like this:

Method
Participants (or Sample)
Materials (or Instruments)
Procedure

The method section must provide enough detail that someone else could replicate the study based on the
description. Therefore, each section needs to be written in concise detail with justification for the reason that
method was used. Note that there are fewer sections than in the dissertation; so, some things will need to be
eliminated or limited to a sentence or two, such as a brief mention of the approval by the Institutional Review
Board (IRB; give approval number); however, to maintain anonymity do not name the specific college or
university. It should be added after acceptance by the journal. In a paragraph or two describe any survey
instruments you used, with a brief history of its use related to your population. Give previous researchers’
Cronbach’s alphas (or other reliability test), as well as those for your study. Qualitative researchers may wish
to have an appendix with their interview questions. Typically, only surveys or other instruments the
researcher specifically designed are given in the appendix.

Results (or Findings)

The results or findings section of the article is taking the dissertation’s Chapter 4: Results and reducing the
findings to the essentials. Begin the results section by describing the number of participants in the final
sample and details such as the number who were approached to participate, the proportion who were eligible
and who enrolled, and the number of participants who dropped out (Busse & August, 2020).

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It may be helpful to discuss the results through the research questions (e.g., list the research question and
then answer it through the data). The results should be unbiased and provide enough detail that others can
interpret them. Do not hide results that did not come out as expected. Indicate whether the data violate the
assumptions of any statistics that were used. Do not include unnecessary figures and tables. If data are
discussed in detail in the text, do not also include a figure or table.

Qualitative Studies

Report the findings in a nonbiased way; explain how the analyses were done, giving appropriate citations for
specific analytic methods used. Provide participant quotes to illustrate the themes; treat quotes as examples
and do not include all data. It is a good idea to assign pseudonyms (or subject numbers) to participants and
briefly provide any relevant information after each quote (e.g., Rose, age 68). Discuss any discrepant cases,
and how these were addressed.

Quantitative Studies

Keep the reporting of results non-biased and assume the reader has a professional knowledge of statistics (i.e.,
do not explain basic concepts, provide formulas, or give citations for common procedures). Be sure to explain
how any missing data were handled in the analyses and the percentage of data that were missing.

Discussion

The final text section of the paper is the Discussion and is similar to the dissertation’s Chapter 5:
Interpretation. In the discussion, evaluate and interpret the results and draw conclusions about them.
Emphasize the theoretical or practical consequences of the findings. Be very careful that findings are not
misinterpreted or misrepresented (e.g., “the results are clear that older adults….” Were ALL older adults
examined? No? Then do not overgeneralize).

Begin the discussion with a clear statement of support or nonsupport for the original hypotheses or gap that
was addressed (it can also be structured in terms of the research questions). Relate the findings to the
previous literature, how do the results fit in with others’ work? The interpretations should consider sources of
bias and threats to internal validity. Also, consider limitations or weaknesses of the study. Bring in the
theoretical implications of the study; do the results fit with previous theories: why or why not? If not, could
the theory be modified to account for the findings? Resolve any unexpected findings, speculate as to why they
may have occurred (Silvia, 2015). Discuss any research or practice-related implications. Finally, end with
problems that remain unsolved and future areas of research.

References

References and citations should include only the most pertinent references (i.e., theoretically important or
recent), rather than providing an exhaustive list of the literature. Only the references cited should be included
in the reference list. Citation of reviews and meta-analyses can guide interested readers to the broader
literature while providing an economical way of referencing prior studies (APA, 2019).

Rewriting and Polishing

Once a draft of the article is complete, it is time to begin the rewriting and polishing phase. Everyone must do
it, including very experienced writers; accept that rewriting is part of the process. Where to start? I suggest
reading through the draft in full, make notes (I use track changes) and mark areas that are not complete, that
may not be clear to someone reading it for the first time, or that need more support with citations. Rework the
identified problem areas and then start at the beginning and read each sentence aloud: is there a way to make

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it clearer, more concise? Picture someone who knows nothing about the topic reading it, would they
understand each sentence? Have any terms that might be considered jargon been explained? Have acronyms
been spelled out the first time used? Review all pronouns (they, he, she, and it): is it clear to whom or what the
pronouns are referring? Check plurals versus possessives: plurals (e.g., “girls”) do not have an apostrophe,
while possessives do have an apostrophe (e.g., “the girl’s bike;” “the girls’ bikes”). The journal’s copyeditor,
Laura McGowan, adds that writers should avoid passive voice, as using active voice makes for stronger,
clearer writing. (The bike was fixed by Nita vs. Nita fixed the bike; The results were tested using…. vs. We
tested the resulting using….) Also, articles appear more credible if the author carefully checks the reference
list format in APA. If you cite an unpublished dissertation is that correctly indicated? If you cite a web page,
have you formatted that appropriately? Have you provided DOIs with verified links in your reference list?

Know a former English major or someone who is a great writer? If so, ask them to read through the paper and
offer suggestions (be sure to thank them for their assistance in the author notes when the paper is published).
Check the results section’s APA format. Statistics should be written in very specific ways, and the APA Manual
(2020) lays out how they should be done correctly. If tables or figures are included, read the sections on these
in the APA Manual (2020), not only on how to present them but also when to use them.

Print out the references, then go through the paper crossing off each time the reference is cited. They should
come out even. If the citation has 3 or more authors (e.g., Smith, Jones, & Johnson, 2015), APA 7 requires that
it should be written as “et al.” (e.g., Smith et al., 2015).

Updating the Literature

When rewriting the dissertation into an article for publication, be sure that the literature is updated. With the
internet, research moves quickly these days, and the paper needs to be published with the most current
thinking. Authors often forget to check on literature related to theory, which can get them into trouble.

Additional Writing Resources

Some additional resources for rewriting the dissertation into an article:

American Psychological Association (2019). APA Style: Adapting a Dissertation or Thesis into a
Journal Article. https://apastyle.apa.org/style-grammar-guidelines/research-
publication/dissertation-thesis?_ga=2.48107879.1378513491.1645636405-
1568894374.1644787895
Bowen, G. A. (2010). From qualitative dissertation to quality articles: Seven lessons learned.
Qualitative Report, 15(4), 864–879.
Staller, K. M. (2019). From dissertation to published article: Advice from an editor. Qualitative
Social Work, 18(6), 897–904.
Tribe, R., & Tunariu, A. (2016). Turning your dissertation into a publishable journal article.
Counselling Psychology Review, 31(1), 50–58.

Submitting to a Journal
When all of the revisions and polishing have been completed, it is time to submit to the journal. Be sure to
check once more that all journal instructions for authors have been followed. Typically, an anonymous version
of the paper is submitted through the journal website with a cover page with only the title listed. A cover letter

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should also be written and submitted which includes a summary of the paper and all authors’ names, emails,
and affiliations.

Behind the Scenes at the Journal

Once the article has been submitted to the journal website typically an editor checks it for compliance with the
journal instructions and for anonymity; it may then be run through plagiarism software. If sections of the
paper were directly copied from the dissertation, the plagiarism software will pick it up, and this could result
in the paper being rejected or the author being asked to rewrite. Once these initial items are completed, an
editor or associate editor is assigned who will select several peer reviewers to anonymously review the paper.
The reviewers will be experts in the field of study and will critique the contents, methods, and interpretation
of the results. Typically, this is a “double-blind” process, meaning that neither the author nor the reviewer is
told who the other is; only the editor knows their identities. This process is done to reduce any biases. The
peer review procedure could take anywhere from a few weeks to several months.

Eventually the editor will send the author the comments from the peer reviewers and make a preliminary
decision on the status of the paper. It may be rejected, meaning the author may not resubmit it to that journal.
The author may be told that it may be revised and resubmitted or it may be accepted (which is rare on a first
review). If revisions are suggested, the editor will probably give a deadline, which should be followed.

The reviewers’ comments should be addressed carefully and professionally. I suggest creating a list of all the
reviewer comments and indicate how each one was handled. The author can disagree with a comment but
needs to provide a rationale for it. This list should be submitted with the revision.

Dealing with Rejection

Your paper may be rejected for a variety of reasons, such as it may not fit the journal’s scope or area of
interest, the writing may not be at a level expected by the journal, or the reviewers may identify flaws in the
research design. While this can be hard on the ego, it is better to treat this as a learning experience: to learn to
write as a professional takes time and patience and often requires multiple iterations.

I suggest reading through the reviewers’ comments and then set it aside for a few days. Go back and carefully
read the comments and put together a plan. If it was sent to an inappropriate journal, do some research, and
find one that fits better. If writing issues were the problem, consider working with your former committee
members or one of your former professors on the writing (it would be appropriate to offer that they be a
second author for their work). If it is the research design that was at fault, it is worth discussing it with some
experienced researchers; there may be a way to salvage the study. Rewrite and resubmit it to a different
journal, following the procedures outlined above.

Communicating With Editors

Authors are welcome to send emails to editors about whether a particular topic is appropriate to the journal.
The author can also ask for assistance in interpreting reviewer comments; the editor may work as an
intermediary between the author and reviewer to get clarification. It is not appropriate to argue with an editor
about their decision. An author may always take the article to a different journal; if so, be sure to formally
withdraw the current article from consideration.

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Conclusion
Rewriting the dissertation into an article in a professional journal is a necessary step in professional
development. Keeping the study on a shelf does not add to the literature and means the results are not
available for further development. Rewriting does take time and should be done carefully through following
the instructions provided by the journal. I find, as an author, it often helps to remember that the worst that
can happen is the journal may say no. If this happens, the peer reviews can be used to revise and resubmit to a
different journal.

Additional Publishing Resources

American Psychological Association (2020). Publication Manual of the American Psychological

Association, 7th Edition. APA.
Bem, D. J. (2000). Writing an empirical article. Guide to publishing in psychology journals, 3–16.
Busse, C., & August, E. (2021). How to write and publish a research paper for a peer-reviewed
journal. Journal of Cancer Education, 36(5), 909–913.
Hartley, J. (2008). Academic writing and publishing: A practical handbook. Routledge.
Silvia, P. J. (2015). Write it up: Practical strategies for writing and publishing journal articles.
American Psychological Association.
Williams, G. (2005) How to get published. The Psychologist, 18, 43.

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References
American Psychological Association (2020). Publication manual of the American Psychological Association,
7th Edition. APA.
American Psychological Association (2019). APA Style: Adapting a dissertation or thesis into a journal
article. https://apastyle.apa.org/style-grammar-guidelines/research-publication/dissertation-
thesis?_ga=2.48107879.1378513491.1645636405-1568894374.1644787895
Bem, D. J. (2000). Writing an empirical article. Guide to publishing in psychology journals, 3–16.
Björk, B. C. (2019). Acceptance rates of scholarly peer-reviewed journals: A literature survey. El Profesional
de la Información, 28, n. 4, e280407. https://doi.org/10.3145/epi.2019.jul.07
Bowen, G. A. (2010). From qualitative dissertation to quality articles: Seven lessons learned. Qualitative
Report, 15(4), 864–879.
Busse, C., & August, E. (2021). How to write and publish a research paper for a peer-reviewed journal.
Journal of Cancer Education, 36(5), 909–913.
Cuthbert, D., & Spark, C. (2008). Getting a GRIP: Examining the outcomes of a pilot program to support
graduate research students in writing for publication. Studies in Higher Education, 33(1), 77–88.
https://doi.org/10.1080/03075070701794841
Gardner, S. K., & Barnes, B. J. (2014). Advising & mentoring doctoral students: A handbook. CreateSpace
Independent Publishing.
Hartley, J. (2008). Academic writing and publishing: A practical handbook. Routledge.
Kamler, B. (2008). Rethinking doctoral publication practices: Writing from and beyond the thesis. Studies in
Higher Education, 33(3), 283–294. https://doi.org/10.1080/03075070802049236
Lassig, C., Dillon, L., & Diezmann, C. (2013). Student or scholar? Transforming identities through a research
writing group. Studies in Continuing Education, 35(3), 299–315.
Paré, A. (2017). Re-thinking the dissertation and doctoral supervision. Journal for the Study of Education
and Development: Childhood and Learning, 40(3), 407–428.
https://doi.org/10.1080/02103702.2017.1341102
Russell-Pinson, L., & Harris, M. L. (2017). Anguish and anxiety, stress and strain: Attending to writers’ stress
in the dissertation process. Journal of Second Language Writing, 43, 63–71.
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jslw.2017.11.005
Silvia, P. J. (2015). Write it up: Practical strategies for writing and publishing journal articles. APA.
Staller, K. M. (2019). From dissertation to published article: Advice from an editor. Qualitative Social Work,
18(6), 897–904.
Tribe, R., & Tunariu, A. (2016). Turning your dissertation into a publishable journal article. Counselling
Psychology Review, 31(1), 50–58.
Williams, G. (2005) How to get published. The Psychologist, 18, 43.

The Journal of Social, Behavioral, and Health Sciences

(JSBHS), cosponsored by the College of Health Professionals
and the College of Social and Behavioral Sciences at Walden
University, is a peer-reviewed, online, interdisciplinary
journal focusing on theoretically based research that addresses contemporary national and international
issues. JSBHS articles include peer-reviewed research reports, brief reports, comprehensive literature
reviews, book reviews, and student research.

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