Scientific research strengthens our understanding of so many aspects of the world, from microbes to planets. Whether a study advances knowledge in a relatively minor way, or by leaps and bounds, in order to reach the scientific community the work must be communicated clearly and effectively. Peer-reviewed journals remain trustworthy sources of scientific knowledge, and ‘getting published’ is a significant accomplishment for young and experienced researchers alike.
One question I receive in the CEE Communication Lab is whether content from a Master’s/PhD thesis or conference paper can be published in a journal article. To answer this question, it’s useful to distinguish a thesis from a conference paper.
Archived/Posted versus Published
A thesis is considered “archived” or “posted” in a university repository, such as MIT’s DSpace, rather than “published”. In turn, most journals will consider reviewing a manuscript with content that has been repurposed from a thesis. However, if the study was previously published in conference proceedings, there are likely copyright conflicts. For example, the editorial policy of Science states: “We do not regard dissertations/theses as prior publications. We do regard peer-reviewed and citable conference proceedings as prior publication.”
Confirm the journal’s “prior publication policy”
Before preparing your manuscript, a crucial step is reviewing the “prior publication policy” guidelines of the journal. For example, here are excerpts from the prior publication policy of the American Chemical Society (ACS), which publishes a suite of journals, such as Environmental Science & Technology (ES&T):
Theses/dissertations: Authors submitting material that has been used in their thesis/dissertation must contact the Editor-in-Chief for approval. Authors will be asked to confirm that they alone hold the copyright to the work and to read and comply with the ACS dissertation policy, and the conditions and procedures laid out in the ACS Journal Publishing Agreement (JPA).
Proceedings of conferences and symposia: Authors cannot publish presentations in proceedings (paper or electronic) that are copyrighted (except by ACS).
Regarding pre-prints, the ACS policy states: “Posting of pre-prints to a pre-print server such as ChemRxiv, bioRxiv, arXiv, or applicable repository for their discipline before the manuscript is accepted for publication is considered acceptable.” This appears to be a common policy across most journals.
Sage, which publishes a range of journals including Advances in Structural Engineering, has a similar prior publication policy that differentiates between theses and conference papers:
Most dissertations and theses posted in institutional archives: Excerpts or material from your dissertation that have not been through peer review will generally be eligible for publication.
Conference abstracts, posters and presentations: Subject to the journal’s policy, manuscripts based on papers that have been presented at conferences may be considered for publication as long as they have not been published and provided that you still retain the rights to the manuscript. The journal editor may review whether the version of your article considered for publication is materially different from the work you presented at a conference and/or whether publication in the journal will enable your article to reach an audience that the conference paper did not previously reach.
Be transparent in your cover letter
After confirming the journal’s policy, which may include contacting the editor in advance of your submission, you’ll want to be as transparent as possible in the cover letter that accompanies your manuscript. Be sure to include an explicit statement about the work you are re-purposing, such as “portions of this work were taken from my thesis which is publicly searchable via an online university repository.” Typically, only a sentence or two that acknowledges the repurposed text is needed in a cover letter, and you will want to include the full citation for the thesis or conference paper that is referenced.
If the article you have submitted includes both repurposed and new data (i.e., data from your thesis and data not previously presented in your thesis) you can state explicitly in your cover that the manuscript is an updated version of the prior text with new data. Particularly if you’re submitting information from conference proceedings, you might try to quantify the amount of content carried over from the prior text, such as, “Figures 2-4, and the first 3 paragraphs of the Methods section were repurposed from my prior conference paper.”
Taking proactive, transparent steps in the cover letter will ensure that the editor knows the situation at the outset and makes an informed decision about whether or not to proceed with the review process. In addition to building trust with the editorial team, being transparent at the outset will save you a headache down the road when they run your submission through plagiarism detection software (this is standard practice) and find close matches with your thesis or conference paper.
Seek advice and resources
After learning the prior publication policy of your target journal, it will be helpful to reach out to experienced researchers and peers for guidance. For example, your thesis advisor can provide advice on whether your thesis research will likely meet the criteria for publication, along with guidance on text recycling, the process of converting your thesis into a publishable manuscript, and the journal submission process.
You can also access the MIT Communication Lab’s free online CommKit Resources, which include a variety of trusted articles, such as “Manuscript Writing 101: Before You Write”, “Journal Article: Writing Tips”, and other resources to help you improve your scientific communication. If you are an MIT student or postdoc, you can also make an appointment with a Comm Fellow to receive individual feedback on your manuscript and cover letter before submitting to a journal.
Taking the time to learn from experienced peers, mentors, and credible resources will boost your confidence, knowledge, and scientific communication skills. I wish you the best in your journey to become a published researcher!