Dissertation/Thesis to Journal Article

Converting a dissertation or thesis into a journal article can be rewarding as it allows you to share your research with a broader academic audience. This process requires careful adaptation to ensure that the work is concise, focused, and aligned with the expectations of scholarly journals. 

Here is a template (6,000 Words) designed to help you navigate the process of transforming your dissertation into a publishable journal article and follow the APA Style Publication Manual.

Title

Choose a concise, descriptive title that encapsulates the core of your research.

Abstract (150–250 words)

Summarize the research purpose, methodology, results, and significance, ensuring brevity and clarity. APA guidelines limit journal abstracts to 150 words.

Keywords (4–6 words)

Select relevant terms that highlight the key themes of the article.

Introduction (700–800 words)

  • Context and background: Provide a brief introduction to the research topic.
  • Research problem: Clearly articulate the problem your study addresses.
  • Purpose and objectives: Explain the main aim of your study and outline specific research questions or hypotheses.
  • Contribution to the field: State how your research contributes to the current literature. Avoid an exhaustive literature review and instead focus on material directly related to your research questions.

Related Resource: Section 12.1 APA Style Manual emphasizes the importance of providing a focused introduction that narrows down the literature review to directly relevant studies.

Literature Review (800–1,000 words)

  • Review of key theories and studies: Summarize the most important and recent literature that supports your research.
  • Research gap: Identify the specific gap your research fills.
  • Theoretical framework: If relevant, introduce the theoretical or conceptual framework that underpins your study.

Related Resource: Section 12.1 of the APA 7th Edition Manual advises on condensing a dissertation’s extensive literature review for journal articles.

Methods (800–900 words)

  • Research design: Describe your research design concisely (e.g., quantitative, qualitative, or mixed methods).
  • Data collection: Summarize the data collection methods, avoiding extensive details.
  • Sample and participants: Briefly outline your sample, ensuring focus on the most relevant demographic information.
  • Data analysis: Provide an overview of the analysis techniques without detailing every step.
  • Ethical considerations: Mention ethical aspects briefly, including institutional review board (IRB) approvals.

Related Resource: Section 12.1 of the APA Manual emphasizes the importance of brevity and directing readers to supplemental materials or previous studies for full methodological details.

Results (1,200–1,400 words)

  • Key findings: Focus on presenting only the most relevant analyses that answer your research questions. Avoid reporting every single analysis conducted in the dissertation.
  • Data presentation: Use tables, figures, or charts only if they directly enhance understanding and avoid redundancy.
  • Interpretation: Provide a preliminary interpretation of your findings without going into extensive discussion.

Related Resource: The APA Manual encourages reporting primary, secondary, and exploratory analyses while ensuring that only the most significant results are highlighted.

Discussion (1,200–1,400 words)

  • Interpretation of findings: Discuss the implications of the results and how they contribute to answering your research questions or hypotheses.
  • Comparison with literature: Compare your findings to the existing literature you previously reviewed.
  • Implications: Discuss the theoretical and practical implications of your study.
  • Limitations: Identify limitations but avoid over-discussing them, as the space for limitations is limited in journal articles.

Related Resource: Section 12.1 of the APA Manual emphasizes aligning the Discussion section with the results reported, avoiding extrapolation beyond the data.

Conclusion (500–600 words)

  • Summary of key findings: Recap the main points of your study briefly.
  • Implications for the field: Reiterate the contribution of your research to the field.
  • Recommendations for future research: Suggest specific avenues for future research based on your findings.
  • Final thought: Provide a strong concluding statement that reinforces the significance of your study.

References (APA 7th Edition)

  • Focus on including only the most relevant references. Avoid listing all sources from your dissertation and prioritize citing recent and high-impact literature.

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