Publishing material from your thesis

Once your thesis has been submitted, you may wish to publish the results of your research as a journal article or book.

The guidance below is about reusing materials from your thesis in subsequent publications. 

• Publishing in a journal
• Publishing your whole thesis as a book

For guidance on including previous publications in your thesis submission, please see the separate Previously Published Content guidance.

In most cases, Postgraduate Researchers (PGRs) retain the copyright in their thesis and have the right to reproduce or adapt materials (parts or the whole of the thesis) for further sharing. You can also grant others permission to do this.  

You must first consider:

• Whether any third party has a claim to the intellectual property (IP) in your thesis – eg a research sponsor or collaborator.
• Whether any third-party materials in your thesis have restrictions on reuse that would require separate permission – eg an image or figure is under copyright and you only asked permission to include it in your thesis, not a journal article.
• Whether any material in your thesis is sensitive and subject to embargo or redaction – eg a chapter has been redacted while a patent application is prepared; you should not publish the redacted material in any other place until the patent matter is resolved.

Unless you have been told otherwise as a result of a deferral application, you must still deposit your thesis promptly. Your Thesis Deposit Form will capture what kind of redactions and/or deferral (embargo) are applicable, if any, and the Library’s eTheses Validation team will ensure your thesis is made publicly available when appropriate.

Publishing in a journal

Scholarly journals normally want to publish original work which has not been previously published or is not under consideration for publication elsewhere. They will often have a specific policy on ‘prior publication’.

Most journals do not consider your thesis to be a prior publication, even where this is publicly available in an institutional repository.

However, once you have identified a suitable journal, be sure to double-check the journal’s policies when preparing your submission. (Check the ‘Information for Authors’ section or similar.)

Keep in mind:

• It is likely that material in your thesis will need to be reworked, to address a different audience and conform to the journal’s style guide.
• Journal policies will normally require that you disclose in your submission that your manuscript is adapted from your thesis, even if they don’t consider it a prior publication. 
• When quoting from your thesis or reusing figures, be sure to cite and reference any extracts copied or adapted from your thesis appropriately. This avoids self-plagiarism and promotes transparency about where the material comes from.

If a journal or publisher policy says your thesis is a prior publication and public access might affect your publishing options:

1. Consider whether this is the right journal for your article. Delaying immediate public access to your thesis might mean:

• fewer people can see, read or cite your research
• your work cannot contribute to new research immediately, collecting citations and building your research profile
• you attract fewer collaborators and opportunities for new funding

2. Consider whether redacting a specific chapter or section of your thesis may be sufficient. 

• This would allow the rest of your thesis to continue to be publicly available but remove the section you're preparing for publication.
• Redactions require University approval, see the University’s guidance on Delaying public access to your dissertation.

3. Consider whether a 6- or 12-month embargo on the whole thesis may be appropriate.

• Although you will require time to adapt your thesis and submission/peer review timelines vary, a few months is often sufficient.
• An initial 6- or 12-month embargo for the full thesis does not require University approval. Simply indicate this on your Thesis Deposit Form.
• A longer embargo (deferral) may be possible, but this normally requires University approval. See the University’s guidance on Delaying public access to your dissertation.

Publishing your whole thesis as a book

If you decide to adapt your thesis into an academic monograph (or part of your thesis to a chapter in an edited collection), it is likely your work will require substantial adjustments from the thesis version. Many publishers will also offer specific guidance or tips on how they expect a thesis to be adapted for publication as a book. 

It is the University’s expectation that in most cases, the changes required are so significant that the thesis should not be considered a prior (or competing) publication, and an extended embargo on public access to the thesis is not required. However, you should check your prospective publisher’s policy at an early stage (and certainly before signing a contract) to understand their expectations. 

If the publisher asks for any embargo, consider whether you feel this is appropriate.

• Your thesis will require substantial adaptations to become a book manuscript
• The audience for your book is very different than the audience for your thesis
• Sections of your thesis (literature review, methodology) may not be as substantially presented in your book – and there is a benefit to your research profile, citations, and future research opportunities to having this information publicly available
• New sections or updated/refreshed information may be included in your book
• Public availability of your thesis can help generate interest in your forthcoming book
• There is limited evidence of any negative impact on book sales because the thesis was publicly available

If the publisher requests an initial 6- or 12-month embargo and you agree, this does not require University approval. Indicate the embargo in your Thesis Deposit Form.

If the publisher insists on an extended embargo (more than 12 months), you must obtain University approval and may be required to provide evidence about the publisher’s requirements. See the University’s guidance on Delaying public access to your dissertation.

• Funder policies normally require public access to the full text of a funded thesis no later than 12 months from the award date. It may not be possible to approve an extended embargo if a funder requirement applies, so let your publisher know if this is the case.

Remember, you are the copyright holder in your thesis and you will be the author of the resulting book (or chapter). You can decide whether the conditions of publication offered by a publisher align with your objectives and are in your best interests.