"Are you gonna publish that?" Peer-reviewed publication outcomes of doctoral dissertations in psychology

Abstract

If a doctoral dissertation represents an original investigation that makes a contribution to one’s field, then dissertation research could, and arguably should, be disseminated into the scientific literature. However, the extent and nature of dissertation publication remains largely unknown within psychology. The present study investigated the peer-reviewed publication outcomes of psychology dissertation research in the United States. Additionally, we examined publication lag, scientific impact, and variations across subfields. To investigate these questions, we first drew a stratified random cohort sample of 910 psychology Ph.D. dissertations from ProQuest Dissertations & Theses. Next, we conducted comprehensive literature searches for peer-reviewed journal articles derived from these dissertations published 0–7 years thereafter. Published dissertation articles were coded for their bibliographic details, citation rates, and journal impact metrics. Results showed that only one-quarter (25.6% [95% CI: 23.0, 28.4]) of dissertations were ultimately published in peer-reviewed journals, with significant variations across subfields (range: 10.1 to 59.4%). Rates of dissertation publication were lower in professional/applied subfields (e.g., clinical, counseling) compared to research/academic subfields (e.g., experimental, cognitive). When dissertations were published, however, they often appeared in influential journals (e.g., Thomson Reuters Impact Factor M = 2.84 [2.45, 3.23], 5-year Impact Factor M = 3.49 [3.07, 3.90]) and were cited numerous times (Web of Science citations per year M = 3.65 [2.88, 4.42]). Publication typically occurred within 2–3 years after the dissertation year. Overall, these results indicate that the large majority of Ph.D. dissertation research in psychology does not get disseminated into the peer-reviewed literature. The non-publication of dissertation research appears to be a systemic problem affecting both research and training in psychology. Efforts to improve the quality and “publishability” of doctoral dissertation research could benefit psychological science on multiple fronts.

Dissemination of PhD Dissertation Research by Dissertation Format: A Retrospective Cohort Study

“…This may be because the graduate either did not attempt to submit manuscripts of their work or was unsuccessful in doing so. However, the proportion of PhD graduates with unpublished dissertation research in our sample was significantly lower than what has been reported by others both in nursing (Kearney, ) and in other fields such as psychology (Evans, Amaro, Herbert, Blossom, & Roberts, ), where the proportions of unpublished dissertations were 76% and 74.4%, respectively. An unpublished dissertation is a lost opportunity for both the graduate and the scientific community at large because research findings reported in dissertations are less likely to be cited in academic journals (Thomas, ) or included as part of systematic reviews of literature (Moyer, Schneider, Knapp‐Oliver, & Sohl, ).…”

The publication of health sciences theses in Turkey: A study of Ege University

“…Similar results have also been found in public health trainees in the UK (Donaldson & Cresswell, 1996). However, in contrast to our findings for the publication of doctoral dissertations (57.1%), Sipahi et al (2012) reported that only 24.7% of Turkish public health doctoral dissertations were published, and in the USA, Evans, Amaro, Herbert, Blossom, and Roberts (2018) reported that only 25.6% of doctoral dissertations in psychology were converted into publications. Our findings could be skewed by the fact that our data collection process was based on participation, while other studies scanned academic databases.…”

“…However, in contrast to our findings for the publication of doctoral dissertations (57.1%), Sipahi et al . (2012) reported that only 24.7% of Turkish public health doctoral dissertations were published, and in the USA, Evans, Amaro, Herbert, Blossom, and Roberts (2018) reported that only 25.6% of doctoral dissertations in psychology were converted into publications.…”

What’s in a Click? The Efficacy of Conditioned Reinforcement in Applied Animal Training: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

“…The latter finding seems to be aligned with previous reports across other disciplines about the proportion of these clinical/applied-oriented dissertations that do not get published in indexed journals [ 91 ]. An explanation of this situation goes beyond the scope of this review, but it has been noted that applied dissertations/theses often do not get published because the authors do not have expectations of careers in academia, where publications are valued [ 91 , 92 ].…”