How to Shorten a PhD Thesis into a Journal Article for Indexed Publication

Key Differences Between a PhD Thesis and a Journal Article

Before addressing what to remove or shorten, it is important to recognize the fundamental differences between these two academic outputs:

Because of these differences, direct submission of thesis chapters to journals almost always results in desk rejection. Journals expect manuscripts that are tightly focused, theoretically grounded, and clearly positioned within ongoing academic debates.

Chapters That Are Typically Removed Entirely

When converting a PhD thesis into a journal article, certain chapters are almost always excluded in full. These chapters serve examination purposes rather than publication needs.

The thesis introduction often includes:

• Personal motivation

• Broad background discussions

• Detailed problem statements

• Research aims and objectives

• Scope and limitations

• Chapter outlines

For a journal article, this level of detail is unnecessary. Instead, a short, focused introduction of 600–800 words should:

• Identify a specific research gap

• State the article’s contribution

• Briefly outline the method and key findings

Most of the original introduction chapter is therefore removed and rewritten, not shortened.

Standalone literature review chapters in theses are typically extensive, sometimes exceeding 10,000 words. Journals do not publish exhaustive reviews unless the article is explicitly a review paper.

In a research article:

• The literature review is integrated into the introduction

• Only studies directly relevant to the research question are retained

• The focus shifts from summarizing prior work to positioning the study’s novelty

As a result, this chapter is not transferred wholesale but selectively mined for key references and arguments.

Thesis methodology chapters often contain:

• Philosophical paradigms

• Epistemological and ontological discussions

• Extensive justification of methods

While rigor remains essential, journals prioritize clarity and reproducibility over philosophical exposition. Lengthy justifications are removed, leaving only:

• Study design

• Data sources

• Sampling

• Instruments

• Analysis techniques

Chapters That Need to Be Significantly Shortened

Other thesis chapters are retained in principle but must be aggressively condensed and refocused.

A methodology chapter of 8,000 words in a thesis is typically reduced to 800–1,200 words in a journal article. The goal is not to defend every choice but to allow reviewers to assess validity and reliability efficiently.

Key strategies include:

• Eliminating redundancy

• Removing textbook definitions

• Presenting procedures succinctly

• Using tables where permitted

In a thesis, results are often presented in exhaustive detail, including all variables, robustness checks, and supplementary analyses.

For journal publication:

• Only results that directly support the article’s central argument are included

• Secondary or exploratory findings are removed or deferred to future papers

• Tables and figures are optimized for clarity and journal limits

This selective reporting is critical for maintaining narrative coherence.

The discussion chapter must be sharply focused and tightly linked to the selected results. Overly speculative or repetitive interpretations are removed.

A strong journal-level discussion:

• Interprets findings in relation to key literature

• Explains theoretical and practical implications

• Avoids restating results verbatim

Chapters That Are Typically Merged or Rewritten

Standalone conclusion chapters in theses are rarely used in journal articles. Instead, concluding insights are integrated into the discussion or presented as a brief final section highlighting:

• Core contributions

• Limitations

• Directions for future research

References to thesis-specific contributions (e.g., examiner expectations) are removed.

Extracting Multiple Articles from a Single Thesis

In many cases, a PhD thesis can generate two to five publishable articles, depending on:

• Research design

• Number of research questions

• Mixed-methods or multi-study structures

• Dataset richness

Each article must:

• Address a distinct research question

• Make a unique contribution

• Be positioned for a specific journal audience

This strategic extraction requires editorial judgment, journal mapping, and experience with indexed publication standards.