Q: How can I convert my published journal articles into a thesis?
Plagiarism and self-plagiarism are among the biggest concerns in research communities. How to write a thesis without self plagiarism between my thesis and journal article?
Reusing the content from one or more published articles in a thesis is quite common. It is an acceptable practice and does not raise concerns of plagiarism as long as you are transparent and mention at the beginning of your thesis that it is based on your previously published work. However, a thesis and a journal article are different genres of writing and care must be taken to modify the content as per the style and format guidelines. Remember that a thesis is a lengthy piece is written to demonstrate how much you know while journal articles are practical ideas presented in a concise and specified manner for busy scientists to read.
Here are a few things you need to keep in mind when converting your journal article into a thesis:
- Confirm with your publisher to avoid any copyright issues later
- Make sure you cite/acknowledge your previously published work correctly
- Mention at the beginning of your thesis that it is adapted from your published journal article
- Expand on the ideas proposed in your article
- Provide more details about your methodology, study findings, and interpretation of results
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This content belongs to the Conducting Research Stage