Converting a thesis or dissertation into a manuscript
This post originally appeared on Sage Perspectives blog.
Leandro S. Pongeluppe is the winner of Administrative Science Quarterly's 2025 Dissertation Award
From Dissertation to Publication: Seven Lessons from the Field
Transforming a dissertation into a journal article is not just about running regressions, citing classic papers, and trimming the word count – it involves clarifying your work’s contribution, sharpening the methods, and speaking to a broad community aiming to create societal good. I am honored to share lessons I learned – some more painful than others – while getting my dissertation published in Administrative Science Quarterly.
1. Focus on what you are passionate about.
The PhD journey is long, and sustained motivation is difficult, especially when you are away from home, family, and friends. Transform these hardships into something meaningful to you! I anchored my research on issues I genuinely care about: the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals. My research question – whether business capabilities training can promote the socioeconomic advancement of disenfranchised individuals living in Brazilian slums, or favelas (Pongeluppe, 2024: 619) – was interesting to me not only as a scholar but as someone seeking to understand how people face socioeconomic inequality and can move out of poverty.
2. Follow strong role models.
Rather than trying an entirely new approach, learn from rigorous studies in your field. I benefited from authors (e.g., Attanasio, Kugler, & Meghir [2011]) who had performed randomized control trials (RCTs) and made their data and analysis code publicly available. This helped me understand not only the final product but also how data was collected and analyzed. Modeling best practices from high-quality research helped me elevate the design of my dissertation and refine its narrative for publication.
3. Collaborate.
Instead of designing an intervention from scratch, I partnered with a long-standing NGO, now called Instituto da Providência, which had over 15 years of experience delivering business training programs in Rio de Janeiro’s favelas. They brought institutional memory, a well-established intervention design, and organized historical data; I contributed an impact evaluation of their program. This collaboration saved time, reduced costs, and embedded the research in a vivid context.
4. Mix your methods.
I get annoyed with some economist friends who claim that they understand the world by only running regressions. Take the opportunity to go to the field, talk to people, and get your hands a bit dirty (Hirsch, Michaels, and Friedman, 1987). While the backbone of my study was a stratified RCT, I complemented it with computational text analysis of participant feedback, field visits, and interviews with community leaders and entrepreneurs. This triangulation helped me not only to understand my results better but also to explore the mechanisms behind them. Multiple methods enrich the data and your story.
5. Know your data and do your job.
Working with primary data brings both freedom and responsibility. I was meticulous in documenting each step of the process, from pre-registration to making data, code, and legal documents available. Knowing your data means being able to respond confidently to reviewers and make adjustments during revision. Scientific rigor is not optional – it is your best ally in the publication process.
6. Count on your scholarly community.
It takes a village to get to publication. Supervisors (Anita McGahan in my case) and committee members will guide you. Peer doctoral students will help you with ideas and execution. Editors (Chris Rider in my case) and referees will support you in crafting your contribution and making the most of your work. Their feedback, while sometimes daunting, can clarify your paper’s contribution and improve its quality. More importantly, they force you to refine your ideas and grow as a scholar.
7. Think beyond academia.
Do not limit yourself to publishing in a scientific journal. The program I evaluated was later expanded into public policy across 23 municipalities in São Paulo State, reaching over 12,500 women who lead single-parent households. The published article may have been the academic endpoint, but it was not the end of the work. We have a world to care for. Science can and should contribute to it.
A dissertation is a personal and intellectual adventure full of ups and downs. My hope is that I’ve offered encouragement – and practical guidance – as you take the next step. Keep working hard, and good things will happen!
References
Attanasio, O., Kugler, A. D., & Meghir, C. (2011). Subsidizing vocational training for disadvantaged youth in developing countries: Evidence from a randomized trial. American Economic Journal: Applied Economics, 3, 188–220.
Hirsch, P., Michaels, S., & Friedman, R. (1987). “Dirty hands” versus “clean models”: Is sociology in danger of being seduced by economics? Theory and Society, 16, 317–336.
Pongeluppe, L. S. (2024). The allegory of the favela: The multifaceted effects of socieconomic mobility. Administrative Science Quarterly, 69, 619–654.
Read the article here
Article Details
The Allegory of the Favela: The Multifaceted Effects of Socioeconomic Mobility
Leandro S. Pongeluppe
First published: March 29, 2024
DOI: 10.1177/00018392241240469
Administrative Science Quarterly