The Dissertation to Publication Workshop, a unique offering by the University of Phoenix and its Center for Educational and Instructional Technology Research (CEITR), provides an opportunity for all members of the academic community to learn how to develop a publishable manuscript from their dissertations. After its most recent session, 39 participants learned the process and created a manuscript they submitted to a peer-reviewed journal of their choice for publication consideration. The process is replicable, so it can be applied to future research projects once learned.

Many manuscripts go through the journal review process and are selected for publication. In recent years, articles such as “Educating patients on value-based health care to improve clinical outcomes”, “Equity centered leadership of principals who narrowed the race-based academic achievement gap”, and “Holographic teleportation in space and astronauts’ stress: A Delphi study” have been published by the author’s selected peer-reviewed academic journals.

What is the secret of the Dissertation to Publication Workshop? Following video-based webinars spaced out over a period of 10 weeks, authors diligently develop their manuscript, section by section, based on learning best practices from CEITR chair Dr. Mansureh Kebritchi. Dr. Kebritchi is a master at reducing the complexity surrounding the mysteries of the academic journal manuscript process! After submitting each section, Center Senior Fellows assigned to a cohort review the manuscript-in-progress and offer suggestions for improvement. Through this iterative process, the workshop concludes with guiding participants through the submission steps, culminating in a completed submission to their target journal. For their efforts, authors are awarded a digital badge upon approval of their target journal and when they successfully submit their manuscript to the journal, along with a certificate of completion.

However, the support and guidance do not stop there, as workshop participants are considered a part of the CEITR community. One of three outcomes is possible: the manuscript is accepted with no or few edits required; the manuscript is peer-reviewed with comments and suggestions of which addressing them will result in acceptance; or the editor returns the manuscript indicating the manuscript does not adequately fit the aims and scope of the journal. Senior Fellow reviewers and Dr. Kebritchi will advise these authors as requested on the changes or help them find a more suitable home for their work.

Participants provide feedback near the end of the workshop. A comment from the Spring 2024 workshop is, “The leadership style of Dr. Kebritchi makes the daunting DTP process doable. I hope to be published, if not, I will be back. I am profoundly grateful to Dr. Nunn [one of our stellar reviewers], Dr. Kebritchi and the other reviewers for this rewarding experience”.  And, while many of our participants are alumni or otherwise affiliated with the University of Phoenix, it is also open to anyone with a completed dissertation. An external affiliate shared, “The insights gained from this workshop were phenomenal and enabled me to prepare a manuscript for submission to the Target Journal”.

We look forward to learning the results of our 39 researchers who recently submitted their manuscripts and are awaiting a response from their selected publications and wish them well on the outcome. After several years of offering the workshop, over 1200 participants have started, culminating in over 700 submissions to academic journals. You may review the selected list of 178 students who published their dissertations in peer-reviewed journals with the the support of the Dissertation to Publication Workshop. You are welcome to join us at our next session, scheduled to begin September 2024. Faculty, staff, and all researchers who are interested in publishing their research projects (in all disciplines) are encouraged to participate.

More information is available at the CEITR Research Hub: Dissertation to Publication Workshop