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Re: OT:dissertation vs. book



I believe I have seen in the physics/chemical area that some dissertations,
of great scientific value, can be used to create two or more scientific
articles for later publication in the sci/tech literature.   Let's face it,
not all dissertations have the same value, e.g., softer disciplines vs. hard
science or medical topics. Something a hot topic? Anything on HIV/AIDS is
likely to spin off something moreso that something from a softer discipline
that might not have the societal impact that an advance in HIV/AIDS might
have. I have gone looking for someone's science dissertation, yet found a
subsequent journal article that had what my patron really wanted.  Getting
the journal article was far less expensive than getting a copy of the
dissertation. Some of the sci/tech dissertations cost over $120.00.     And
haven't I seen quite a few books published from dissertations, on medieval
history, women's rights (what few we had) in medieval times, more obscure
historical topics (obscure, yet super interesting), musicology, etc.?? I
will make that a point to check out when I visit a large academic library in
a few days.

Sharon Lee Butcher
Reference Librarian
AEDC Technical Library
100 Kindel Drive, Ste C212
Arnold AFB, TN  37389-3212
931-454-4430
Fax:  931-454-5421
sharon.butcher@arnold.af.mil


-----Original Message-----
From: Eric v.d. Luft, Ph.D., M.L.S. [mailto:lufte@MAIL.UPSTATE.EDU]
Sent: Thursday, May 09, 2002 9:09 AM
To: ARCHIVES@LISTSERV.MUOHIO.EDU
Subject: Re: OT:dissertation vs. book


Lisa wrote:

> This is veering off-topic, but I didn't realize that failure to publish a
> commercial version of a dissertation means the end of an academic career.
> Is this a new development in academia?

Sounds like nonsense to me. Academic careers succeed or fail by a lot of
different criteria, the
dissertation and its fate being only one among many. No one except the
doctoral committee is ever
likely to read the damn thing anyway, even if it appears as book.

In my experience, much more important toward the success of an academic
career are: publishing
articles in well-reputed journals, getting superior evaluations from
students, brown-nosing, being
in the right place at the right time, and sheer dumb luck.

FWIW,

Eric (a thankful and voluntary ex-academic)

--

Eric v.d. Luft, Ph.D., M.L.S.
Curator of Historical Collections, Health Sciences Library
SUNY Upstate Medical University, Syracuse, NY 13210
<http://web.upstate.edu/lufte/> -- 315-464-4585
Listowner: ALHHS-L <http://web.upstate.edu/lufte/alhhs-l.html>
For e-mail pertaining to libraries, librarianship, or the history of
 medicine, please use <lufte@mail.upstate.edu> not <lufte@upstate.edu>
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"Be always sure you're right, then go ahead."
                                          -- Davy Crockett
                                [Autobiography, 1834, title page]

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