how to publish your dissertation uk

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Turning your MSc dissertation into an academic paper

Anne-Marie Boylan

23 May 2019

Tips for students

Students who complete the MSc in Evidence Based Health Care at the University of Oxford often produce high quality research for their dissertation, which we encourage them to publish in academic journals. Dr Anne-Marie Boylan is the Dissertation Coordinator for the MSc in EBHC. She spoke to Mark Howe, a dentist who recently completed his MSc about his experiences of writing up his MSc thesis for publication in the Journal of Dentistry.

What challenges did you face in getting your thesis published?

I found condensing the dissertation down to meet the word count required for the journal whilst maintaining all the important points was a big challenge. This took a substantial amount of time and quite a lot of editing. I also faced lots of challenges because of what was required in the submission process. The formatting the journal required for tables and figures was different to what I had created for my thesis. They didn’t always convert cleanly when uploaded, which took some time to identify and correct. Despite all my efforts to ensure I followed the guidelines for authors, the manuscript was returned immediately due to issues with format changes and missing entries. But I got there in the end.

What did you think about the reviewers’ feedback?

The initial comments ranged from just basic proof-reading corrections to what felt like quite extensive criticism. So you need to be prepared for frustration and rejection. The publication process assumes you work in a close-knit experienced team where there is access to people who have published before, which isn’t always the case for MSc students.

The reviewers asked for amendments to what I thought were very important aspects of the research. I saw this an opportunity to argue that these data should not be changed.

How did you feel when your article was accepted?

I felt relief rather than joy as the profession now had to accept there were some weaknesses in their previous robust results. Getting the dissertation published was for me the true endpoint of the MSc in evidence-based healthcare as my research was now going into the public domain. I was surprised to see how expensive it was to make my paper ‘Open Access’. I had no funding for this so it’s behind a pay wall.

What would you say to other students who are preparing their thesis for publication?

Choose your journal carefully.

Be patient – the submission process is more experiential than intuitive. Try and get some advice from colleagues who have published more papers in your field.

Be prepared to defend your research against the reviewer’s comment where necessary. Try not to take the reviewers comments personally. Maintain a calm perspective, and possibly leave the manuscript for a few days before working through the corrections.

Mark’s paper can be accessed using the following reference : Howe, M.-S., Keys, W. and Richards, D. (2019) ‘Long-term (10-year) dental implant survival: A systematic review and sensitivity meta-analysis’, Journal of Dentistry. Elsevier B.V., 84(March), pp. 9–21. doi: 10.1016/j.jdent.2019.03.008.

Read Mark’s blog summarising his research findings here.

What to read next

'rejection is part of the process'.

22 July 2019

EBHC programmes Students

Rejection is part of the process: Turning your dissertation into an academic paper

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Do I Need Permission To Publish My Dissertation In The UK?

Published by Alvin Nicolas at March 4th, 2024 , Revised On March 5, 2024

A dissertation holds significant value for researchers. As you consider sharing your work with a wide audience, a crucial question arises: “Do I need permission to publish my dissertation in the UK?” The answer, like many legal matters, involves a number of factors. You have to consider the copyrights and university regulations carefully. 

In the United Kingdom, copyright automatically applies to original creative works, including dissertations. This grants you, the author, the exclusive right to control various aspects of your work, including:

• Copying your dissertation in any form (printed, digital, etc.)
• Making copies of your work available to the public
• Modifying your work to create new versions (e.g., book chapters, articles)

Therefore, in most cases, you do not need permission from anyone to publish your dissertation in the UK as you hold the copyright. However, in certain situations, you might need to explore further. 

University Regulations

While copyright gives you control over your dissertation, it is important to check the regulations of your university regarding publication. Some universities in the UK require you to:

• Sign a copyright agreement where you grant the university non-exclusive rights to reproduce or distribute your work for educational purposes. 
• Seek approval for specific forms of publication, especially if you are involved with research funders.

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Third Party Content & Copyright

Your dissertation might include elements not created by. For example, figures , data , quotations , and images from other sources. You have to be careful of their copyright status. 

• For published material, you might need permission from the copyright holder.
• For data and figures, check the sources and cite them properly
• Unpublished work requires explicit consent of the owner to avoid copyright infringement. 

Additional Considerations

Some other points to consider include:

Some projects are subject to embargoes, which restrict publication for a set period. The reasons include patent applications or ongoing research collaborations. 

Open Access Publishing

You should consider open-access publishing options. It allows you to improve the reach and impact of your research. 

Do I need permission for third-party content included in my dissertation?

Yes, for published material, you may need permission from the copyright holder. Properly cite and attribute data, figures, quotations, and images from other sources.

Should I consider open-access publishing for my dissertation?

Open-access publishing can enhance the reach and impact of your research, so it’s worth considering as an option.

Does every dissertation get published?

No, not every dissertation gets published. Dissertations are academic works submitted by students to fulfil degree requirements. While some may be published as books or articles, many remain unpublished or are only accessible through university libraries. Publication depends on academic merit and the author’s intentions and efforts.

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During the course of your work you will be encouraged to write regularly and, if you’re a postgraduate researcher, to get your research published. Whether you’re writing your dissertation, starting a thesis or considering formal publication take a look at our guidance.

Research writing

Writing can be demanding and frustrating. Don’t struggle on your own. We signpost to some of the best resources available to you here at Sheffield and more widely in the academic community.

Find resources for writing

Your thesis

As you write your thesis you will need to consider issues which arise as a result of making the content available to others, via White Rose eTheses Online. We address some of those below.

Find thesis resources

White Rose University Press

The universities of Leeds, Sheffield and York have a joint University Press which supports the principles of open access to research. If you’re an early career researcher looking to publish your own book or start up your own journal explore the options offered by WRUP.

Go to White Rose University Press

Choosing where to publish

Choosing the right journal or the right publisher can be daunting. If you’re new to publishing and not quite sure where to start, our guidelines below can help you sort out what’s appropriate and what’s not.

Read our guidelines

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A number of resources are available to help you prepare and present your dissertation or thesis, and decide where to publish your work.

Research skills

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The Open University Graduate School Network  (GSN) supports OU research students in developing skills they will need to pursue and complete their doctorates successfully and on time.

Writing research papers and dissertations

The OU Library Search can be used to find material on preparing and presenting dissertations and theses by searching for the subject heading Dissertations, Academic Handbooks, manuals.

Where to publish

Your supervisor will advise on where to submit material for publication . However, you might find the ISI Journal Citation Reports (JCR) a useful source of information. Click on "Journal Citation Reports" on the ISI Web of Knowledge Interface. You can use JCR to generate a list of journals in your subject area ranked by their 'impact factor' a ratio based on the number of times a journal article is cited in academic literature. Journals with high impact factors may receive greater exposure and notice than articles in lower rated titles. However, it is important to note that impact factor should not be the only measure used to decide where to publish. 

The OU recently signed the San Francisco Declaration on Research Assessment (DORA) , signalling a commitment to recognising and measuring the quality of research based on its own merits, rathar than the popularity of the journal it is published in. It may be more important for you to think about whether a journal is suited to your needs and field of experise instead. Ask questions such as: is it a trusted journal? Do fellow researchers in your field recommend the journal? Are the author guidelines clear? Using a tool such as Think.Check.Submit may be a good place to start.

If you are thinking about publishing your work Open Access (OA), the Research Support team have a dedicated Open Access publishing page , offering advice and guidance on what it means to publish OA, the benefits of OA, and our current publishing deals. Websites such as the Directory of Open Access Journals (DOAJ) offer a way to find OA journals and articles, and OAPEN provides information on OA book publishing. 

Get in touch with the Research Support team if you have any queries.

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Theses: Getting published

• Queen's e-thesis
• Embargoes and making your thesis open
• Copyright: seeking permission
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Getting published

• Finding theses

During the course of your thesis you may wish to get your research published. In the past, and for certain disciplines, this tended to occur once your thesis was almost, or finally, completed. Now, it is not uncommon for researchers to publish some of their research before submission of the thesis. This is usually in the form of a journal article. Certain chapters of the thesis may naturally lend themselves to being worked into separate journal articles. Or, perhaps, you wish to create a monograph (book) based on your entire thesis.

Based on your research, discipline, discussions with your supervisor, peers and other experts in your field, you will be well placed to make decisions regarding publication e.g. where to publish, what type of format etc. This can, however, be very daunting for researchers.

Reasons to publish your thesis

• There are a number of reasons why you might consider publishing all, or part of your thesis:
• Share the results of your research with others. This will directly benefit other researchers, scholars or practitioners in your field.
• If you research has uncovered something noteworthy, novel, or important, there is added impetus to publish.
• It may be a requirement of your funder.
• It may help to secure future employment, particularly if you wish to pursue an academic career.
• Even if you decide to pursue employment outside of academia, publishing your research may be a helpful way to end mark your time as a research student.
• Even if you decide not to get your thesis published as an article, series of articles/chapters or a book, even by making it Open Access you are ensuring that your findings can be accessed and therefore will help future researchers.

Embargo information

Do not fear making your thesis Open Access. Why not?

If necessary, you can apply an embargo to your e-thesis at any point

Consult with funder, potential publisher, supervisor etc to inform decision if an embargo is required or not

Implications of making your e-thesis open access

Once you upload your e-thesis to Pure , barring any embargoes, it will be can be viewed and accessed online via Queen's Research Portal . This is a good thing! As a result, people may be able to contact you about your research, ask you to speak on your topic or engage with it on social media or scholarly publications. You are likely to have greater visibility as a result of making your thesis open access.

Some researchers are, however, concerned that by making their e-thesis online this will scupper their chances for monograph publication. This may not actually be the case. For example, a thesis may only come to the attention of a publisher or a commissioning editor exactly because it has been made open access first! Also, it is important to remember that it is possible to make your thesis open access while you consider your publication options and then later to apply an embargo if this is required.

Whether or not you apply an embargo to your e-thesis or not, it is important to remember that a dissertation will probably have to be quite significantly revised before it will be published. Different publishers moreover have different policies regarding Open Access theses. Included is some of the policies regarding some of the more prominent publishers.

Some publishers accept proposals based on PhD dissertations and are not overly concerned about a thesis being available in an institutional repository. Other publishers may ask for an embargo period. Some may have a blanket policy of not publishing dissertations. The policy will vary from publisher to publisher. If in doubt it is always best to contact the publisher to ask what is their policy.

Recent research indicates that almost 50% of university press welcome manuscripts that are revisions of Open Access e-theses, with a further almost 50% willing to publish on the basis of substantial revision. Open Access is rapidly evolving and changing the scholarly publication landscape.

Benefits of e-thesis

Some useful resources

Can Openly Accessible E-Theses Be Published as Monographs?

Can't Find It, Can't Sign It: On Dissertation Embargoes. Harvard University Press

Do Open Access Electronic Theses and Dissertations Diminish Publishing Opportunities in the Social Sciences and Humanities?

Electronic Theses & Dissertations: Publishing and policy based on fear

Open Access and the Graduate Author: A Dissertation Anxiety Manual

The Continuing Cautionary Tale of Creative Writing Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Open Access, Publishers and PhD Theses

PhD Theses - Drawing Attention to the Often Overlooked Articles in Open Access Repositories

Copyright, Open Access and your Thesis

Publisher policies

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How to Publish Your PhD

• Sarah Caro - Oxford University Press
• Description

Drawing on nearly twenty years in the book business Sarah Caro explains in a clear and accessible way the key issues facing the would-be author. Within the context of today's fast changing world where new technologies and increasing globalization continue to impact on academia and the world of academic publishing, key issues are discussed ranging from whether publishing your PhD is always the best way to enhance your career prospects to whether you should focus on journals or books.

A wealth of practical information and advice is included on:

• choosing a publisher
• revising your thesis
• putting together a proposal
• surviving the review process
• negotiating a contract
• working with your publishers marketing department.

The book is designed to be an easy to use, one stop guide with examples, chapter summaries and further reading. It will be an invaluable resource for emerging researchers across the broadest range of the humanities and social sciences and for all those teaching and advising them, in Europe and the US.

SAGE Study Skills are essential study guides for students of all levels. From how to write great essays and succeeding at university, to writing your undergraduate dissertation and doing postgraduate research, SAGE Study Skills help you get the best from your time at university. Visit the SAGE Study Skills hub for tips, resources and videos on study success!

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Visit the SAGE Study Skills hub for tips, resources and videos on study success!

Every PhD student should buy a copy of How to Publish your Research before and not after they enroll for a doctoral degree. Informative, practical and insightful, Sarah Caro will become the mentor of every successful PhD student. A mine of information and practical advice, this text is the definitive nuts-and-bolts manual on how to do it.  A safe and sure guide. ? ? ? ? ? ?

The book benefits from some mini-case studies of experienced academics’ experiences. These provide a useful alternative perspective. That said, the most valuable parts of the book are those where Caro writes most clearly as a publishing industry insider.

Good supplemental reading early in post-PhD publishing

This book has been recommended to my colleagues who are developing a Teesside University doctorate programme.

Good book with practical advice written in an easy to read style. Good for anyone embarking on a PhD or appropaching completion.

This book contain good practical information on how to get the PhD published.

It is clear and concise with excellents tips.

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From Masters dissertation to publication

In this post, Grace Lewis, an Asthma UK Centre for Applied Research PhD student at the University of Leeds, shares her experience of writing a journal article from her MPH dissertation completed with the Usher Institute, University of Edinburgh.

Having completed the MPH online programme in 2019, I was invited to write a blog post about the experience of writing a journal article from my masters dissertation. I hope to share a few tips based on my learning from this experience. My background is as an Orthoptist in the NHS (many people look puzzled at the Orthoptist title - you can find out more here ).

I had been fortunate early in my career to be seconded as a research assistant working on a crosssectional study and so I had some experience as a co-author in amongst a list of much more experienced authors. In this blog, I’ll tell you a little about my experience of a first author role. 

I had been keen to take the dissertation route right from the start of the MPH to help with my goal of returning to research. Whilst studying MPH modules I developed an interest in tobacco-related health research. Like many ‘topics’ in public health, tobacco can be linked to numerous diseases and poses continuing challenges globally. With multiple complex factors involved in tobacco control, such as the publics’ choices and the psychology around smoking, the addiction factor, the policies for smoking reduction and legislation, and politico-legal will (only to name a few!) - this mix fascinated me and made me reflect on my childhood, pre-indoor non-smoking legislation, when public smoking was common-place indoors.

I had a challenging time with choosing a dissertation or study type. I was living overseas with limited local language skills and no real local network to develop a primary study from scratch. I had decided a systematic review or policy brief were not my first choices. On discussion with the dissertation leader and my eventual supervisor our interests in tobacco research and smoke free home promotion were aligned. I was invited to analyse newly emerging qualitative data from a smoke-free home study in Edinburgh and take my analysis in whichever direction I saw fit (with discussion), based upon the data. I was nervous to embark on this remotely whilst also being new to qualitative research. However, the connection to a live smoke-free home promotion project seemed like the perfect fit for me. In short, the dissertation explored parents’ experiences of stigma when using nicotine replacement therapy during a feasibility study to enable smoke-free homes for their families.

The journey to publication

With my dissertation almost done and dusted, Neneh asked if I might consider writing for publication. This was a little scary, as I’ve always struggled with writing concisely- how was I going to get all of the important points across from my dissertation, in a shortened version and still have it to a standard acceptable to reviewers and editors? Of course, the answer was lots of drafts and editing.

So, what was my writing process?/how did I get started?

I decided I should write a first draft in a generic journal-like format and see how it turned out. I knew it would be too long to begin with, but it gave me a starting point and stopped me from procrastinating! It is worth having an abstract that you and your co-authors are really happy with early on, in case you are asked for this prior to a full draft.

I had fortunately hoarded my dissertation notes, such as reflective diaries and memos, which helped me to remember my train of thought from months earlier.

Write a draft or choose a journal first?

It could be argued best to decide on the journal you’d like to submit to first. You’ll probably have an idea of some journals that might be a good fit, based on your MPH reading. Your supervisor will be able to suggest some and may have experience of the process involved for each journal, their likely turn-around time and such.

I did not want to rush my choice of journal to submit to first, as choosing what might turn out to be a bad fit would likely mean having to re-draft for submission to another journal. This meant I had a draft written before choosing a journal. There isn’t a right or wrong way (as far as I know, but I’m still learning), just things to consider.

Some points to think about

Impact factors

Having been out on a career break before starting the MPH, I was not too familiar with journal impact factors, and whilst not all journals publish an impact factor, some authors consider these important and you may wish to look at this when choosing a journal to submit to.

Most open access journals will add a publication fee known as an article processing charge (APC). For students especially, these are not cheap. If you had funding for your masters, there may be some funds available to you for an APC. It was suggested to me to write to the editors and ask if they might waive the APC as I was still a student and had moved onto a different university. This is where having your abstract ready will be useful.

Instructions for manuscripts

Most journals have instructions available online. It’s worth prereading these to be sure you are happy to write in their prescribed way, as some are more prescriptive than others.

Project managing

You will become a mini project manager as first author. You will write the first draft and ask for co-author comments and edits, arrange meetings, if needed, to discuss drafts and write re-drafts until you are all agreed on a final pre-submission draft. You will be dealing with all admin associated with your submission process and liaising with your co-authors, sometimes under journal timelines. This will include things like writing cover letters to editors, writing responses to reviewers and re-drafting, if needed, for re-review. Followed by re-drafting again for other journals should you need to move on from your first choice, if the article is not accepted.

Time management is something you may be thinking about if considering writing for publication (I certainly had questions about this a year or so ago)- So, how long does the whole process take? Each writing experience will be different, but I fitted mine in around a full-time job followed by a fulltime PhD, by writing mostly on Saturday mornings whilst my kids were at sports clubs. The article was published about one year after I had submitted my dissertation.

The right-journal-fit for your article should make life easier

I really agonised over which journal to submit to first. In searching and re-searching I found a special issue calling for papers that fitted my dissertation project perfectly and I was very glad that I had not rushed into submitting it elsewhere  prior to that (another point worth remembering is that many journals will not accept a manuscript that is under consideration elsewhere).

Remember your co-authors will likely have been through the writing and submission process many times as first and co-authors. Ask the questions that seem “silly” to put your mind at ease and allow you to focus rather than spend time unduly worrying about any doubts you may have. Co-author comments, feedback, and discussions with you about the article will be vital and will help build your confidence for the final submission.

Is it worth it?

You will need to invest time and potentially money if you cannot secure funds for the APC. As MPH students or graduates you will know that research waste is, well, potentially wasteful on many levels  and that there is an ever-increasing focus on sharing findings (and data, where appropriate) to maximise impact. Being a first author and/or co-author is great for your CV and applications- one of my PhD interview questions was along the lines of “are you planning to publish anything from your masters dissertation?” If you plan to stay in research or start a career in research it is a great starting point. Even if you aren’t staying in research, having a publication shows dedication and commitment to seeing a project through to another level and it can give a great sense of achievement.

Every experience is different, so it is worth speaking to contacts and colleagues for advice too, at least to be aware of potential pitfalls. My experience was positive and although it is easy to get swayed by hearing others’ negative experiences with journal reviews and rejections, there are positive stories out there too and a lot to be learned during the process.

If you decide this is for you, try to stay positive, and be willing to learn as you go. Good luck!

About Grace Lewis

"I am the current Student Representative on the Advocacy Committee at the Asthma UK Centre for Applied Research. I graduated from the University of Sheffield with a BMedSci (Hons) in Orthoptics and have seven years’ experience as a clinical Orthoptist in the NHS. I have some experience in quantitative and qualitative research methodology, and an interest in improving health-related quality of life. I completed a Master’s in Public Health (distinction) at the University of Edinburgh. During my master’s dissertation I developed an interest in novel familial interventions to improve child and family health, particularly respiratory health." 

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• Publishing Your Dissertation in a…

Publishing Your Dissertation in a Scholarly Journal

So you’ve decided you want to earn a PhD. You have read about the road blocks , you’ve selected your committee, and you’ve started writing your dissertation. But why start thinking about a publication? What does that have to do with earning the ultimate degree?

Writing a dissertation without a publication is like going to the trouble of making a cake but not baking it. No one can taste your cake, no one can benefit from your hard work—of course, no one can criticize your work either. But without a publication, or two or three, the dissertation is not technically a total success. You’d be amazed at how many people don’t get a publication out of their dissertation. Without advanced planning, a publication likely won’t happen, because, once again, there are often unanticipated roadblocks.

1. Publication will be completely driven by you and no one else. A publication will not be on the priority list of your dissertation committee. And you will likely be the only one to understand where to publish.

2. Planning is the most important step and the only way to be successful. If you wait until after you go through the dissertation process, you will be too exhausted to publish, and it won’t happen for a year or two. You must plan.

3. Configure your dissertation for three separate publications. This may be three separate chapters, or it may be three different data sets or arms of your data. Link this to the selection of your committee. In my previous articles, I recommended choosing a committee wisely, with different members being associated with different jobs. Committee members should not have similar areas of expertise. Their “jobs” should not overlap. There should be a content expert or literature review expert, a methods person, a results person and a “whip.” Ideally, the “whip” (think politics, as in majority whip or minority whip in Congress) is your dissertation chair. The jobs of each member should be distinct to avoid having members fighting or making conflicting suggestions. Each article should be aligned with a separate expert. So there can be a Review article, a Methods article, and a Results article.

4. You get to decide who is listed as an author on your articles. You will be first author, and your mentor should be last author (a position of honor). If a committee member does not contribute, they ethically should not be included in the list of authors. Many journals now ask you to list the authors along with their meaningful contributions.

5. Decide ahead of time the journals in which you wish to publish. Full disclosure — I am on the board of the Journal of the American Academy of PAs (JAAPA), and I’m a reviewer for the Journal of Physician Assistant Education (JPAE). I’m going to recommend these PA journals for one of your publications. Here is my pitch (although biased): We are THE scholarly journals for the profession. If your data is completely focused on PA education, then select JPAE. Think about JAAPA for any research on PAs themselves or PA analogues. Select a PA journal for a personal touch and some really important feedback. Your article will be on a stage with your peers. This gives you the home crowd advantage.

6. Lose ownership. Remember how I said your dissertation is like your baby? Well, your baby now has gone through elementary school and the tumultuous teenage years and currently is entering college. Your publication needs you to back off and give it some space. It will leave home for a while (often for the long review process). When it comes back, it might need to do some laundry, but it should essentially not look at all like the baby you once knew. A publication should look like a publication, not a dissertation. It should be neat and mature and all grown up.

7. Try for the highest level journal you can realistically get published in. Here is the main problem: time. You cannot ethically submit the same article to multiple journals. You will need to make sure you have three completely separate articles in order to submit to multiple journals. There are many people who believe you should publish in the most prestigious journal you can make it into. I do not disagree with this philosophy; however, the alternative is that your work might not get read in a higher scholarly journal because PAs and PA educators don’t tend to read these other journals. This is for you to decide. There are websites that can help you determine where to publish. But be careful and check out Beall’s List, a list of potentially predatory “scholarly” open-access publishers.

8. Best of luck — and don’t fail to publish. Don’t bake your cake and not put it in the oven. Remember to reach out to your peers within the profession to aid in your success. Ultimately, your committee will be pleased to add a publication to their CVs. They will remember this as their reward for all the hard work that they (and you) put into your PhD.

A publication is the lasting legacy for all of your tough efforts and sacrifice. It is the “so what” of all you have put into this academic Mt. Everest. Consider the impact that your work will have on the profession. Don’t run the marathon (or climb the mountain) and not cross the finish line!

Jennifer Coombs, PhD, MPAS, PA-C

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• Preparing your thesis

Publishing material from your thesis

Your rights to publish.

You retain the copyright in your thesis unless:

• your research is sponsored or funded by a funder with a claim on the intellectual property
• your research builds upon existing intellectual property generated by, or jointly invented with, Imperial employees or associates
• you are concurrently an employee of Imperial College London during your period of study

For details see Intellectual property

In principle, you may reproduce, or give others permission to reproduce, parts or the whole of your thesis but you must consider:

• third party works and the permission you have been given to use them - if  your permission does not extend to the intended use, send a second permission request to the owner of the third party copyright work
• any plans to apply for a patent application, meaning that you must postpone communication of your research through an embargo

Discuss any of the above issues with your supervisor.

Publishing in a journal

Journals generally accept papers based on work already written up in a thesis. Individual journal polices on what a journal considers to be prior publication can be found within the ‘information for authors’ section of the journal website. The United Kingdom Council of Research Repositories (UKCoRR) have produced this  Thesis prior publications spreadsheet on some of the publisher policies that you can use as guidance. If a publisher is concerned that your thesis has already been published online, you may apply for an embargo .

Your paper should be a reworking of the material in your thesis and written to conform to the journal's style guide. The course (publication section), offered by the Graduate School, offers helps and tips.

When quoting from your thesis or reusing figures, avoid self-plagiarism by citing and referencing any extracts copied or adapted from your thesis appropriately.

Publishing your whole thesis

If you intend to publish your thesis or are approached by a publisher, request a copy of the publishing agreement before signing it - make sure that publication is in your best interests and will not restrict your future use of the content.