5 reasons why you should publish your PhD

Publishing after completing a PhD should be considered the natural next step for several compelling reasons—both personal and professional. Here’s why:

1. Sharing Your Contribution to Knowledge

A PhD is fundamentally about creating new knowledge. Publishing allows you to:

• Disseminate your findings to the wider academic and professional community.

• Validate your work through peer review.

• Contribute to ongoing conversations in your field.

2. Building Your Academic Reputation

Publishing helps establish your credibility and visibility:

• Journal articles, book chapters, or monographs become part of your scholarly portfolio.

• It shows you can translate complex research into publishable work, a key skill in academia.

• It opens doors to collaborations, speaking engagements, and future research opportunities.

3. Career Advancement

Whether you’re staying in academia or moving into industry:

• Publications are often required for postdoctoral positions, grants, and tenure-track jobs.

• In non-academic roles, publishing can demonstrate expertise, analytical skills, and thought leadership.

4. Making an Impact Beyond Academia

Publishing can help your research:

• Influence policy, practice, or public discourse.

• Reach interdisciplinary audiences or even the general public, especially if you publish in accessible formats or platforms.

5. Personal Fulfilment

After years of work, publishing is a way to:

• Celebrate and honour your achievement.

• Close the loop on your PhD journey by turning your thesis into something that lives beyond the university and is accessible to non-academic audiences.