A monographic text, monograph or academic treatise, is an extremely detailed essay or book that covers a very specific topic or limited to a single topic. This type of text is designed to be understood as one, although sometimes they can be written in several volumes.
A monographic text presents new information that promotes the career and field in which the author develops. This generally follows a predictable pattern in terms of the content it covers.
Usually, only one author is involved in the development of a monographic text, but there may be cases of joint collaborations.
A review, a substantiation and a presentation usually accompany the process of publishing a monograph. The document itself tends to be short.
Functions of a monographic text
The main objective of a monographic text or monograph is to present information and academic research on a very specific topic.
The data included is always aimed at educating an audience in a certain way and, ideally, this should also promote the author's field of study towards future research.
This means that the individuals who write these documents always need to be sure that they are not conducting research or writing on topics that have already been covered without contributing something new.
Given the primary purpose of an academic treatise, professionals typically produce them as a means of displaying their expertise and gaining credibility. As a result of this, professionals manage to reach new and higher positions.
Many fields require the publication of one of these texts before the author can obtain a particular title or job. In general, it can be said that the more an author publishes, the more respected they will become.
However, in some cases a single essay or book can become so important that the author will always be recognized for that work, regardless of whether the author makes additional publications.
Structure
Monographic texts generally share the same basic elements, no matter what topics they are covering. They usually identify an objective for the research and the main question that the author was trying to answer.
They also try to clearly identify what results are expected from the work itself. These documents detail the results and discuss the implications and applications of the monograph.
The last element of importance in this type of publication is, of course, the sources and references used.
Although many of the academic treatises include this element, the author may be required to present them in some slightly different way, depending on his field, or he may have to add or omit a section.
Authors who develop in the fields of visual arts and humanities usually use the MLA (Modern Language Association) format, or those in social sciences use the APA (American Psychological Association) format.
Only one author is behind the authorship of a monograph, however, two academics can collaborate if they have been conducting the research jointly.
In cases where more than one person is in charge of writing the paper, the author whose name appears first is generally considered the lead researcher or main author.
The more complex an investigation is, or the longer it takes, the more likely it is that the essay or book will be longer and use multiple authors.
A collaboration brings additional expertise and new ideas to a project, but it can make the writing job more logistically challenging and can lead to conflict if the authors misunderstand the message you are trying to convey.
Review
Short monographs are similar in structure to a long essay, although they are usually longer than an article because they go into explaining more details. Longer publications can be comparable in length to a book.
It can take an author several weeks or months to write a short monograph, while a long one can take a year or more to develop. When these lengthy writings also require an extensive research period, the time devoted to this work must be longer and more forceful.
Almost all academic writing goes through a review period. Colleagues in the author's field examine the work for problems such as methodological flaws or errors in the structure of the text.
The author may have to extensively review their production based on the findings of the reviews. These may involve the extension of the investigation period. The production of a review of the writing can be prepared as a defense, in cases in which the production is linked to the acquisition of a title.
The author then presents a final version at a conference or at events deemed relevant within his field.
Publication
Authors are usually offered a single publication of their monograph. In particular cases, these can attract the attention of an even larger community and therefore the printing press must be larger to meet demand.
When one of these works takes the form of an essay, it is typically published within an academic journal. Universities or small printers usually handle a book version, but the costs associated with these types of publications can make it impractical to produce limited copies of a monograph.
As new technologies develop, many academics see them as a potential publishing solution.
Publishing a tract on the Internet can make it available to a much larger audience. Electronic publications are often much less expensive than physical alternatives.
Monographs are usually available in libraries after they have been published. These can also be found in academic departments at universities and businesses related to the publishing field.
References
- Your Dictionary. Monograph. yourdictionary.com.
- InnovateUs. Definition of a Monograph. 2013. innovateus.net.
- Pihlström, Sari Kivistö & Sami. THE MONOGRAPH - An old-fashioned publication forum or an ultimate scholarly achievement? Hesinki: Helsinki Collegium for Advanced Studies.
- WiseGeek.Monograph. 2017. wisegeek.org.
- Research Information. Is it an article? Is it a book? No, it's… December 2012. researchinformation.info.