To be read or not to be read
In academic circles, a dissertation embodies the results of original research and substantiates a specific view or treatment of a subject, typically as an extended work written and submitted by a candidate for an academic degree, usually a doctorate.
Sometimes it is referred to as a thesis. Amusingly, it has been said that few people care about it, since only a handful will ever read it: you, your Ph.D. advisor, and three or four referee members of your dissertation committee (doctoral examiners) and perhaps a friend, spouse or other family member. There are also those who seek to discredit or tarnish you with plagiarism whether intentional or not. Lastly, of course, there are always the random “Ph.D. thesis thieves” in whole or in part. A similar readership analogy: Industry technical reports read from beginning to end statistically amount to a very low percentage; they are usually skimmed.
Usually the attending university library shelves and preserves a hard copy of your dissertation in its archives. Some graduates place a $20-bill and phone number inside and return years later to their alma mater to find the currency remaining. However, most papers nowadays are open access electronic submissions on the internet, which could possibly attract a greater readership and longer shelf life.
The secret to being read is to generate associated journal publications from distilled sections of your dissertation — in spite of Elon Musk’s statement that “Most [academic] papers are pretty useless.” The journal papers add readership and could generate ideas to contribute to the advancement of the topic. The journal papers are usually much more "digestible with less turgid obscure jargon, hopefully." Musk’s comments do not depreciate the value of higher education. Without dismissiveness, his point was that a large proportion of papers do not lead to meaningful practical applications or breakthroughs. Academia pushes a “publish or perish” ethos that leads to publication volume over impact.
Musk employs thousands of Ph.D. holders at Tesla, SpaceX, Neuralink and his other ventures. However, he hires top-tier talent without degrees as well (much like Google does). He values ability over credentials. One exceptional man who works as a co-founder of Neuralink is Dongjin “DJ” Seo, a genius Korean who works with medical implants whereby patients with paralysis can control computers and robotic arms with their thoughts. Neuralink has goals for blindness, dementia, epilepsy and artificial intelligence (AI) symbiosis in which both AI and humans depend on each other and contribute to each other.
Most employers do not read your dissertation and most hire because it is a formal requirement, like a union card. This is in part due to volume, velocity, variety, veracity and value of research. The hiring committee at my present university did not read any of my publications. Admittedly, they were 30-plus years old and obsolete with the interim ensuing technology at the time of my interview.
Every year in the U.S. alone, around 58,000 dissertations are written and defended. Also, every year in the U.S. alone approximately 625,000 scientific research and technical journal articles are published in 30,000 active journals. Open-access and digital platforms have expanded the reach and frequency of journal output. Through international collaborations, the global scientific community continues pushing favorable boundaries.
The author (wrjones@vsu.edu) published the novella “Beyond Harvard” and teaches English as a second language.