From Dissertation to Publication: A Structured and Ethical Support Model for UG and MSc Projects

Undergraduate and MSc dissertations can generate work with potential for
dissemination or publication, yet students and supervisors often lack a clear, ethical, and realistic pathway from dissertation submission to manuscript. This presentation introduces a structured teaching and supervision model developed in Computing to support dissertation projects that may be suitable for dissemination or publication while maintaining assessment integrity and protecting student autonomy. The approach treats publication support as an extension of dissertation pedagogy rather than as an expectation of research output. It begins with a triage process that helps supervisors identify projects with dissemination potential and determine what additional work may be required, including strengthening the contribution, improving evidence quality, addressing methodological limitations, enhancing reproducibility, and assessing publication readiness. A staged dissertation-to-publication workflow is then used to guide supervision, incorporating consideration of data management, authorship expectations, ethical requirements, and realistic publication timelines. Existing literature suggests that students often receive limited structured guidance on writing for publication beyond the dissertation itself (Scherman and Hanlon, 2014; Belcher, 2009). Particular attention is given to power dynamics in supervision and the risk of implicit pressure on students to publish. Practical safeguards are presented, including post-assessment opt-in consent processes, transparent authorship discussions, and guidance for situations where students may permit limited reuse of dissertation materials without wishing to become co authors. Student involvement in research dissemination has been associated with increased confidence, engagement, and research skill development, although barriers relating to support, time, and supervision remain significant (Adebisi, 2022). Delegates will leave with adaptable tools, including a dissertation triage checklist, a dissertation-tomanuscript workflow, and consent templates that clearly separate assessment
activity from publication activity.