Arts >> Books >> Books Other

What Is a Monograph?

The dictionary defines a monograph as a “learned treatise on a small area of learning,” which may not be particularly helpful in understanding what a monograph encompasses. Simplified, a monograph is a detailed article about a single, narrow topic.
  1. Monographs in Academia

    • Typically, monographs are written by academic experts, and are usually written for others researching or working in the same academic field. They are often published by a university press or by a specialized society of scholars. Generally accompanied by a comprehensive and lengthy bibliography, a monograph is a very dense and detailed treatment of a focused subject, compared to a broader approach taken by a book. For example, a book might cover Renaissance artists of the 1600s, while a monograph would detail the life and works of a single artist. Or, a book might discuss all of the plants of a particular species, such as basil (Ocimum basilicum), while the monograph would focus on a single member of the family, such as O. basilicum “Purple Ruffles.”

Books Other

Related Categories