Terminological Analysis of the Term “Monograph”

Submitted by Гость (not verified) on Thu, 08/25/2022 - 13:08

Библиосфера. 3 / 2021

Today the term “monograph” requires careful consideration, since the essence of the term itself is being changed over time and it takes into account the changing conditions in scholarly communication. The purpose of article is by means of the terminological analysis to identify the essential attributes of monograph, reflected in its various definitions. The article considers the terminological analysis of the term “monograph” according to a number of attributes: its material structure, intended purpose, presentation of material, coverage, number of authors, target audience, functions of a monograph for an author and a reader. The author used Russian language and English language dictionaries and research results as the main sources. There considered several approaches to understanding the term “monograph” (natural science interpretation of a monograph as a description of individual types and subjects, a monograph as a treatise on a single theme or problem, and a monograph as a separate publication in the form of a book). Main results are: the determination of the the attributes of a monograph reflecting its essence from the point of view of Russian speaking and English speaking practice, as well as the attributes of a scholarly monograph. The distinction among scholarly, industrial-practical and popular science monographs is typical only for Russian speaking practice, while monograph is primarily a treatise (scientific edition) for English sources. A reputational function of a monograph can become the prevailing function for an author, and sometimes it can be the only one purpose to write it. It is concluded that the main attributes of a scholarly monograph can be considered: the intended purpose - a scholarly one; the coverage - one theme or a problem; the number of authors - one or more authors; the target audience - specialists; the function for an author - the reputational one; the function for a reader - the informative one.

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