monographie

Monographie is a non-serial, book-length scholarly work that presents a focused, in-depth study of a single subject, topic, or aspect. In library and bibliographic usage, the term denotes a publication that is intended to stand as an independent work, as opposed to articles in journals or to multi-volume collections that are part of a serial publication. The word is used in several languages (for example French and German) and is roughly equivalent to the English term monograph.

Typically, a monographie is written by one author, or by a group working under a single authorial plan; if a work has multiple authors but maintains a unified argument and structure, it may still be treated as a monographie, though many such works are classified as edited volumes.

Contents commonly include an introduction outlining the research question and scope, a literature review, methodology, results or analysis, and a conclusion, followed by references, footnotes, and appendices. It may present original empirical data, a comprehensive synthesis of existing research, or a historical-critical analysis.

Role and use in academia: monographs are key vehicles for disseminating original research and for establishing scholarly credibility; in libraries they are cataloged as non-serials, with standardized metadata and subject headings. The term is contrasted with serials, articles, or edited volumes. Monographie thus designates a primary, self-contained scholarly work that contributes to a field’s body of knowledge.