Definition of Monographer

A monograph is a work of writing upon a single subject, usually by a single author. It is often a scholarly essay or learned treatise, and may be released in the manner of a book or journal article. It is by definition a single document that forms a complete text in itself. An author may therefore declare her or his own work to be a monograph by intent, or a reader or critic might define a given text as a monograph for the purpose of analysis. Normally the term is used for a work intended to be a complete and detailed exposition of a substantial subject at a level more advanced than that of a textbook. However, the leading textbooks in a field are usually written as a large monograph, in that they put forward original ideas, draw on original material, and are agenda setting. Some textbooks are of such a quality that their individual chapters read as monographs. Such textbooks are considered to be classics within their field. Likewise, many monographs are less than agenda setting and some are of a weaker descriptive nature. Monographs form a component of the review of literature in science and engineering. Librarians consider a monograph to be a nonserial publication complete in one volume (book) or a finite number of volumes. Thus it differs from a serial publication such as a magazine, journal, or newspaper.