The monograph is a treatise, that is, the written representation, of a single object in book form. This means that the monograph deals with a single state of affairs, a living being, a problem, a work or a personality. It is irrelevant how many authors are involved in this work, when the contributions are devised together. Monographs are usually holistic. So you are trying to illuminate and present a theme from all points of view. The term is also used as a counterpart to continuous collections such as periodicals.
The term refers to the Greek noun monographía (μονογραφία), which can be translated with the inscription and is formed from the words monos for single and graphein for writing. Thus, the translation shows what a script is about a single topic, but it is not that it was written by a single author. Let’s look at an example.
In the treatise Käthe Kollwitz with self-evidence and picture documents by Catherine Kramer, the author presents the life and work of the German graphic artist, painter and sculptor Käthe Kollwitz comprehensively. The artist’s oeuvre (total work) is shown on 160 pages. The monograph, therefore, strives to illuminate the theme holistically and revolves around a single personality.
The scope of such a treatise is not regulated thereby, is not subject to any regulations. Thus Kramer’s work on the German sculptor is rather limited, and there are also writings on individual topics covering well over 1000 pages. Here, of course, the choice of the object represented is of course decisive – a monograph on the portrayal of Mephisto in Goethe’s Faust, of course, offers far less material than a treatise on the life of Goethe’s work.
Monograph, handbook, textbook, anthology
The terms monograph, manual, textbook and anthology are not easy to separate from each other. However, by definition, there are quite a few differences between these concepts. These are shown in the following overview.
Monograph: Treats a single object comprehensively and tries to present it from all angles. Is often written by an author, but this is not a must. Work in the collective is also conceivable, if the individual employees jointly lay the texts together and do not separate their work in a chapter or section manner. This applies more to manuals and collections.
Handbook: The topic area is much broader, with higher priority areas being covered. For example, a manual might give an overview of the literary epochs, while a monograph would tend to be a single writer of the time. It is also common for manuals to be written by several authors, each with their own focus.
Textbook: Is very difficult to distinguish. Serves mainly to prepare a content so that it can be treated in class. Consequently, a monograph can well be a textbook. However, most of the textbooks remain rather superficial, so they only tackle topics to refer to further material. They are therefore not always holistic, which is a major difference.
Volume: A collection of individual texts by different authors on any subject. An anthology is then considered a monograph when the authors have refined and developed the individual texts together. If this is not so, one speaks rather of an anthology, a collection or a collection of essays. The anthology, however, does not contain any scientific work.
Monograph in the library
In the use of the term, the librarianship is more formal in nature, so the individual characteristics of the text-point, which were presented in this article, are partly disregarded and are oriented more on the basic translation of the word (inscription).
Monographs mean works that are in a volume, that is, are one-volume and have been authored by an author. This distinction is used to distinguish the texts of several books from books, and to separate them from independent literature, also called independent works. Fonts, which are part of a higher-level work (eg essays), are regarded as dependent.
Pharmacopoeia monographs
Pharmacies are collections of recognized rules on the quality, testing, storage and labeling of medicinal products, including the substances, materials and methods used in the manufacture and testing. In a monoclonal monograph, the characteristics of individual substances are presented and the requirements to be met by them.
Pharmacies are divided into a general as well as a special part. In the general part, there is a preface, an introduction to the topic as well as a general guide on how to use the book. The far more extensive part is the special one. This also includes the monographs. Here, individual active ingredients and their composition are explained.
Short overview: The essential characteristics of the text location at a glance
The monograph is a written work that treats and presents a single object holistically, thus holistically. It therefore does not remain on the surface or offers a broad overview of similar subject areas, but goes specifically into the depth.
Most of the monographs are written by a single author who has dealt extensively with the subject. Community projects are also conceivable, although the term is only applicable if all employees have influenced all texts. If the authors share the tasks in a chapter or section, the term collection or manual is usually used.
The library system covers the term “fonts”, which are one-handed, printed, and originate from a single author. Thus, the monograph of multi-volume writings and periodicals is delineated. Pharmacology uses monographs in medicines. These clarify the components and properties of various active ingredients.
Note: Typical examples that meet the characteristics of the texts are, among other things, the dissertation or a biography, which also deals with the overall work of a person.