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Submission

Submitting the final copy of the thesis or dissertation for partial fulfillment of the requirements of a graduate degree is a multi-part process. For all master’s and doctoral students, the submission process includes submitting a final draft (approved by the Graduate School) to TRACE in PDF format and delivering a copy of the approval form to the Graduate School.

Submitting to TRACE

Students are required to upload their drafts to TRACE, the Tennessee Research and Creative Exchange digital repository at UT. TRACE provides long-term access and preservation services for the intellectual and creative output of the university’s academic, research, and administrative communities. The growing collection of official copies of theses and dissertations accepted by the Graduate School makes up one of the largest collections in TRACE.

This draft is submitted in order for the Coordinator of Student Services to ensure that the draft is free of formatting errors. Email draft submissions are not accepted. All drafts must be submitted through TRACE. Contact the Coordinator of Student Services in the Graduate School for more Information.

Before submitting the work to TRACE, be sure to review the Graduate School’s Guide to the Preparation of Theses and Dissertations to better understand the formatting requirements expected by the Graduate School.

Instructions for Submission


Use these instructions if this is the first time you are submitting a draft.

  1. Visit TRACE:
  2. Select “My Account” from the left navigation menu.
  3. If this is the first time logging in, click on “Sign Up” under Create New Account and add all information required.
    • Please use your UT email address as your login and only use this email address. Do not create duplicate accounts.
    • You will receive an email to confirm your email address. Please use that email address to confirm.
  4. After confirming your email address, you will need to click on the link in your email and it will bring you to your My Account page. You may select “Edit Profile” to update personal information and password.
  5. Select “Submit your Work” from the left navigation menu.
    • Review the Submission Agreement.
    • Confirm your agreement with the checkbox, and click “Continue”.
  6. On the next page, provide details of your work.
    • Complete all required elements: title, author, date of award (the semester you are graduating) and degree type (thesis or dissertation). Other information can be completed, including an abstract, your major professor and committee members,
      etc.
    • Carefully review to ensure all information is accurate.
    • Your name must be listed as it is listed in the UT Directory. Please check with the Coordinator of Student Services if you have any questions.
  7. Upload full text.
    • Upload your draft (in Word or PDF formats) using the form fields at the bottom of the page and click “Submit” to finalize your submission.
    • Using “Additional Files,” include any supplementary files you want to include (audio, video, spreadsheets, etc.).
  8. After all information is entered, and files have been uploaded, click “Submit”.
  9. After submitting your draft, you should receive confirmation on the next page.
  10. Once your work has been submitted, email the Coordinator of Student Services, confirming your submission.
    • The Graduate School reviews drafts in the order they are received.
    • Check your UT email frequently, including your junkmail folder, for response.



Use these instructions if you have previously submitted a draft to Trace.

  1. Visit TRACE:
  2. Select “My Account” from the left navigation menu and login using the credentials originally used to sign in (do not create a duplicate account).
  3. After logging into TRACE, you will be brought to your My Account page.
  4. Under “Theses/Dissertations”, click on the title for which you intend to submit a revised draft.
  5. Select “Revise thesis/dissertation” in the top left corner.
  6. On the next page, carefully review to ensure that all information is entered accurately, making any updates as needed.
  7. Upload full text.
    • Upload your revised draft (in Word or PDF formats) using the form fields at the bottom of the page and click “Submit” to finalize your submission.
    • Using “Additional Files,” include any supplementary files you want to include (audio, video, spreadsheets, etc.).
  8. Provide a reason for the revised draft (incorporated Graduate School feedback, added committee feedback, wrong draft initially submitted, etc.), and click “Submit”.
  9. After submitting your draft, you should receive confirmation on the next page.
  10. Once your work has been submitted, email the Coordinator of Student Services, confirming your submission.
    • The Graduate School reviews drafts in the order they are received.
    • Check your UT email frequently, including your junkmail folder, for response.


Delivering the Approval Form

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, we are accepting approval forms sent electronically through fall 2020 semester. The approval form should have original or electronic signatures from all committee members. The form must be received by the Coordinator of Student Services before 5:00pm on the deadline day. If you have difficulties getting the approval form complete, please contact the Coordinator of Student Services at thesis@utk.edu or 865-974-1337 immediately.

The deadline for submitting your approval form is not a “postmarked by” date. The approval form must reach the Coordinator of Student Services before 5:00 pm on that deadline. It is the responsibility of the student to get the approval form to the Coordinator of Student Services, regardless of your current location.

Survey of Earned Doctorates

For doctoral students, there is a third part of the process, which is to provide the certificate of completion of the Survey of Earned Doctorates to the Graduate School. After completion, a certificate will arrive by e-mail. This should be emailed to the Coordinator of Student Services as soon as it arrives. Do not print the form and deliver it in person to the Coordinator of Student Services.