College of Graduate Studies

All steps have deadlines that must be met. 
See the Graduate Student Calendar for dates specific to your graduation semester.

Defense/Defense Form

After you pass your defense, your advisor should submit the Defense Form.

Certificate of Approval

After your committee approves your final thesis/dissertation, you should submit the Certificate of Approval DocuSign form Follow the instructions carefully.

This form is routed to your committee members for signatures and lets us know that your thesis/dissertation is approved for publication. You should submit this form before uploading your paper to ProQuest.

Note: You will also create a Certificate of Approval page without signatures to include in your paper.

Submit Thesis/Dissertation to ProQuest

Create an account and upload your paper to ProQuest.

For more information, see the Submitting Your Thesis/Dissertation section below.

Make Requested Revisions

Graduate Studies will review your paper and contact you. Make any requested revisions and upload a revised copy of your paper. Please respond as soon as possible since there may be several rounds of revisions, and all revisions must be submitted and accepted by the deadline published in the Graduate Student Calendar.

Know which formatting style you are using and where to find guidance: 

• See the Style Options, Page Order, & Formatting section below.
• Also see the General Formatting page for information on required formatting, pages, and page numbering for all students.

See the Graduate Student Calendar for due dates for the defense form, Certificate of Approval, thesis/dissertation submission, final revisions, & more.

New for Spring 2026: Best Practices for Accessible Formatting

It is recommended that all theses and dissertations submitted to ProQuest meet accessibility standards. Please see New for Spring 2026: Best Practices for Accessible Formatting on the General Formatting page for additional information.

New for Fall 2025: Expanded Formatting Changes

1. Thesis/Dissertation Titles and Level 1 Page/Chapter titles can now be all caps OR title case
2. Use 1" margins OR mirrored margins (see Margins on General Formatting page)

Style Options

The default style is APA 7. Two of the most common approved styles are LaTeX and Manuscript. If your advisor and committee require you to use another style, such as ACS style, add a note in the comment box listing the style you used when you submit your work to Graduate Studies in ProQuest.

APA 7

Our General Formatting instructions are primarily based on the Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association, Seventh Edition (APA 7) guidelines. Additional resources are listed in the Getting Help section below.

LaTeX

Many students in math, science, and engineering use LaTeX to format their dissertation or thesis.

LaTeX users should use \TeX@Tech: The official guide to version 6 of TN Thesis by Andrew J. Hetzel. The guide and the associated text and class files (TNTmain.tex and TNThesis.class) can be downloaded here.

Notes:

• • Formatting for LaTeX documents may differ slightly from the guidelines on this website and is generally acceptable when using the most recent Tennessee Tech LaTeX files. If adjustments are required, we will notify you during the review process.
  • When you submit your paper in ProQuest, indicate that you used LaTeX in the Notes to Administrator field.
  • Refer to Accessibility and LaTeX on the General Formatting page for additional information.
  • Spring 2026 graduates: If you are already using an older version of LaTeX, you do not have to switch to Version 6, but you do need to ensure accessibility. See Accessibility and LaTeX on the General Formatting page for information about using Yuja Panorama or Awesome Eagle to make your thesis or dissertation accessible.
    
    

Manuscript Style (Environmental Sciences, Biology, and some ChemE papers)

Some programs at Tennessee Tech conduct research best presented as discrete journal articles rather than a continuous document. Manuscript chapters may better showcase individual projects and streamline publication, aligning with the program requirement for students to submit a manuscript for publication before graduation.

For students approved to use a manuscript formatting style, refer to the Manuscript Formatting Guidelines (updated October 2025). These students must:

• • Adhere to all requirements in the Manuscript Formatting Guidelines.
  • Have an introductory chapter and a concluding chapter.
  • Follow all general formatting requirements on the Graduate Studies website (margins, continuous pagination, fonts, font sizes, heading styles, line spacing, etc.).
  • Use the required pages and page order listed on the General Formatting page. However, students using Manuscript Style may place the lists of figures/tables, references, and appendices within each chapter instead of in the front matter or after the final chapter.

When you submit your paper in ProQuest, add a note to indicate that you are approved to use the manuscript format in the Notes to Administrator field.

Other Styles

If your committee approves the use of a predominant style in your field (e.g., ACS, MLA), include the approved style in the Notes to Administrator field. when submitting your paper to ProQuest.

Page Order & Formatting Requirements

Page order, page numbering, and general formatting requirements are on the General Formatting page.

The formatting instructions listed on our website primarily follow APA 7 guidelines from the 7th edition of the American Psychological Association's (APA) Publication Manual.

The pages of a Thesis or Dissertation must be submitted in the order specified on the General Formatting page. Students approved to use the Manuscript Style may include lists of figures/tables, references, and appendices with each chapter rather than placing them in the front matter or after the final chapter.

For consistency across the university, all students should use the formatting instructions listed on this website for the page numbers, margins, title page, abstract, copyright page, Certificate of Approval, dedication, acknowledgments, and vita regardless of the style guide used.

Instructions for formatting specific pages and elements can be found at the links below. This content can also be accessed by hovering over THESIS/DISSERTATION INFORMATION in the gold menu bar at the top of each page.

If you plan to use AI tools when writing your paper:

• Follow your advisor’s instructions and guidance regarding the use of AI tools, including any requirements for disclosure of substantive AI assistance in your work.
• Ensure compliance with Tennessee Tech Policy 216 – Student Academic Integrity and Tennessee Tech Policy 220 – Instructional and Assignment Use of Artificial Intelligence.
• The Center for Innovation in Teaching & Learning's Generative AI Citing Guide includes MLA, APA, and general guidance to properly acknowledge and cite AI-assisted work. Students using a specific manuscript style should follow the requirements of their journal or style guide. In other cases, or if you have questions, please consult your advisor.

Your thesis or dissertation must be submitted and all revision requests completed no later than the dates listed in the Graduate Student Calendar. 

All students submit their ETD (electronic thesis or dissertation) to the ProQuest ETD Administrator system for publication.

Your thesis or dissertation must be submitted as a PDF. The font must be embedded, and security settings for the document must show "No security." Additional information is available at https://support.proquest.com/s/article/Submitting-your-ETD?language=en_USpport.proquest.com/s/article/Submitting-your-ETD?language=en_US.

Please refer to:

• Overview & how to create a ProQuest ETD account  
• Submitting ETDs for Students
• Submission help
• Embargoes and restrictions guide

Supplemental files within certain parameters are permitted. More information is available on the ProQuest ETD website.

Go to www.etdadmin.com/tntech/ to create an account and submit your paper.

If you are using any style other than APA, please put a comment in the Notes to Administrator field specifying the style you used during the submission process.

Additional ProQuest Resources:

• ProQuest article: Submitting your ETD
• ETD Administrator: Frequently Asked Questions
• Contact ProQuest support

Visit the ProQuest Thesis/Dissertation Virtual "Bootcamp" for additional resources.

If supplementary materials—such as audio, video, images, raw data sets, questionnaire, oversized figures, spreadsheets, etc.—are part of your dissertation or thesis, you can submit them as supplementary files:

• Upload supplementary materials as part of the submission process
• Consider and apply accessibility standards
• When uploading a supplemental file, include a brief description and select the media type
• Maximum of 2 GB per file
• Create a zip file for:Files over 10 MB or if more than 30 individual files
• Large numbers of files; files that have a directory structure
• Do not embed media files in your PDF submission
• Mention files in your abstract
• List and describe files in an appendix/ces or a List of Works (goes after Lists of Tables and Figures)

For more information:

ETD Administrator FAQ - How can I include related files (sound clips, data sets, etc.) that are a critical part of my dissertation or thesis?
ETD Administrator FAQ - I want to submit a dissertation in a non-PDF format (e.g. audio file, video file, etc.). How can I do that?

After you submit your thesis or dissertation to ProQuest ETD Administrator, the College of Graduate Studies will assign a reviewer from our office. Our reviewers primarily check for correct and consistent formatting. This includes verifying that the page numbers, margins, title page,  Certificate of Approval, and vita are formatted as requested on this website. They may also ask for changes to other elements of your paper if anything questionable is noticed (e.g., a misspelling, incorrect tense, etc.). Depending on the length of your paper, time constraints for review, etc., the reviewer may request several rounds of changes. Our goal is to help you submit the most polished paper possible.

Please monitor your email frequently for questions and requests for revisions.

Requested revisions must be submitted no later than the date published in the Graduate Studies Calendar. 

Please reach out to your reviewer or gradstudies@tntech.edu if you have any questions.

The College of Graduate Studies submits all papers for the semester to ProQuest for publication at the same time. This usually occurs approximately one week after commencement in Fall and Spring semesters or one week after the last day of classes in Summer semesters. This timeframe allows all degree requirements to be verified and degrees to be awarded before the papers are released.

ProQuest will review your paper and contact you at the email associated with your ProQuest account if they have any questions or if any revisions are required. ProQuest's review process may take up to two weeks, and you'll receive a notification once your paper has been published.

Delayed Publishing

If you need to delay publishing (also referred to as an embargo), you can select a publishing delay option when you submit your paper to ProQuest. Your abstract and citation will be available in the ProQuest database after your accepted paper is delivered to ProQuest, but your paper will not be publicly available until the embargo has ended. If you need to change your embargo dates after your paper is delivered to ProQuest, you can email ProQuest at disspub@proquest.com with the request.

For additional information, please refer to:

• ProQuest Knowledge Bank
• ProQuest's Embargoes & Restrictions Guide (PDF)

Or contact ProQuest at disspub@proquest.com.

Ordering a Printed Copy of Your Thesis/Dissertation

You can order printed and bound copies for a fee during the submission process. ProQuest handles this for you. Be sure to ask if your department requires a bound copy. Additional information about ordering printed copies from ProQuest is at https://about.proquest.com/en/dissertations/dissertation-copy-options/.

General Questions

For general questions about the thesis/dissertation process, contact the College of Graduate Studies at gradstudies@tntech.edu.

Writing

• Contact an advisory committee member(s).
• The Writing Excellence Studio (WEST) offers free one-on-one writing consultation by appointment. They will not proofread or make edits to your paper, but they can help with grammar, language usage, citation, and other issues. 

APA Style

This webpage lists basic APA style information. Additional APA information can be found in the publications and websites listed below.

• The 7th edition of the American Psychological Association's Publication Manual and the Concise Guide to APA Style (7th ed.) are excellent resources if you have access to them. The library has a copy of  the American Psychological Association's Publication Manual in their Reference section.
• Two excellent online APA style and formatting resources are:

Purdue OWL APA APA Style

The APA manual, OWL Purdue, and APA Style guidelines may recommend different formatting and style choices than those provided on this website. However, to maintain historical consistency, please follow the formatting instructions for page numbers, margin, title page, Certificate of Approval, and vita as outlined here. Additionally, adhere to the page order specified on this site and do not use a running head.

General Research Help

The Volpe Library has several research tools, including EagleSearch, InterLibrary Loan, and Get It Now. 

Accessing Tennessee Tech's Theses/Dissertations in EagleSearch

Some theses and dissertations are in print in the library, and some are available online by following the directions below.  

• Go to the Library's databases
• Click on All Databases by Name (A-Z), then click on D
• Click on "Dissertations & Theses Global"
• In the search box, type Tennessee Technological University and search to see all or enter the title to search for a specific thesis or dissertation

Note: You need to sign in to EagleSearch with your Tennessee Tech username and password (sign in is in the top, right corner) to access all resources.

RefWorks

RefWorks is a citation and research manager available to all Tennessee Tech students. The Volpe Library has information about creating a RefWorks account and more at https://www.tntech.edu/library/refworks.php. 

You can access the PDF slides from the most recent information session and other resources here.

Information Session Slides

• March 2026 Information Sessions
  • Full March 2026 Presentation - Part 1 of 2 - Process, Formatting, & Resources
    • • Process, Formatting, & Resources Slides by Topic:
        • Overview & Deadlines
        • Website Tour
        • Formatting & Styles
        • Page Examples
        • Review Process & Publication Timeline
        • Resources & Tips
  • Full March 2026 Presentation - Part 2 of 2 - ProQuest Submission

Additional Information

• Links & Resources List (updated October 2025)
• Manuscript Formatting Guidelines (updated October 2025)

Every November, the Tennessee Conference of Graduate School (TCGS) recognizes the exceptional work of Tennessee graduate students. To apply for this award, contact the College of Graduate Studies. Applications are due to TCGS by December 1 each year.

VIEW THIS YEAR'S APPLICATION INSTRUCTIONS