The Graduate School, in partnership with the University Libraries, uses the TigerPrints ETD portal, hosted by Digital Commons and powered by bepress™, for the format review process as well as for electronic publishing and archiving of your work. Ultimately, your work will be available through the University’s repository, TigerPrints. Please do not send your manuscript directly to the Graduate School’s manuscript reviewer. When you have defended your research, finalized your thesis or dissertation and are ready for format review, use the following link to get to to the thesis and dissertation submission section of the Digital Commons upload portal:
Once you’re there, you will look for the buttons that read “ Submit Thesis” or “ Submit Dissertation.” While these two manuscript terms are used interchangeably at many institutions, Clemson University prefers the term THESIS for master’s/specialists’ manuscripts, and DISSERTATION for doctoral manuscripts.
To get to the ETD portal from the TigerPrints landing page, click the square button labeled “Theses & Dissertations.” Then, in the left sidebar menu under “Useful Links,” click “Submit ETD.”
PLEASE NOTE: Beginning with the Spring 2022 semester, using any other submission link will bypass the Graduate School; therefore, Manuscript Review will be unable to see or approve your submission.
The Graduate School’s three-page PDF final ETD Checklist serves two functions:
Choose the support, information, and files you may need from the ETD Templates, Links & Tools archive page. We also host a one-page Quick Links PDF that contains working links for the most basic resources.
For each of the steps in the thesis/dissertation submission and completion process, we’ve created a linked page containing basic information. We also provide individual “ PDF refs” for each step of the ETD process, containing additional detail, working links and searchable information about that step.
| Step | Go to webpage | Details | Download the PDF Ref |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | FORMAT | Format your thesis or dissertation manuscript according to the Graduate School’s guidelines | Step 1: Format Your Manuscript |
| 2 | DEFEND | Defend your thesis/dissertation, make any revisions required by your committee, and submit your signed GS7M or GS7D form. | Step 2: Defend Your Work Before Your Committee |
| 3 | CONVERT | Convert your manuscript to a PDF file. | Step 3: Convert Your Manuscript to PDF |
| 4 | SUBMIT | Both the review process and publishing/archiving are done online. The Manuscript Review office does not accept manuscripts via email, and printed hardcopies are not accepted for either review or publication. Follow the instructions for uploading your manuscript to TigerPrints ETD for review. Please read through the information on the SUBMIT page prior to uploading your manuscript. Note that there are no fees required to upload, publish and archive your thesis or dissertation. Wait for Feedback: You will receive a results email within approximately one to three business days. If your manuscript is approved, you have finished; congrats! If format revisions are needed, the Manuscript Reviewer will give instructions for them. |
Step 4: Submit Your Manuscript for Review and Publishing |
| 5 | REVISE | If revisions are required, you’ll need to make those revisions to your manuscript as detailed in the email from Manuscript Review, convert your revised document to PDF, upload, and wait for a response again. This process will be repeated until your manuscript is accepted. Be aware that many manuscripts require at least one round of revisions. Also, your manuscript will not be approved until Enrolled Services has received your signed GS7 form and updated your status in their database. [ Doctoral candidates only: Complete the Survey of Earned Doctorates .] | Step 5: Revise Manuscript Formatting |
| 6 | FINISH | Once you receive your acceptance email, you’ve finished. Congratulations! | Step 6: ETD Acceptance and What’s Next |
GRAD 360°, the Graduate School’s comprehensive, inclusive professional development program, invites all graduate researchers who are enrolled in research credit hours and working on a thesis or dissertation to access and use Turnitin®. Access to this anti-plagiarism software app is free to Clemson University users under an institutional license, and administered through Canvas. Turnitin® can help the individual researcher check that all citations are in place and that quoted and paraphrased material is properly attributed. Please note that this is an opportunity, not a requirement — it is not graded, there is no instructor feedback and the Graduate School will not monitor your participation. Your advisor or committee chair is the best source for answers to questions you may have about citations and how to interpret your Turnitin® results. Also, submitting your work to Turnitin® is not a substitute for Submitting to TigerPrints for formatting review and approval; these are two separate processes. The Manuscript Reviewer does not check your work for plagiarism.
Please note that this course opportunity is intended primarily for graduate students in the final stages of their degree requirements. Other Clemson University users may access it, but will not receive instructor support from GRAD 360°.
If you are a graduate student with a Clemson University login, you may self-enroll in the GRAD 360° Turnitin® for Graduate Researchers course via Canvas by going to https://clemson.instructure.com/search/all_courses/, entering grad 360 into the search field, and locating the course for the current semester.
Clemson Online hosts information about how Turnitin® can help you avoid plagiarism, plus useful tool links for both students and instructors. There are also information links within the GRAD 360° Turnitin® course assignment description.
As you enter your final semesters in graduate school, you’ll need to know when deadlines are coming up so you can plan ahead, structure your schedule, and minimize your stress level as you approach graduation day.
In graduate school, as in professional life, missing deadlines has consequences. Missing the GS2 Plan of Study filing deadline incurs late fees. Missing certain deadlines may delay your graduation or prevent you from participating in graduation ceremonies; the deadlines for completing your comps, submitting your final-official transcript to Graduate Admissions (see “What does ‘Official Transcript’ mean?” at the Admissions FAQ web page), filing your committee-signed GS7 form, submitting your final ETD, and ordering your diploma and graduation attire are examples.
Under certain extenuating circumstances, the initial manuscript submission date for format review may be flexed by a day or two, but be advised you’ll risk having less time to make revisions if you miss the first deadline.
Extenuating circumstances may include personal illness or injury, sudden illness of an immediate family member or committee member, military deployment, and visa issues. They do not include job-related or personal travel, scheduling of your defense too close to — or on the day of — the submission deadline ( please do not do this!), missing committee signatures on your GS7, or an unexpected number of content revisions required by your committee following your defense. If you think you may be late with initial submission of your ETD and have a legitimate reason, discuss options with your advisor and send an email to Manuscript Review. If you think you may be late turning in your GS7, email Enrolled Services to see if they will accept it late.
The final manuscript revision deadline is just that: final, not flexible.*
The week between the initial and final manuscript deadlines is for format revisions only. It’s not intended to buy you extra time to finish rewriting or making committee required revisions, or to wait for copyright permissions or committee approval. Any and all content revisions after the initial formatting submission deadline will need the written approval of your advisor, via the Dean of the Graduate School.
If you need to make content changes after the final ETD deadline, you will need to delay your graduation until the following semester.
*If you think you may miss the final manuscript deadline, which is approximately two weeks past the GS7 deadline, you may discuss with your advisor the option of delaying your graduation until the following semester. If you can complete all of your requirements, including an accepted manuscript and signed GS7, by the first day of classes for the coming semester, you will be cleared to graduate at the end of that semester without having to enroll in credit hours or pay tuition. View the Academic Calendar or check with Enrolled Services or for the exact deadline (first day of classes) for each semester, and please notify Enrolled Services that you plan to delay your graduation.
