Submitting Your Thesis or Dissertation for Review

Initial Submission

Initial submission to the SGS should coincide with the submission of the T/D to one’s supervisory committee (which should occur at least two weeks before one’s defense) or by the deadlines posted on the Theses and Dissertations web page—whichever comes first.

These Kuali forms should be submitted online by the graduate student before the initial format review deadline:

• Preliminary Approval of Thesis or Dissertation (Kuali Form)
• MOspace License Agreement (Kuali Form)
• Optional: Embargo Request for Thesis or Dissertation (Kuali Form; for current students) to delay the release of the publication

To submit one's T/D, a student should start the online Preliminary Approval of Thesis or Dissertation Kuali form and attach these items to it before submitting:

1. A PDF of their thesis or dissertation draft
2. A PDF of an Adobe Acrobat Pro Accessibility Report of their thesis or dissertation draft
3. Recommended, but not required: A PDF of the PAC accessibility checker's WCAG report
   • Note: Students' use of the PAC checker should only be done if using the CURRENT downloadable PAC PC version. Students should NOT use web versions of accessibility checkers.

• Lastname-FirstName-Thesis (or Dissertation)-SemesterAbbreviationYear.pdf (e.g., Doe-Kay-Dissertation-FS26.pdf, Doe-Kay-Dissertation-V1-FS26.pdf) 
• If a student needs to submit Supplementary Files, then email Sarah Beach with the files attached while copying your chair on the message.

On the Preliminary Approval of Thesis or Dissertation form, students will also provide their planned T/D defense date, the title of their T/D, and indicate the citation style they are using in their document.

Kuali forms are available online in multiple locations:

• GradProRoo web page under the subheading “Degree Progress Forms”
• Kuali Build web page under “School of Graduate Studies”
• SGS' Forms for Graduate Students web page

Format Review

After a student has submitted their T/D with the required forms to the SGS, they will typically be notified, via email, within one to four weeks of what formatting revisions, if any, they need to complete. They can schedule a format review consultation with Program Manager, Sarah Beach, to discuss the review and receive formatting guidance by replying within one week after they have been emailed feedback. 

SGS program managers do not troubleshoot for digital accessibility issues in T/D documents.

• Students can utilize the resources provided on the UMKC Digital Accessibility web page.
• There are additional resources listed on the SGS web page Theses and Dissertations.
• Microsoft Support and Adobe, for Acrobat Pro, offer instructions, including videos.
• Students, faculty, and staff can email their questions about digital accessibility to itaccessibilitycenter@missouri.edu
• Students are encouraged to schedule consultations with the Graduate Writing Initiative.

The deadlines for T/D defenses in the term a student plans to graduate are posted on the Theses and Dissertations web page.

Immediately after the T/D defense, the supervisory committee chair/primary advisor should initiate the online Kuali forms:

1. Thesis or Dissertation Defense Results (to be completed by all committee members within 48 hours of the defense) and
2. Thesis or Dissertation Final Approvals of the final written document (due before the student can submit to ProQuest).

• Several tasks are completed as part of the Thesis or Dissertation Final Approvals Kuali form:
  • The Supervisory Committee Chair (or approved designee in the unit) initiates the form
  • Students verify their title and upload 2 files, and a 3rd is recommended:
    1. A PDF of their final T/D (which meets formatting guidelines and UMKC digital accessibility instructions)
    2. A PDF of the Adobe Acrobat Pro Accessibility Report of their T/D showing they passed all criteria (32 of 32 Options in all categories of the document)
    3. Recommended, but not required at this time: A PDF of the PAC accessibility checker's WCAG report showing 100 percent compliance 
       1. Note: Students should only use the CURRENT downloadable PAC PC version and the downloadable MAC version when it is available. Students should NOT use web versions of accessibility checkers.
  • Each committee member submits their evaluation
  • After having viewed and approved the final document and its accessibility report(s), the Supervisory Committee Chair completes the Attestation of Final Approval step
  • Student completes “Student Format Verification” step
  • Chair completes “UMKC Format Approval” step, then submits the form to the SGS for format review of the T/D

Note: Any additional assessment/evaluation forms needed by an individual program/department are not included in this SGS process.

Kuali forms are available online in multiple locations:

• GradProRoo web page under the subheading “Degree Progress Forms”
• Kuali Build web page under “School of Graduate Studies”
• SGS' Forms for Graduate Students web page

After the SGS receives the T/D Defense Results and T/D Final Approvals Kuali forms, with the required items, the SGS staff complete a final format review of a student's T/D. A student will be notified if they need to complete formatting revisions before the SGS will issue a certificate of acceptance of the T/D and provide them with instructions to submit it as a PDF/A or PDF/UA to UMKC’s Electronic Thesis and Dissertation (ETD) Administrator ProQuest.

Once all formatting corrections have been completed by the student, the SGS will issue a certificate of acceptance of the T/D and give them instructions on how to submit it as a PDF/A or PDF/UA to UMKC’s ETD Administrator ProQuest.

Please Note: If a T/D is found to be unacceptable or incomplete, students may be asked to consult with their advisor/supervisory committee and reapply for graduation and resubmit their T/D for a future semester.

• Warning! Papers submitted to ProQuest before SGS format review and certification will be deleted from the system.

After a student uploads their PDF/A or PDF/UA and completes their submission to ProQuest, then it is checked by SGS staff. If it is the correct file and the submission is complete, it can be accepted. Next, the SGS staff will finalize the certification and notify the UMKC Office of the Registrar the student completed the T/D requirement for graduation.

After an ETD has been delivered to ProQuest, then the abstract and citation, and in most cases the full-text version, will be available through ProQuest and MOspace, which is a digital institutional repository for the University of Missouri System.