Can I embargo my thesis?

Yes. Most universities allow embargoes for a fixed term; select the embargo at deposit and provide any required justification. Publisher or funder terms may limit embargo length or require specific wording.

Is an electronic signature valid?

Yes. Electronic signatures that meet intent, consent, attribution, and record retention requirements comply with the ESIGN Act (15 U.S.C. §7001) and state UETA laws where adopted.

Who must sign the agreement?

The author signs in all cases; committee chair or graduate school officer signatures are often required to confirm approval and completion of degree requirements.

What if a publisher asks for exclusive rights?

Review publisher requests carefully. Consider granting a limited or delayed exclusive right and consult campus legal counsel to preserve repository deposit rights.

How do I correct a submitted agreement?

Contact the graduate school or repository immediately. Corrections may require a revised form, new signatures, or administrative approval before updating the record.

How long should I keep records?

Retain signed agreements per institutional policy and applicable law; see IRS rules (IRC §6501(a)) and HIPAA retention (45 CFR §164.530(j)) where relevant.

Electronic Signature
Templates
Education
Tennessee Thesis/Dissertation Publishing Agreement

Tennessee Thesis/Dissertation Publishing Agreement

This template is fully customizable. Edit the text, fill out the fields, and send it for signature. Give it a try!

What the Tennessee Thesis/Dissertation Publishing Agreement Is

The Tennessee Thesis/Dissertation Publishing Agreement is a formal author–university contract used when a graduate student deposits a thesis or dissertation with an institution in Tennessee. It documents the rights the university receives to archive and distribute the work, any nonexclusive license granted for institutional repositories, and options for embargoes or delayed public release. The agreement records the author’s copyright assertions, obligations for third‑party permissions, and any publisher permissions or transfer of rights the student elects to allow.

Why this Agreement Matters for Authors and Institutions

The agreement clarifies rights, preserves the author’s copyright choices, enables repository deposit, and sets embargo or access conditions to align academic, publisher, and funder requirements.

Who Typically Completes the Publishing Agreement

Graduate students preparing to deposit a thesis or dissertation, working with advisors and university offices.

Graduate students preparing degrees and seeking to publish work via the institutional repository.
Faculty advisors and dissertation committees approving final manuscript content and metadata.
Graduate school or library staff processing deposit, verifying rights, and setting embargo options.

Institutional administrators use the form to confirm compliance with copyright, embargo requests, and any third‑party licensing obligations.

Step-by-Step: Submitting the Agreement

Follow these four core steps to complete submission and ensure timely repository deposit.

01

Prepare Manuscript: Finalize formatting and obtain committee approval before completing the form.
02

Complete Agreement: Enter metadata, select embargo, and confirm rights and permissions.
03

Sign: Sign electronically or physically per university instructions.
04

Deposit: Upload document and signed agreement to the institutional repository or submit to graduate school.

Key Components to Expect in the Agreement

A standard Tennessee Thesis/Dissertation Publishing Agreement includes clauses that determine archiving, access, and retained rights; confirm these six elements before signing.

License Grant

Specifies the nonexclusive license the author grants the university for archival storage and distribution in the institutional repository.

Embargo and Access

Sets embargo duration and access level (open access, restricted, or closed) and may require a written justification for delays.

Copyright Retention

Confirms whether the author retains copyright or transfers specified rights to a publisher; describes scope of any transfer.

Third‑Party Permissions

Requires disclosure of copyrighted content owned by others and proof of permissions for reproduction or inclusion.

Publisher Requests

Explains how publisher embargoes or exclusive rights requests will be handled and whether the university will honor delays.

Repository Deposit

Describes required file formats, metadata fields, and the university’s role in assigning persistent identifiers or DOIs.

Required Document Data and Metadata

Author Name: Legal name

Document Title: Full title

Degree: Degree type

Department: Academic unit

Committee: Committee members

Effective Date: Signature date

Common Risks and Consequences to Watch For

Missing Signatures: Delays degree conferral

Incorrect Metadata: Indexing and citation errors

Unapproved Third‑Party Content: Copyright takedown risk

Incorrect Embargo Choice: Unintended public release

Unauthorized Rights Transfer: Loss of future licensing control

Incomplete Deposit: Repository rejection

Common Preparation Pitfalls

Delaying third‑party permission requests until after defense, which can block deposit for months.
Using inconsistent author or title metadata between the agreement and uploaded PDF, causing record mismatches.
Choosing an embargo without checking publisher or funder policies, which may conflict with future publication options.
Relying on scanned signatures with poor image quality that fail repository or registrar verification checks.

Practical Examples of Agreement Outcomes

Two brief scenarios show how authors commonly use embargo options and eSignature for deposit.

Case Study 1

Student elects one‑year embargo to pursue publication

Embargo period chosen to align with publisher submission timeline
The university holds the thesis in restricted access for one year, then releases the record to the repository automatically.

Case Study 2

Student uses an eSignature workflow to submit the agreement remotely

Signer authenticates by email and date stamp
Electronic submission speeds processing, produces an audit trail, and reduces time to repository deposit.

How Electronic Submission and Approval Typically Works

Electronic workflows streamline submission, routing for approvals, and repository ingestion in a predictable sequence.

Upload: Author uploads final PDF and supporting files.
Metadata Entry: Author completes metadata and selects embargo options.
Routing: Form routes to advisor and graduate school for approval.
Deposit: Approved files and agreement are deposited in repository.

Typical Digital Workflow Settings

Configure these fields when setting up an online submission workflow for the agreement.

Field	Configuration
Document Upload	Accept PDF/A and DOCX formats
Signer Authentication	Email link or SMS code
Embargo Selection	Dropdown: 6m, 1y, 2y, custom
Notifications	Email on each approval step

Technical Requirements for eSubmission and eSignatures

Ensure the platform supports required file types, signer authentication, and audit trails before accepting electronic agreements.

File Formats: PDF, PDF/A, DOCX accepted
Authentication: Email link, SMS code, or stronger KBA
Audit Trail: Capture timestamps, IP, and signer actions

Integrations with institutional systems (single sign‑on, repository APIs, and LMS) simplify records management and long‑term preservation.

Key Dates and Timing Considerations

Plan submission around degree conferral and publisher or funder deadlines to avoid delays.

Final Submission Deadline:

Follow university calendar for conferral term submission

Embargo Selection Deadline:

Set at deposit; changes may be restricted later

Publisher Negotiation Window:

Coordinate before signing publishing agreements

Committee Approval:

Obtain signatures before final deposit

Repository Release:

Automatic release after embargo expires

Milestones from Defense to Repository Release

A typical milestone sequence shows approval and release steps leading to public availability.

01

Defense Completed

Student passes defense and finalizes revisions.

02

Committee Signoff

Committee signs final manuscript and approves deposit.

03

Graduate School Review

University office checks formatting and metadata.

04

Repository Release

Document is made available per embargo settings.

eSignature Vendor Pricing and Feature Comparison

Common vendor choices for institutional eSignature workflows vary by price model, HIPAA support, and bulk send capabilities; signNow is listed first for comparison.

	signNow	DocuSign	Adobe Sign	PandaDoc	HelloSign
Starting Price	$8/user/mo	$15/user/mo	$14/user/mo	$19/user/mo	$15/user/mo
Free Trial	7-day free trial	Varies by plan	Varies by plan	Varies by plan	Varies by plan
Bulk Send	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	No
Audit Trail	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes
Envelope Cap	No cap	100 envelopes/user/year	Varies	Varies	Varies

Frequently Asked Questions about the Agreement

Answers to common questions about signing, embargoes, rights transfers, and electronic submission.

Need help? Contact support

Can I embargo my thesis?
Yes. Most universities allow embargoes for a fixed term; select the embargo at deposit and provide any required justification. Publisher or funder terms may limit embargo length or require specific wording.
Is an electronic signature valid?
Yes. Electronic signatures that meet intent, consent, attribution, and record retention requirements comply with the ESIGN Act (15 U.S.C. §7001) and state UETA laws where adopted.
Who must sign the agreement?
The author signs in all cases; committee chair or graduate school officer signatures are often required to confirm approval and completion of degree requirements.
What if a publisher asks for exclusive rights?
Review publisher requests carefully. Consider granting a limited or delayed exclusive right and consult campus legal counsel to preserve repository deposit rights.
How do I correct a submitted agreement?
Contact the graduate school or repository immediately. Corrections may require a revised form, new signatures, or administrative approval before updating the record.
How long should I keep records?
Retain signed agreements per institutional policy and applicable law; see IRS rules (IRC §6501(a)) and HIPAA retention (45 CFR §164.530(j)) where relevant.

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