diff --git a/app/models/role.rb b/app/models/role.rb
index 98f3bc096cdf4793cd4e63da16ad4fd4da0ae90d..381feaaa79ce3f9cddf3aea3c2117b0161c718fb 100644
--- a/app/models/role.rb
+++ b/app/models/role.rb
@@ -41,5 +41,9 @@ class Role < ApplicationRecord
   def self.supervisor
     find_by(name: 'supervisor') || create!(name: 'supervisor')
   end
+
+  def self.submitter
+    find_by(name: 'submitter') || create!(name: 'submitter')
+  end
   
 end
diff --git a/app/models/user.rb b/app/models/user.rb
index 4ec848aa9c0c5a2fd52642f1f5e00e443ac0e2dc..207a797fc3cb02f236661c5924f88db7a1f05c58 100644
--- a/app/models/user.rb
+++ b/app/models/user.rb
@@ -120,6 +120,13 @@ class User < ApplicationRecord
     false
   end
 
+  def is_submitter?
+    roles.each do |role|
+      return true if role.name == 'submitter'
+    end
+    false
+  end
+
   def can_edit?
     self.is_admin? || self.is_editor?
   end