What do you need right now?
Most people arrive here with one question. Pick the closest and go straight to it.
- S5My synopsis was rejected
- S12What is the similarity limit?
- P1How many publications do I need?
- S4I need the synopsis format
- S13Can I submit yet?
- S14My viva is coming up
- P3Coursework requirements
- —I need a form or template
- S11Thesis formatting rules
- S9I am collecting data
- S10My guide asked for statistics
- S1I have just started — where do I begin?
Not sure which applies to you? Answer three questions and we will tell you which stage you are at.
If this feels confusing, that is not a reflection on you. Doctoral procedure in India is set university by university, and almost nobody explains it properly at the start. Below is what this university expects, stage by stage, with the document that says so.
The whole journey at this university
Eleven points from admission to degree. The four in rose are review gates — the places where work is most often sent back, and where most people need help.
The numbers people ask for
Each figure is checked against the ordinance linked above. Where we have not confirmed one, we say so rather than estimate — a wrong number here can cost you a submission.
- Confirming with the university Similarity limit permitted ask your department
- Confirming with the university Coursework credits ask your department
- Confirming with the university Publications before submission ask your department
- Confirming with the university Minimum registration period ask your department
- Confirming with the university Maximum registration period ask your department
- Confirming with the university Progress report frequency ask your department
Why some of these are blank: we publish a figure only once someone here has read the current ordinance and confirmed it. We would rather show you a gap than a guess.
Need one of these today? Tell us your department and we will find the clause and come back — usually the same working day. Have the ordinance already? Send it and we will verify and publish it here, credited to you.
Ask for the clauseEvery stage, for this university
You do not need to read all of these. Find the one you are at — everything else can wait. Fifteen stages plus four tracks that run alongside. Review gates are marked in rose — those are the four points where work is most often sent back.
- S1Getting oriented
- S2Choosing a topic
- S3Literature and the gap
- S4Writing the synopsis
- S5 · gateDRC / RAC review
- S6Research design
- S7Ethics approval
- S8Instrument validation
- S9Collecting data
- S10Analysis
- S11Writing the thesis
- S12 · gateSimilarity check
- S13 · gateSubmission
- S14 · gateViva-voce
- S15Award
PhD regulations
Doctoral procedure at this university is set by its own ordinance, read together with the UGC minimum standards. Where the two differ, the university's ordinance governs your candidature — which is why a general article about "PhD rules in India" will mislead you.
What the ordinance covers, in plain language
confirming with the university — ask your department meanwhile
Source: Ask us for the current ordinance link, dated confirming with the university — ask your department meanwhile. Always confirm against the copy on the university website before you act on it.
DRC and RAC process
The committee that reviews your synopsis and progress goes by different names at different institutions — DRC, RAC, or doctoral committee. At this university it is called confirming with the university — ask your department meanwhile.
How it works here
confirming with the university — ask your department meanwhile
If your synopsis came back
This is ordinary and recoverable — most scholars experience it at least once. From the cases we have handled at this university, returns usually trace to one of these, in this order:
- The gap was not defensible. The committee could not see what was missing from existing work, only what was interesting. This sends you back to S3, not to the start.
- The format did not match the prescribed one. Returned before the content was read. Fixable in days.
- The method could not answer the question. A break between what you asked and what you proposed to measure.
- Feasibility. The committee did not believe the data was obtainable in the time available.
Not sure which of these applies to you? Send the committee's comments on WhatsApp. We will tell you which one it is and whether it is a days fix or a months fix — at no charge.
Send the commentsTalk it through, 15 minThesis and synopsis format
Format is the cheapest thing to get wrong and the most avoidable. A thesis returned on formatting has not been read.
| Paper size and margins | confirming with the university — ask your department meanwhile |
|---|---|
| Font and size | confirming with the university — ask your department meanwhile |
| Line spacing | confirming with the university — ask your department meanwhile |
| Citation style | confirming with the university — ask your department meanwhile |
| Required preliminary pages | confirming with the university — ask your department meanwhile |
| Binding and number of copies | confirming with the university — ask your department meanwhile |
| Soft copy requirement | confirming with the university — ask your department meanwhile |
Similarity and plagiarism policy
Two things are commonly confused. Similarity is a percentage a tool reports. Plagiarism is a finding a committee makes. A high similarity score is not in itself misconduct — what matters is where the matches sit and whether they are attributed.
| Permitted similarity | confirming with the university — ask your department meanwhile |
|---|---|
| Software used | confirming with the university — ask your department meanwhile |
| Who runs the check | confirming with the university — ask your department meanwhile |
| If the limit is exceeded | confirming with the university — ask your department meanwhile |
What a similarity report actually measures, and how to read yours →
Forms and downloads
Free, no email required. We mirror the university's own forms and mark the version date; if the university updates a form, ours is superseded and labelled as such.
Notifications and changes
Ordinances change, and superseded rules are kept here rather than deleted, so you can see which version applied when you registered.
Nothing recorded yet. When this university issues a circular that changes doctoral procedure, it will be listed here with its date, what changed, and which pages were updated as a result.
Seen a circular we have not? Departments often circulate changes before they reach the website. Send it over and we will verify and publish it, credited to you — it helps every scholar at this university.
Send us a circularCommon questions
Does the UGC regulation or the university ordinance apply to me?
Both, but they do different work. UGC sets minimum standards that universities may not fall below; your university's ordinance sets the procedure your candidature actually follows and may be stricter. Where guidance you find online conflicts with your ordinance, the ordinance governs. This is the single most common source of wrong advice in this area.
My guide says one thing and the ordinance says another. Which wins?
The ordinance governs formally, but this is usually a version problem rather than a disagreement — guides who have supervised for years sometimes carry forward a rule from an earlier ordinance. Ask, politely, which version they are working from, and bring the current clause. It is a document question, not a confrontation.
Can I use a synopsis format from another university?
No. Synopsis structure is prescribed institution by institution, and using the wrong one gets the document returned before anyone reads the content. It is the cheapest avoidable failure at this stage.
Is my similarity percentage a plagiarism finding?
No. Similarity is what software reports; plagiarism is what a committee determines. Correctly quoted and cited material is often flagged. What matters is where the matches sit and whether they are attributed — read the report match by match rather than reacting to the headline number.
Do I need papers published before I submit?
At most Indian universities, yes — which is why publication runs alongside your thesis rather than after it. The specific requirement for this university is in the At a glance table above; if that row is unfilled, we have not confirmed it and you should ask your department in writing.
The same stages at other universities
If you would rather not do this part yourself
Everything on this page stays free. If you want the synopsis reviewed against this university's format before it goes to the committee, that is a service — quoted on scope, and we will point you to the free option if that solves it.
Synopsis development