University of Madras PhD thesis

What Madras fixes, and what it leaves to you

Clauses 13.1 to 13.7 of the regulations are quite short. The university fixes the language, spacing, font size, paper and binding. It also lists what should come on the title page and which certificates go before the contents page. After that, clause 13.5 leaves the style with your supervisor and the RAC. They decide it based on what is normal in your discipline.

So in Madras there are no fixed margins. Same with the typeface. APA, IEEE or any other citation style is also not compulsory here. A chemistry thesis and a Tamil literature thesis may look very different, and still both can be correct.

What we tell our scholars is to prepare a one-page style sheet early and take it to an RAC meeting. Write the margins, font, heading levels, caption style and reference style in that sheet. After the RAC gives approval for it, file one copy with you. Then at thesis stage nobody can say your format is wrong. If your field has no strong habit, keep it simple. Times New Roman 12 with 1.5 spacing is fine. Left margin you keep little wider, about an inch and a half, since the binder will stitch on that side. And follow one reference style from start to finish.

The few rules which are fixed, you have to follow strictly. A thesis in 11-point type, or one with hard cover binding, does not meet clause 13.6.

The Tamil abstract and the key-terms certificate

Many scholars from Kerala, Andhra Pradesh or North India get surprised by this rule. As per clause 13.7, a Tamil abstract is compulsory for every scholar, whatever the subject. It can be up to ten pages long, and it is placed before the contents page.

There is one more step. As per a Tamil Nadu government order of 2022 (D.O. No. 8093/K2/2022-1), you have to send the abstract and a key-terms index to the Tamil Virtual Academy at Kottur, Chennai. Both should be in Tamil and in English. The Academy checks them and gives a certificate. Attach this certificate with the thesis when you submit. The index of key terms goes on the first page after the contents (13.4(e)). If your thesis itself is in Tamil, you need not give the English versions.

Scholars ask us how much time the Academy takes. The regulations don’t mention any time, and it is not the same for everyone. Keep it as a separate task in your plan and start it once the abstract is settled. Before sending, ask a Tamil-speaking colleague from your own field to read the translation. Most corrections come because technical terms were translated word by word.

From synopsis to thesis: the order of things

You can apply for the synopsis after the minimum period, which is three years after a PG degree, and once you have permanent registration (12.1). After that the work moves in the order given here.

Stay regular with the RAC. The RAC meets once in six months to review your work, and you present before it every time (4.4, 8.2). Both the synopsis and the thesis need RAC approval before they go in (4.7). If you skipped RAC meetings earlier, it will create problem at this stage.

The synopsis. Keep the synopsis under 5,000 words. First you present it before the RAC. Once the RAC recommends it, send one printed copy and one soft copy to the university, in white soft binding. Certificates from your supervisor and your head of institution go along with it (12.3).

The examiner panel. Normally the panel of examiners goes from your supervisor together with the synopsis itself. Otherwise it has to reach within one month of the thesis at the latest (14.1). Each examiner should be at least an Associate Professor with 12 years of experience, or a scientist with more than 15 years (14.2.1).

The similarity certificate. Before you submit, the University Library checks the soft copy of the thesis (12.4).

The thesis. You can submit only after one month from the synopsis, and before six months from it are over. Within that time, give four printed copies and one soft copy (12.6). If you need more time, you can apply for one more extension of six months. Even that extension cannot take you beyond six years from your admission. Once six years are over, the thesis cannot be submitted at all (12.7).

The library’s similarity check

In Madras the official similarity check is done by the University Library. You only hand over the soft copy. The library checks it on licensed software and gives a certificate showing the level of similarity (12.4). For the application form and the current rules, contact the Librarian at Chepauk or the libraries in the other campuses (12.5).

Scholars mostly want to know what percentage is allowed. The regulations do not give any number. They only say the thesis is accepted if the level is acceptable under the rules the Syndicate makes and changes from time to time. When you apply, ask library to tell you which rule is in force now, and keep their reply with you.

From our side, we suggest keeping it at 10% or below. Under the UGC regulations of 2018 that is Level 0, and no penalty applies at that level. Check your draft first on whatever tool your department gives access to. Copied definitions, long literature passages and method text taken from other papers should be corrected before the official check itself.

The matter does not end with the award also. Years later even, suppose somebody finds plagiarism or malpractice in the thesis, the Syndicate will withdraw the degree (14.18).

The paper and the presentation you need

Clause 12.2 has two conditions. First one, before the synopsis you need one research paper published. And before the thesis, you must present your work one time in a seminar or conference, either as a talk or as a poster. Regional, national or international events are all fine.

About the journal, the main clause names UGC CARE, Scopus, Web of Science, PubMed and SCI journals. There is a sub-clause for humanities, social science, languages and science. That one says peer-reviewed or refereed journals “such as” Scopus, WoS, PubMed and SCI. UGC discontinued the CARE listing through its notice dated 11 February 2025, and the old list was not updated after October 2024. For this reason a Scopus or WoS journal is the safer option for most scholars now. Talk to your supervisor once and confirm the journal before sending the paper.

Many scholars miss one more condition. If you are working at a recognised college or research centre, your paper should still show the University of Madras in the affiliation line. When only your college name is there, the paper may not be accepted as proof.

Evaluation and the viva

The thesis is evaluated by three people (14.6). One is your supervisor, one is an examiner from abroad and one is from India. For languages, literature and some branches of humanities, the Vice-Chancellor may put a second Indian examiner in place of the foreign one. The two outside examiners have to send their reports within one month of getting the thesis (14.7).

In the report, each examiner puts the thesis in one of six grades, starting from “highly commended” down to “not commended” (14.8). Suppose one examiner gives “not commended”. Then an alternate examiner gets the thesis. Viva happens only when this alternate examiner accepts it (14.9). In case both of them say “not commended”, the scholar has to register again and do the submission once more (14.10).

For the viva, the external examiner is a recognised supervisor in your subject, normally from Chennai (14.12). Your supervisor conducts the viva. The request has to reach the Controller of Examinations at least three weeks before the date you want (14.14). A notice is sent to nearby departments and put up on the notice boards of your department, the institution and the library.

The viva is held in a room that visitors can reach easily (14.15). First you present your work. After that the examiners and the audience ask their questions. On the same day or the next working day, your supervisor and the external examiner send a joint report along with the corrected thesis and the attendance list (14.16).

Where outside help fits

Madras leaves many decisions to the RAC, so the real risk for scholars is inconsistency. We are seeing theses where one chapter is in APA, the next one has numbered references and the captions are in three different styles. A format pass at the end will clear this. Our thesis formatting help can apply the style sheet approved by your RAC and give you back a clean Word file and PDF. For help with the chapter content itself, look at our PhD thesis help in Chennai. Our Chennai page compares Madras with the other universities in the city.

Some scholars are moving from Anna University, or comparing with it. Anna has its own fixed template and uses 13-point font, so the system there is quite different. Check our Anna University guide for that. The formatting checklist has the checks which apply for every university.