Annamalai University PhD thesis format

Which documents set the Annamalai University thesis format?

Everything you need is in one PDF: the Ph.D. Prospectus 2026-27, on the admissions pages of annamalaiuniversity.ac.in. Don’t be put off by the word “prospectus”. Chapter II of it is the full set of PhD regulations, and the thesis guidelines are appended at the end.

• Chapter II, the regulations. Clause 17 covers the synopsis, clause 18 the thesis (copies, binding, page limit, certificates, language), clauses 19 and 20 evaluation and viva, clause 26 plagiarism and clause 27 the Shodhganga deposit. The preamble says they follow the UGC’s 2016 regulations as amended in 2018 and 2022.
• Appendix I, guidelines for the synopsis.
• Appendix II, guidelines for the thesis, with specimens of the cover page, certificate, declaration, table of contents and lists.

The university departments and affiliated colleges have separate prospectuses, but the thesis clauses and Appendix II read the same in both. Some agriculture scholars are the exception. The Faculty of Agriculture runs two PhD streams, one following ICAR guidelines and one following UGC guidelines (clause 4.8). The ICAR stream has its own regulations in Chapter III of the same prospectus, with its own page limit (250 pages) and three copies. Scholars in the UGC stream follow the general regulations described here.

Appendix II opens with a warning worth taking seriously: “Non-compliance with any of these instructions may lead to the rejection of the thesis submitted.”

What order do the pages of an Annamalai thesis go in?

Section 3 of Appendix II lists thirteen items in the order they are bound. Note that the references come after the appendices, which is the reverse of what many scholars expect.

A few details from the rest of Appendix II:

• Tables and figures go after their first mention in the text, on the following page, inside the margins. Two small ones can share a page.
• There is no fixed chapter list, only a broad shape (introduction, main theme, results and conclusion), and each chapter needs its own title.
• Clause 18.4 of the regulations says your research papers are attached to the thesis. Appendix II doesn’t say where. Most scholars put copies after the List of Publications; confirm with your supervisor.

The abstract limit is four pages. The 2014 specifications said 350 words, which is a very different thing, so don’t take your length from a senior’s thesis.

What font, margins and spacing does Annamalai require?

Appendix II fixes nearly every layout setting.

The 13 pt body font is the thing most people miss. Word defaults to 11 or 12, and a thesis that has been typed for two years at 12 pt will grow by several pages when you change it. Change it early, then check your page count against the limit.

Headings mix styles: “1.1 OUTLINE OF THESIS” in capitals, “1.1.1 Literature Review” in title case. And the 20 mm paragraph indent is far deeper than Word’s default.

References and citation style

Appendix II names no style. It asks for citations “following the international standard”, placed preferably at the end of a sentence, in the same font as the text, with the reference list single-spaced at 13 pt. The older 2014 List of Style Manuals (Annexure-16) told scholars to follow the style manual of their discipline and listed MLA, APA, Chicago, CSE, IEEE and others, and that still works: use your field’s journal style, agree it with your supervisor, and don’t mix. Our citation styles comparison shows the main ones side by side.

Small errors inside Appendix II

Section 5 of Appendix II still numbers the front matter as if the list had twelve items (Roman for items 1 to 8, Arabic for 9 to 12), and its annexure cross-references are off by one. Go by section 7.1, which is clear: Roman numerals for the preliminary pages, Arabic from Chapter 1 to the end.

What goes on the Annamalai title page, certificate and declaration?

The cover page and title page specimen (Annexure I of Appendix II) is in Times New Roman and marks a size for each line. The title is 18 pt at 1.5 spacing. Your name with roll number, your supervisor’s name, the degree line (“DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY IN [subject]”) and the address block (department, faculty, Annamalai University, Annamalainagar - 608 002, Tamil Nadu, India) are 16 pt. Most other lines, including “A THESIS”, the italic “Submitted by” and “Under the supervision of”, and the month and year, are 14 pt. The cover wrapper carries the same text as the title page.

The certificate is typed in 12 pt at double spacing under the supervisor’s name and address block. It certifies that the thesis is a bonafide record of your work under their guidance during a stated period, that no degree, diploma, associateship or fellowship has been awarded on the basis of it, and that it represents your independent work. Clause 18.9 of the regulations also wants the supervisor’s statement to cover freedom from plagiarism. The specimen doesn’t include that sentence. Ask your supervisor to add one, or check with DARE whether the specimen wording is enough.

The declaration is signed by you with your roll number. You declare that the work is your own, that it hasn’t been submitted for a degree anywhere, that others’ work is acknowledged, and that you have not wilfully copied data, work or results from any source. Clause 18.10 asks for exactly this, including a statement that no part is plagiarised.

How do you submit a PhD thesis at Annamalai University?

The synopsis comes first

Under clause 17.1 you can submit the synopsis three months before your minimum duration ends (three years full-time, four part-time, less with an M.Phil.), but only with two research articles published or accepted in SCI, SCI-E, SSCI or Scopus-indexed Q1–Q4 journals, or double-blind peer-reviewed journals, and the RAC’s recommendation. The articles must carry the Annamalai University affiliation (clause 17.3). You give a pre-synopsis presentation, and the RAC meets just before submission to check the synopsis and the two papers and approve the examiner panel: ten names, five from India and five from abroad (for Tamil, Hindi, Linguistics and Fine Arts, five within Tamil Nadu and five outside).

Appendix I limits the synopsis to 25 pages, including references (no more than 12) and your list of publications, in Times New Roman 13 pt at 1.5 spacing. One RAC-approved copy goes to the Director, DARE with a soft copy. Our synopsis format guide covers how to write one.

The thesis

• Timing. Clause 22 lists “submission of thesis beyond three months from the date of approval of synopsis by the RAC without prior permission” as a ground for cancelling your registration. Have the thesis nearly final when the synopsis goes in.
• Copies. Four hard copies printed on both sides and soft-bound, each carrying a CD with the PDF (clause 18, Submission of Thesis).
• Binding. Appendix II section 8: side pinning or stitching, a wrapper of 300 GSM white art card, gloss laminated outside, adhesive binding, lettering in black.
• Length. No more than 300 pages excluding bibliography and appendices (clause 18.8). Going over needs your supervisor to write to the Director, DARE and get approval first.
• Fees. The synopsis and thesis aren’t processed until all fees are paid, and a no-dues certificate goes in with the thesis (clause 18.6).
• Language. English, except that Linguistics, History and Fine Arts theses may be in Tamil if the Department Research Committee recommended it at registration. Language subjects are written in that language (clause 18.11).

After submission, two examiners (one Indian, one from abroad) have 45 days to report (clause 19), and a copy of the thesis sits in the department library for at least 15 days before the public viva (clause 20.6). Our thesis submission guide covers the general steps.

Where the documents disagree on copies and length

• Clause 18 says four hard copies. Appendix II section 4 mentions “the final bound thesis (5 copies)”. Ask DARE how many to bind. Binding a fifth copy costs little and saves a second trip.
• Clause 18.8 caps the thesis at 300 pages excluding bibliography and appendices. Appendix II section 2 says the thesis is “normally between 100 and 300 pages” counted from the title page to the last page, references included. The regulation is the binding rule; the appendix gives the usual range.

What similarity limit does Annamalai apply, and who uploads to Shodhganga?

The regulations for university departments and affiliated colleges don’t give a similarity percentage, and they don’t name the software. Clause 26 deals only with consequences. If plagiarism is found in your synopsis, thesis or a paper, you are called to DARE, told to fix it and resubmit with a penalty, and your registration is cancelled if you don’t. The supervisor can lose recognition for five years. Self-plagiarism in publications can bring a fine of up to Rs. 50,000, and the paper can’t be used in the thesis. A degree can be withdrawn if plagiarism is found later.

The only place the prospectus names a tool is the chapter for the ICAR stream in agriculture: the thesis soft copy is checked on Turnitin, and a thesis beyond “the percentage of reproduction prescribed by UGC” is not accepted for valuation. That points to the UGC’s 2018 plagiarism regulations, which allow up to 10% similarity without penalty. Our plagiarism limits guide explains those levels. Everyone else, including UGC-stream agriculture scholars, should ask DARE which software and which limit they use before your final draft, and keep the report.

Shodhganga is handled by the university, not by you. Under clause 27 the institution uploads the electronic thesis to Shodhganga (INFLIBNET) once evaluation is successfully over and before the award is announced. One copy also goes to the department library and one to the University General Library. Keep a clean final PDF ready; our Shodhganga guide covers what the upload involves.

Annamalai University thesis checklist before submission

Run through this with your supervisor before the binder has your file. The three-month window after synopsis approval is short, so start early.

• Your two research articles (SCI, SCI-E, SSCI or Scopus Q1–Q4, or double-blind peer-reviewed) carry the Annamalai University affiliation, list you as first or corresponding author and include your supervisor.
• The synopsis (no more than 25 pages, Times New Roman 13 pt, at most 12 references) has been approved by the RAC, and the panel of ten examiners has gone in with it.
• You are within three months of the RAC approving your synopsis, or you have written permission for more time.
• The pages run in the Appendix II order, from cover page to List of Publications, with references after the appendices.
• Body text is Times New Roman 13 pt at 1.5 spacing on A4, 80 GSM paper, with a 35–40 mm left margin, 20–25 mm right, 30–35 mm top and 25–30 mm bottom.
• Page numbers are in the upper right corner, 20 mm down: Roman for the preliminary pages, Arabic from Chapter 1.
• The thesis is 300 pages or fewer, excluding bibliography and appendices, or your supervisor has the Director, DARE’s prior approval for more.
• Your published research papers are attached to the thesis.
• The certificate and declaration follow the Appendix II specimens, and your supervisor’s statement on independent work covers plagiarism, as clause 18.9 asks.
• You have four soft-bound copies, printed on both sides, each with a CD carrying the PDF, in a white 300 GSM gloss-laminated wrapper.
• All fees are paid and you have a no-dues certificate.

If you want the 13 pt text, 20 mm indents, heading scheme and page numbering set up for you, our thesis formatting service works to Appendix II. It changes layout only, never your content.