JNTU PhD thesis format

How the JNTUH, JNTUK and JNTUA thesis formats differ

Find your university’s column before you do anything else. The rows in bold are the ones scholars most often get wrong because they copied a thesis from one of the other universities.

The Research Review Meeting (RRM) is common to all three: a regular review of your progress before a research committee. After that the terms differ, and so does the name of the pre-submission step. Use your own university’s terms in your forms and correspondence.

JNTU Hyderabad (JNTUH)

Layout

JNTUH’s thesis write-up guidelines are the most detailed of the three, and they use a typeface few other Indian universities use. The body text is Bookman Old Style, 12 point, on 100 GSM A4 bond paper, at 1.5 spacing. Margins are 1.5″ on the left and 1″ on the other sides. New paragraphs are indented five spaces. The thesis is printed on both sides. The cover and title page use Times New Roman bold: 16 for the title, 14 for “A THESIS” and 16 for “DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY”. Your name must be written exactly as on your SSC or CBSE certificate.

Order of pages

1. Title page
2. Declaration by the research scholar
3. Certificate from the supervisor and co-supervisor
4. Certificate from the Head of the Organisation or Institution (also required by the regulations)
5. Acknowledgement
6. Abstract
7. Table of contents, list of tables, list of figures and notation

These pages are numbered in lower-case roman numerals. Arabic numbering starts at the chapters. Two plain blank sheets go at the front and back of the bound copy.

Headings, captions and references

Sections are numbered 2.1 in bold capitals, and sub-sections 1.1.1 in bold title case. Figures are labelled “Fig: 1.1” and tables “Table 1.1”, with 9-point captions. References are also 9 point, single-spaced, in a serial-numbered list. For a book, give author(s), book title, publisher, year and pages. For a paper, give author(s), paper title, journal, volume, year and pages. JNTUH does not name a style such as IEEE or APA, so use one consistent style within that pattern. The suggested chapter sequence ends with a summary and conclusion, with a note that your original contribution must be highlighted.

Binding

Soft binding, with a white 300 GSM cover and the lettering in navy blue.

JNTU Kakinada (JNTUK)

Layout

JNTUK uses Times New Roman with a fixed set of heading sizes: chapter headings 16 bold, side headings 14 bold, sub-headings 12 bold, and body text 12. Line and paragraph spacing are 1.5. The paper is 100 GSM A4 executive bond. Margins are 1.5″ on the left, measured before binding, and 1″ on the other sides. All page numbers go at the bottom right. Chapter captions go at the top left. All mathematical equations and symbols are in italics. The thesis is printed on both sides only if it runs to more than 250 pages.

Order of pages

The specimen pages we found (annexed to the 2015-16 regulations) begin with two blank pages. Then come the declaration, the certificate from the supervisor and co-supervisor, a certificate from the Head or Director of the institution, the acknowledgements, the abstract, and the contents with lists of tables, figures and symbols. These are numbered in lower-case roman numerals. The recommended body is an introduction, a literature review, at least three contributory chapters, and conclusions.

Captions and references

Captions go below both tables and figures, in 12-point bold. Most universities put table captions above, so this is a common error. References may follow IEEE, ASME or ASCE format, with numbers in square brackets in the text. The regulations also say the list should be ordered alphabetically by author. That differs from standard IEEE practice, so ask your supervisor which order they want. Your published papers with an impact factor are bound into the end of the thesis, and this is compulsory.

Binding and soft copy

A black hard cover with gold lettering. Older regulations said maroon, so do not copy the colour from an older thesis. The soft copy is submitted in MS Word and also in LaTeX or PDF.

JNTU Anantapur (JNTUA)

Layout

JNTUA’s format rules are in a Directorate of R&D circular that is still in circulation. It is short: double-sided printing, 1.5 spacing, Times New Roman 12, and 1.25″ margins on all four sides. JNTUA is the only one of the three with equal margins. The documents we found set no paper weight, page-number position, heading sizes or cover colour. For those, the common convention in Indian university theses is A4 paper, page numbers at the bottom centre or bottom right, and decimal-numbered headings. Confirm these with your department.

Order of pages

JNTUA’s specimen pages give: title page (“A Thesis submitted to the JNTU Anantapur…”, under the guidance of your supervisor), declaration, supervisor’s certificate, abstract, preface, table of contents, list of tables, list of figures, list of appendices, the chapters, the bibliography and an index. The preface and index are specific to JNTUA. The specimen does not include a Head of Institution certificate, which JNTUH and JNTUK both require. The same circular gives the wording for the supervisor’s certificate. The specimen pages are old, so check the current version with R&D.

Structure and references

The circular sets the chapter structure closely: Chapter 1 introduction, Chapter 2 literature review, Chapters 3 to 6 the core work, and Chapter 7 summary, conclusions and recommendations, followed by references. References are numbered in the order they first appear, with the numbers in square brackets in the text. This is the standard IEEE approach, and our IEEE formatting guide covers the details.

Binding

Soft-bound copies go in for evaluation. A hard-bound copy for the library is submitted at the viva-voce.

Similarity limits: 24%, 30% or 20%

All three universities check similarity centrally, but the limits are different, and some are higher than the UGC’s Level 0 of 10%:

• JNTUH: the overall similarity must not exceed 24%, and no single source other than your own publications may exceed 3%. The check is done after the Colloquium, on a Word file of the thesis, and you get three chances. The single-source rule catches scholars who reuse a large block from one review paper, even when their overall figure is low.
• JNTUK: up to 30%, excluding your own publications. Above that, the levels are 30–40%, 40–60% and above 60%. A 2023 circular moved the checks to Turnitin. You need approval after the similarity check twice: before the Pre-talk and again before final submission.
• JNTUA: the thesis is accepted only if similarity is 20% or less. The fee covers up to three checks.

Aim well below your university’s limit. Different software gives different figures, and some examiners and journals apply stricter standards. Our plagiarism limits guide explains the UGC levels and how to read a report.

Pre-submission, copies, publications and Shodhganga

JNTUH

After your Research Review Meetings, you present a Colloquium to the Departmental Research Committee, bringing a draft thesis and five copies of the synopsis. You have up to three attempts. The synopsis is no more than 30 pages, and you also prepare a one-to-two-page abstract for Shodhganga. You then submit one approved synopsis, five copies of the thesis and a CD, with a panel of nine examiners, at least six of them from outside Telangana. The 2021-22 regulations give six months after the Colloquium to submit, but the Colloquium application form says three months, so confirm which applies to you. You need four papers, at least two in Web of Science, SCI or Scopus journals, with you as first author and JNTUH as your affiliation. One paper plus a recognised patent is an alternative. The thesis is uploaded to Shodhganga, and a corrected soft copy and a Shodhganga pro-forma are needed for the provisional certificate.

JNTUK

You need at least three six-monthly RRMs, showing about 20%, 50% and 90% progress, before the Pre-talk. For the Pre-talk, you bring six copies of the synopsis, a draft thesis and a plagiarism report from R&D, and at least 60% of the committee must attend. You submit the thesis within six months of the Pre-talk. At that point you hand in eight copies of the thesis and ten copies of the synopsis, which is far more than the other two. The synopsis goes to examiners before the thesis. The regulations we found require two papers in SCI or impact-factor journals, or in UGC-listed journals, with you as first author and only you, your supervisor and co-supervisor as authors. The university sends the soft copy to INFLIBNET.

JNTUA

Under the 2023-24 regulations, you need at least three RRMs (four for part-time scholars) before a pre-submission seminar. It is held before the Research Advisory Committee and is open to all faculty. For it, you submit five hard copies and a soft copy of the synopsis, with an undertaking that none of your papers are in clone journals. You submit the thesis within six months of the seminar being approved. The regulations say two soft-bound copies, but the submission form still says five, so ask R&D. You need four publications, at least two in SCI, SCIE or Scopus journals, with no more than four authors, you first and your supervisor second, and “Research Scholar, JNTUA” as your affiliation. The degree is awarded only after the thesis is uploaded to Shodhganga.

Pre-submission checklist

• You are using the rules of your own university, not a thesis from one of the other two.
• JNTUH: Bookman Old Style 12 on 100 GSM A4, left margin 1.5″ and others 1″, printed on both sides, soft white 300 GSM cover with navy blue lettering.
• JNTUK: Times New Roman with headings at 16/14/12 bold, page numbers at the bottom right, captions below, mathematical symbols in italics, black hard cover with gold lettering.
• JNTUA: Times New Roman 12, 1.25″ margins on all sides, printed on both sides, soft-bound copies for evaluation and a hard-bound copy for the viva.
• The front matter is in your university’s order, including the Head of Institution certificate (JNTUH and JNTUK) or the preface (JNTUA).
• Your name on the cover matches your SSC or CBSE certificate (JNTUH).
• The similarity report is under your university’s limit. For JNTUH, also check that no single source is over 3%.
• Your publications meet the current rule for your batch, and you have the authorship and affiliation that rule requires.
• The thesis is being submitted within the deadline after your Colloquium, Pre-talk or pre-submission seminar.
• You have the right number of thesis and synopsis copies, plus the soft copy in the format your university asks for.

Common mistakes

• Formatting from another JNTU university’s thesis. This is the most common mistake. The font, margins, captions and binding all differ.
• Using Times New Roman at JNTUH. The body text is Bookman Old Style.
• Putting table captions above the table at JNTUK. JNTUK puts all captions below.
• Using a maroon cover at JNTUK because an older thesis did. The current rule is black with gold lettering.
• Checking only the overall figure at JNTUH. A single source over 3% fails even if the total is under 24%.
• Leaving out the preface at JNTUA, or adding a Head of Institution certificate it does not ask for.
• Getting the number of copies wrong. JNTUK asks for eight thesis copies and ten synopses. Confirm the numbers for your university.

If you want the formatting checked against your own university’s rules before submission, our thesis editing and proofreading service includes a format review. It covers presentation only, and the research stays yours.