Thesis Submission and more

As you approach the completion of your research work, write an application to the chairman of the Board of Studies (BoS) of your department. Most of the time, the head of the department chairs the BoS. Tell your PhD supervisor to submit the application in the next BoS meeting, held 4-6 times in a year. So, ask your supervisor about the next BoS and pass it to him on that day or before to get your application presented before the BoS. members. 

Information you need to add to the application: 

1. Title of the thesis. Please visit the Academics and Research Section (beside the central library) and ask them to check your thesis title in their register book Take a picture of the page.

2. Number of publications at the time of application. You may mention accepted but not yet published works in the application. 

3. Registration number (VB xx of 20xx-xx)

4. Date of admission. 

Attachments: 

1. A photo of the thesis title and other details taken from the register book of the Academic and Research Section.

2. Result of coursework examination

3. Admission slip obtained at the time of PhD admission.

4. First pages of published research articles.

5. Presentation certificates (at least two, one of those must be international) 

After you obtain permission from the BoS meeting, prepare an Excel or LaTeX beamer presentation for a 30-minute talk. Usually, it should cover the works that will be included in your thesis. Ask the seniors or search online for templates that suit your requirements well. For LaTeX users, overleaf .com is a great place to start with. Math++ offers a sample beamer presentation. 

Click here to view/download.

Practice well before the final presentation in front of the lab members.

At this step, your guide will write an application to the head of the department for arranging the seminar at the next BoS meeting. He/she should mention the name of the external expert. The department will take care of it and will a notice will be put on the university website listing the names of the candidates appearing for the pre-PhD seminar. 

Also, remind your supervisor to make a list of reviewers for your final thesis. 

Writing a thesis is not a simple task and takes a long time to complete. Be careful about possible sources of mistakes. Start with a template obtained form one of your seniors or some website. Scroll down to find links to thesis and synopsis samples. 

The thesis usually has the following layout:

1. Title page

2. Dedication

3. Certificate from your guide and co-guide in official pad signed and stamped. (Download the format from here)

4. Declaration of the author (signed by author)

5. Acknowledgement (signed by author)

6. First page of plagiarism report (Drillbit). You will add this after you have completed writing the thesis. Check only the actual content of the thesis for plagiarism. Use tools like Adobe Acrobat to extract those pages from the whole thesis and tell your supervisor to check the plagiarism through his Drillbit account. In the original analysis page, turn off your own works, including the thesis.  Then download the report and extract the first page to include it within the thesis.

7. Abstract

8. Table of contents

9. List of Figures

10. List of tables

11. Chapter 1: Introduction

12. Chapter 2

13. Chapter 3

14. Chapter 4

15. Chapter 5

16. Conclusion and future directions

17. List of publications

18. Bibliography

19. First pages of published works.

The synopsis of the thesis almost looks like the 'Abstract' of your thesis. The title page of the synopsis would be the same as the title page of your thesis, except it is mentioned as 'Synopsis' on top of the thesis title. You may or may not add citations in synopsis. 

The last page of the synopsis must be signed by your supervisor, co-supervisor, and also by yourself.

The process is as follows:

• Collect the form from the departmental office. You may print out the from this pdf.

• It should be signed in the following order:

Supervisor =>  Head of the Department (also in duty of Seminar Library) => (If hosteller) Student Warden + Kitchen Secretary + Teacher Warder => Bhavana Library =>  Central library front desk => Dean of Students' Welfare  => Proctor  => Principal at Bhavana office => (just before thesis submission) Account section

Documents:

1. Hostel allotment card (original) at the time of visiting the Hostel Teacher Warden

2. Library Card while visiting libraries

3. Payment slips for hostellers should be produced before Proctor.

4. ID and Enrollment card at the principal office

5. Annual payment receipt and the thesis submission fees receipt. 

6. Attach an admission slip as proof of your studentship (may not be necessary).

Take one or more photocopies of the No Dues certificate. Don't lose the original. 

Number of thesis to be submitted: 4 (5 for those having a co-supervisor). Print one more for yourself. Ask for reduced size (85%), both-sided thesis print. 

Recommended printing style: one-sided, A4 page, hardbound

You can print at a local shop. For people near Kolkata, Dhar Brothers may be a good option, as they are very professional. Go for quality even if it costs more. 

For the CD, break each part of your thesis and rename the files in the following manner.

01_title.pdf

02_dedication.pdf

03_acknowledgements.pdf   (signed by you)

04_declaration_of_author.pdf  (signed by you)

05_pagarism_report.pdf

06_certificate.pdf (signed by supervisor and co-supervisor)

07_abstract.pdf

08_contents.pdf

09_list of figures.pdf

10_list of tables.pdf

11_chapter 1.pdf

12_chapter 2.pdf

13_chapter 3.pdf

14_chapter 4.pdf

15_chapter 5.pdf

16_future directions.pdf

17_list of publications.pdf

18_bibliography.pdf

19_seminar certificate.pdf  (seminar presentation certificates in one pdf)

20_synopsis.pdf (signed by you, your supervisor and co-supervisor)

80_recommendation.pdf  (pre-PhD report)

Write them on four or five (in case you have a co-supervisor) CD/DVD copies and check if they are working properly. You may also ask your printing guy to prepare them for you. For that, you need to give him signed copies of the acknowledgment, declaration of author, certificate, and the last page of the synopsis. 

Write the following the CDs, preferably with a marker pen:

1. Thesis title

2. Your name

3. Registration number

4. Name of the Department

Collect the thesis submission form along with Annexure I and II from the exam section. Fill it and get it signed by 

1. Scholar, that means you.

2. Guide and Co-guide

3. Head of the department

4. Principal (must attach the document listed below)

5. Joint registrar (Academic and Research Section). Ask someone in the office that you are submitting your thesis.  He/she will point you to one of the clerks who will verify your thesis title (in thesis, synopsis and the form) and write that "Thesis title verified" on the first page of the thesis submission form.

After this step, bring your annual fees receipt and a copy of  the thesis submission fees receipt (see the process  below) and show it to the accounts officer along with the original No Dues form. The officer will take all those receipts and sign on the No Dues form. After this, Take a xerox copy of the No Dues form and submit the copy at the time of submission of thesis.  

Attachments

1. Completed No Dues form (original)

2. pre-PhD report (original)

3. Coursework Marksheet (xerox copy, self-attested)

4. Drillbit plagiarism report (first page only)

5. Two papers (all pages, self-attested)

6. Two seminar presentation certificates (xerox copy, self-attested)

7. MSc mark sheet and certificate (xerox copy, self-attested)

8. Synopsis 

9. Annexure I (plagiarism verification) 

10. Annexure II (plagiarism exclusion certificate signed by supervisor and co-supervisor)

The thesis submission fee at Visva-Bharati is Rs. 2500 as of February 2023. Pay it via the SBICollect website. 

1. Search your institution's name. In the case of VB, search for "Visva", and then select "VISVA BHARATI UNIVERSITY".

2. Under "Payment Category," select "Misc Receipt."

3. Under "Purpose of Deposit," select "Others."

4. Under the "Remarks" section, put "PhD thesis submission fees for <your name>."

5. Fill the rest and pay the fees.

6. Take two copies of the printout of the receipt.

Before you submit, one officer in the adjacent room will verify your registration details. Tell him your name and regitration year mentioned in the registration number. He will verify it and write it on the thesis submision form. Then go ahead to the thesis submission room. Ask the person there to initate your submission process. The whole process takes some time, so try to arrive early. 

You need to produce the following documents:

1. Thesis, synopsis and CDs

2. Theis submission form 

3. Annexure I (plagarism verification) 

4. Annexure II (plagarism exclusion certificate signed by supervisor and co supervisor)

5. One passport size photo

6. pre-Phd report (original)

7. Completed No Dues form (xerox copy)

8. Re-registration fees receipt (if any)

9. Two seminar participation certificates (xerox copy, self attested)

10. Two papers (all pages, self attested)

11. Proof of the date of birth (MP admit or certificate)

12. Aadhar Card

13. Coursework Marksheet (xerox copy, self attested)

14. Ouriginal plagarism report (first page only)

15. Cast certificate (SC/ST/OBC)

16. PhD submission fees receipt

17. Migration certificate (if required)

18. MSc marksheet and certificate (xerox copy, self attested)

All documents should be self attested

Don't forget to obtain the thesis submission certificate. 

After the university receives all reports from the thesis examiners, a final viva voce will be arranged. Your supervisor will take care of it. Make your presentation ready once again. After viva voce is completed, it takes about a week to get results out. Now you can add Dr. before your name. 

After the result is published on the university website (visit here, if not found visit the archive). Keep a copy of it with you.

To apply for a provisional certificate you need the following documents:

1. Application Form (new format or visit here) (old format or visit here ) signed by Candidate and respective HoD.

2. Copy of No Dues Certificate 

3. Payment Receipt (Rs. 100) from SBICollect

4. Copy of PhD Result

Now submit it to the Bhavana Office. Ask them for quick processing in case of emergency. 

Some sample thesis and synopsis from Indian universities can be found in the shodhganga portal.

Link: https://shodhganga.inflibnet.ac.in/ (sometimes takes a lot to load)

Direct Link for Visva-Bharati

Hope this guideline helps you all. If you see any change in the process, or want to appreciate the author of this post, send an email to getmainul1@gmail.com.