Indian Institute of Technology Bombay
Ph.D. Thesis / Master's Dissertation / Dual Degree Report Formatting Guidelines
Official layout specifications, binding margins, and document formatting requirements.
Governing Body: Academic Office (Maharashtra, IN)
1. Page Setup & Geometry
Page dimensions, binding margins, and print/digital alignments
2. Typography & Spacing Hierarchy
Font selections, heading styles, line spacing, and paragraph indentation
3. Technical & Archival Compliance
ETD ProQuest repository requirements, table spanning, and vector DPI rules
Table captions: above.
Figure captions: below.
Right-aligned equation numbers flushed_right. Preserves native MathML and Word equation blocks.
4. Preliminary Pages Checklist & Order
Strict graduate school ordering, title page numbering suppression, and Roman pagination
- 1Blank sheetsMandatoryPagination:
suppressed not countedRequirement: Two white sheets at the beginning and the end (binding requirement). - 2Title SheetMandatoryPagination:
suppressed counted - 3Dedication SheetOptional / If ApplicablePagination:
suppressed not counted - 4Approval SheetMandatoryPagination:
roman visibleRequirement: Hard-bound copies after successful Ph.D. viva only. If there is no dedication, this is the first auxiliary page and has no printed number; otherwise it is roman ii. - 5Declaration of Academic Honesty and IntegrityMandatoryPagination:
roman visibleRequirement: Specimen C-1 (AI tools used) or C-2 (no AI tools), per 265th Senate. - 6AbstractMandatoryPagination:
roman visibleRequirement: 500-word abstract plus thesis layout (chapter-wise description) and key words. - 7ContentsMandatoryPagination:
roman visible - 8List of FiguresMandatoryPagination:
roman visible - 9List of TablesMandatoryPagination:
roman visible - 10Abbreviation, Notation and NomenclatureMandatoryPagination:
roman visible
5. Physical Binding & Cover Specifications
Official cover colors, lettering, spine text, and archival copy binding
Front cover: full title 22 pt centered at top; full name 15 pt centered at middle; 40 mm Institute emblem, department, Institute name, and year at bottom. All lettering embossed in gold.
Spine Lettering: Degree, name of the candidate, and year of submission embossed in gold on the bound edge.
6. Academic Integrity, Similarity & AI Policy
Plagiarism threshold, similarity checking software, and Generative AI disclosure rules
Mandatory student declaration regarding Generative AI tools usage (Specimen C-1 for AI used, C-2 for no AI used per 265th Senate) in preliminary section. Assistive editing permitted with disclosure.
7. Institutional Declarations & Certificates
Signed certificates, declarations, and copyright statements named in the handbook
Signatories: Student
“I declare that this written submission represents my ideas in my own words and where others' ideas or words have been included, I have adequately cited and referenced the original sources. I also declare that I have adhered to all principles of academic honesty and integrity and have not misrepresented or fabricated or falsified any idea/data/fact/source in my submission. I understand that any violation of the above will be cause for disciplinary action by the Institute... I declare that I have used the following AI tools...”
Signatories: Student
“Same honesty clauses as C-1, plus: I declare that I have not used any of the modern AI tools or any other similar tools for writing the thesis.”
Chapter Opening & Print Setup
Chapter start placement, top margin drops, single vs double-sided print, and paper weight
Fresh odd-numbered page when double-sided. First page of each chapter has no header; page number at footer centre if header style is used.
First page of each chapter drops down 75 mm from the normal margin.
8. Institutional & Departmental Policies
The 500 word abstract shall highlight the important features and shall correspond to the electronic version submitted to the Library. The abstract in the thesis shall also include a chapter-wise layout and key words.
Ph.D. final hard-bound cover: Black with gold lettering.
Acknowledgments follow Literature Cited and are signed and dated by the candidate — they are not a front-matter item.
Appendices are numbered in Roman capitals and precede Literature Cited.
Each chapter begins on a fresh page (fresh odd page if double-sided) with an additional top margin of about 75 mm. Chapter number and title centered, 18 pt bold, mixed case (not all-caps).
Double-sided copies use mirrored left/right margins (30 mm on the binding edge).
First line of each paragraph is normally indented 12 mm / five characters; the candidate may omit indent if sufficient paragraph separation is provided.
Notice a discrepancy in this 2025 handbook?
Help keep Indian Institute of Technology Bombay formatting standards 100% verified for researchers.
Save 20+ Hours of Manual Formatting
Don't spend days manually tweaking Microsoft Word margins, Roman numeral page breaks, and table headers. ScholarSpec prepares your raw draft to official Indian Institute of Technology Bombay guidelines in seconds.
- Currency check 2026-09-19: still current. Academic Office guidelines page still dates the same Dissertation17june09-10.pdf as Updated on 23/07/2025. Ph.D. Rules PDF (title 13-08-2026) R.9.2.1 says the synopsis and thesis must follow the approved format on the academic homepage — it does not replace the millimetre layout.
- Acknowledgments are placed AFTER Literature Cited, not in front matter.
- Candidates may print single-sided or double-sided; even pages mirror left/right margins.
- October 2026 circular audit: verified against current academic circulars; updated header/footer margin parameters where centrally prescribed; added mandatory Generative AI disclosure policy in preliminary pages per UGC and Senate academic integrity regulations.
- Verified 2026-10-13 against primary sources: confirmed active DOAA guideline PDF (Dissertation17june09-10.pdf) for mirrored 30/20 mm margins, 1.5x line spacing, 15 mm header margin, 12 mm footer margin, 500-word abstract cap, and mandatory GenAI preliminary declaration.