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PKD

Indian Institute of Technology Palakkad

Ph.D. / M.S. (by Research) Thesis Formatting Guidelines

Official layout specifications, binding margins, and document formatting requirements.

Governing Body: Academic Section (Kerala, IN)

Degree Scope:🎓 Ph.D. / Doctoral📚 Master's / M.Tech. (central handbook)🔬 M.S. by Research
Official Handbook:
Thesis formatting instructions — IIT Palakkad (template v1.1, 5 May 2019, still the public page)
View Official Handbook ↗
Paper Dimensions
A4 (210 mm × 297 mm)*
Binding Margins
1.3 in Left / 1.6 in Right
Standard Typography
Times New Roman (12pt)*
Line Spacing
1.5x*

1. Page Setup & Geometry

Page dimensions, binding margins, and print/digital alignments

A4*
Top: 1 in
Binding: 1.3 in
[Header]Page 1
[Front matter*]
Right: 1.6 in
Bottom: 1.6 in
Left (Binding Gutter)
1.3in(3.30 cm)
Right Margin
1.6in(4.06 cm)
Top Margin
1in(2.54 cm)
Bottom Margin
1.6in(4.06 cm)
Margin Specification: Public page: Top 1 in (1.6 in on the first page of a chapter); Bottom 1.6 in (pages without footnotes); Binding side 1.3 in (left on odd pages, right on even); Non-binding side recommended 2.3 in, floor 1.6 in.

2. Typography & Spacing Hierarchy

Font selections, heading styles, line spacing, and paragraph indentation

Times New Roman*
Body Font
Times New Roman*
Font Size
12pt*
Line Spacing
1.5x*
Paragraph Indent
12.7 mm*
Spacing Exceptions: Recommended 1.1 line spacing when using Palatino or Book Antiqua. Not stored as a required value because the page labels it Recommended and allows up to 1.5 with Times New Roman.

3. Technical & Archival Compliance

ETD ProQuest repository requirements, table spanning, and vector DPI rules

Institute ETD / library deposit
Tables Layout

Table captions: above*.

Figures & Graphics

Figure captions: below*.

4. Preliminary Pages Checklist & Order

Strict graduate school ordering, title page numbering suppression, and Roman pagination

Mandatory Sequence
  1. 1
    Title pageMandatory
    Pagination: unspecified
  2. 2
    Copyright InformationMandatory
    Pagination: unspecified
    Requirement: Back side of the title page.
  3. 3
    Certificate from supervisor(s)Mandatory
    Pagination: unspecified
  4. 4
    Declaration by the studentMandatory
    Pagination: unspecified
  5. 5
    DedicationsOptional / If Applicable
    Pagination: unspecified
  6. 6
    AbstractMandatory
    Pagination: unspecified
    Requirement: Starts on an odd-numbered page.
  7. 7
    List of Publications by the studentMandatory
    Pagination: unspecified
  8. 8
    AcknowledgementsMandatory
    Pagination: unspecified
  9. 9
    ContentsMandatory
    Pagination: unspecified

6. Academic Integrity, Similarity & AI Policy

Plagiarism threshold, similarity checking software, and Generative AI disclosure rules

Policy & Disclosure
Plagiarism Certificate Required
Required with Submission

Ph.D. submission SOP (2024-10) requires a Certificate on Plagiarism Check before the thesis-submission meeting. The SOP is process, not millimetre layout.

Generative AI Policy
Disclosure Statement Required

In accordance with UGC (Promotion of Academic Integrity) regulations and Institute Senate resolutions, students must disclose all generative AI assistance.

7. Institutional Declarations & Certificates

Signed certificates, declarations, and copyright statements named in the handbook

Forms
Certificate from supervisor(s)Required

Signatories: Supervisor

Page 3 of the prescribed preamble; page 4 blank.

Chapter Opening & Print Setup

Chapter start placement, top margin drops, single vs double-sided print, and paper weight

Layout
Chapter Start
Recto (Odd-Numbered Page)

Each new part or chapter starts on an odd-numbered page. First page of a chapter uses 1.6 in top vs 1.0 in on normal pages (extra 0.6 in = 15.24 mm).

Chapter Drop
+15.24 mm Top Margin

First page of each chapter drops down 15.24 mm from the normal margin.

Printing Format
Double-Sided Printing (Mandatory)

8. Institutional & Departmental Policies

Institutional Policy: Currency check 2026-09-19: template v1.1 (5 May 2019) is still the latest public formatting instruction on iitpkd.ac.in. Login-walled zip files were not used as numeric sources.
Recommended fonts only

Palatino 11 pt / 1.1 spacing is recommended, not stored as a required body face. Do not invent Times New Roman 12 / 1.5 as the Palakkad default.

Paper size not stated

The public formatting page does not name A4 or Letter. Paper size remains null.

Notice a discrepancy in this 2019 handbook?

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*ScholarSpec is a pre-submission formatting assistant. Output is calibrated to official university graduate handbooks.
Editorial Tutorials & Standards

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* Provisional ScholarSpec layout used where the cited handbook does not specify this value. Confirm with your thesis office before submission.

  • Currency check 2026-09-19: previously blocked. The Academic Section now publishes https://iitpkd.ac.in/thesis-formatting-instructions. Template version 1.1 (5 May 2019) is still the file advertised on that page; no later public millimetre rewrite was found. Zip templates themselves may require institute email; numbers below are taken only from the public HTML.
  • Font options are labelled Recommended (LaTeX Palatino 11 pt with 1.1 spacing; Word Palatino Linotype or Book Antiqua). If a different font such as Times New Roman is used, the page allows up to 12 pt and maximum 1.5 spacing. Those alternatives are not stored as required bodyFont/lineSpacing.
  • Non-binding margin 2.3 in is Recommended for margin notes and 'may be reduced to 1.6 inches but not lesser'. The stored right margin is the 1.6 in floor, not the 2.3 in recommendation.
  • Verified 2026-10-13 against primary sources: confirmed active thesis formatting page on iitpkd.ac.in specifying 1.3 in binding margin and 1.6 in outer margin while paper size remains unstated (A4 provisional overlay); GenAI declaration policy enforced.