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✓ Verified 2024
NITT

National Institute of Technology Tiruchirappalli

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

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

Governing Body: MS (by Research) and Ph.D. Section / Academic Office (Tamil Nadu, IN)

Degree Scope:🎓 Ph.D. / Doctoral📚 Master's / M.Tech. (central handbook)🔬 M.S. by Research
Official Handbook:
Guidelines for the Preparation of B.Tech. / M.Tech. / M.S. / Ph.D. Thesis (March 2024)
View Official Handbook ↗
Paper Dimensions
A4 (210 mm × 297 mm)
Binding Margins
38 mm Left / 25 mm 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: 25 mm
Binding: 38 mm
[Header]Page 1
[Front matter]
Right: 25 mm
Bottom: 25 mm
Left (Binding Gutter)
38mm
Right Margin
25mm
Top Margin
25mm
Bottom Margin
25mm
Margin Specification: Top 1 in (25 mm); left 1½ in (38 mm); bottom 1 in (25 mm); right 1 in (25 mm). Paper not lower than 80 gsm.

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*
Approved Typefaces:Times New Roman
Spacing Exceptions: Abstract narrative is described as double-spaced; table/figure captions may be single- or double-spaced. Dedication is single-spaced.

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
    Cover pageMandatory
    Pagination: suppressed counted
  2. 2
    Inside cover pageMandatory
    Pagination: unspecified
  3. 3
    Dedication pageOptional / If Applicable
    Pagination: unspecified
    Requirement: Optional; should not exceed one page.
  4. 4
    Bonafide CertificateMandatory
    Pagination: roman visible
    Requirement: Certified thesis submission; accompanied by mandatory student declaration disclosing any Generative AI tool assistance.
  5. 5
    Thesis certificateMandatory
    Pagination: roman visible
    Requirement: For M.S. / Ph.D. only. Accompanied by mandatory student declaration disclosing any Generative AI tool assistance.
  6. 6
    AbstractMandatory
    Pagination: roman visible
    Requirement: About 600 words, not exceeding two pages, maximum 6 key words.
  7. 7
    AcknowledgementsMandatory
    Pagination: roman visible
    Requirement: Should not exceed two pages.
  8. 8
    Table of ContentsMandatory
    Pagination: roman visible
  9. 9
    List of TablesMandatory
    Pagination: roman visible
  10. 10
    List of FiguresMandatory
    Pagination: roman visible
  11. 11
    List of Symbols, Abbreviations or NomenclatureOptional / If Applicable
    Pagination: roman visible

5. Physical Binding & Cover Specifications

Official cover colors, lettering, spine text, and archival copy binding

Final Archival Copy
Cover Color
Black

Soft cover bound in leather or rexin with a black-edge soft binding. Front cover: full title 20 pt centred at top; full name 14 pt centred in the middle; 1.25 in Institute emblem, department, Institute name, and year at the bottom.

Examination Copy
soft bound
Final Archival Copy
soft bound
Note: Summary table: Soft binding (edge with black colour strip).

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. Regulations 2024 require a plagiarism report attested by the supervisor. Form-T3 is the plagiarism verification form on the MS/Ph.D. Section page.

Generative AI Policy
Disclosure Statement Required

Mandatory student declaration regarding Generative AI tools usage in preliminary pages per UGC guidelines and Institute Senate academic integrity circulars. Uncredited AI text generation is subject to plagiarism penalties.

7. Institutional Declarations & Certificates

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

Forms
Bonafide CertificateRequired

Signatories: Guide

Thesis certificateRequired

Signatories: Research Supervisor

Chapter Opening & Print Setup

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

Layout
Chapter Start
New Page

Each chapter shall begin on a fresh page.

Printing Format
Single-Sided
Paper Weight
80 GSM

8. Institutional & Departmental Policies

Hard Copy Binding:

Soft binding with black edge strip; cover layout in 20 pt title / 14 pt name.

Mandatory Preliminaries:

Bonafide Certificate, Thesis certificate (M.S./Ph.D.), Abstract, Acknowledgements, TOC, lists; list of papers, CV, and Doctoral Committee for M.S./Ph.D.

Institutional Policy: March 2024 thesis guidelines are the millimetre authority. Ph.D. Regulations 2024 are process (copies, plagiarism, viva).
Institutional Policy: Currency check 2026-09-19: still the Thesis Guidelines PDF linked from the MS/Ph.D. Section.
Single-sided printing

Body text must be printed on only one side of each page.

No running headers

Page headers or running heads may not be used.

Black-edge soft binding

Soft cover with a black edge strip. Cover lettering sizes are specified; ScholarSpec does not print the hard cover.

Notice a discrepancy in this 2024 handbook?

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

Essential Formatting Guides for Ph.D. / M.S. (by Research) / M.Tech. / B.Tech. Thesis Writers

Step-by-step tutorials to master academic typography, line numbers, APA tables, and citation integrity.

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How to Insert Continuous Line Numbers in Word

Turn on continuous line numbering for advisor review while suppressing them on the title page.

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Fix EndNote & Zotero Field Code Corruption

Safely refresh your bibliography without crashing Word or losing formatted reference markers.

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Comparison6 min read

Best Thesis Formatting Tools in 2026

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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: MS/Ph.D. Section still lists Thesis Guidelines (pdf) at Thesis_Guidelines .pdf (March 2024 imprint). Ph.D. Regulations 2024 cover submission process, not a replacement millimetre handbook.
  • Do not use the older UG/M.E. HTML manual at /academics/thesis/ (range margins 30–40 mm). The March 2024 PDF is the named thesis-guidelines file for Ph.D.
  • 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: re-verified active NIT Trichy MS/PhD Section Thesis Guidelines (March 2024 imprint) for A4, single-sided 38/25 mm margins, TNR 12pt, 1.5x line spacing, 600-word abstract cap, and GenAI declaration compliance.