Manonmaniam Sundaranar University PhD thesis format

What does MSU prescribe for PhD thesis format?

MSU has spread its layout rules over three documents. The regulations talk about the language, the title page and the certificates. For the typing, clause 11.7(6) asks for 1.5 or 2.0 line spacing, 12 pt size and no artistic fonts. The same clause wants printing on both sides from Chapter I and a well-stitched soft binding. Remaining typing rules are in the Check list for Thesis Preparation. You sign that checklist and submit it with the thesis. The table below puts them together.

Cite this data: PhD Desk, “Manonmaniam Sundaranar University PhD thesis format”, last reviewed 1 November 2026, https://phddesk.in/guides/thesis-format-manonmaniam-sundaranar

Length is where many scholars get stuck. 100 to 400 pages looks like a lot of room. But counting starts only from Chapter 1, and references are not counted. Take a thesis of 130 pages from Chapter 1 onwards, where 40 pages are references. It will count as 90 pages only, which is short of the minimum. Front pages also don’t come in the count. From the wording it is not clear whether appendices are counted, so don’t depend on them to cross 100.

In the preparation checklist you have to confirm that “Paper & Margin Specification is mentioned as specified”. We could not find this specification anywhere. It is not there in the model thesis and not in the regulations also. There is one MSU document that gives margins and paper sizes. That one is the 2016 guideline for PG and M.Phil. project reports, and it was not made for the PhD. Most Indian theses use A4 paper, with a margin of about 1.5 inches on the binding side and 1 inch on the other three sides. Discuss about this with your supervisor. If the office is likely to check margins, ask the Centre for Research also.

For spacing, the regulations give you a choice of 1.5 or 2.0. Item 14 of the checklist you sign asks for double. Double spacing fits inside the regulation range also, so with double you are safe on both sides.

MSU has not fixed any reference style. As per clause 11.7(5), the style of presentation is left to your supervisor and the RAC. The Harvard-pattern references you see in the model thesis are only examples and are not a rule.

What is the order of pages in an MSU thesis?

The Format (Model) for Thesis Preparation has a sample of every page. Item 1 of the preparation checklist asks you to confirm that the thesis is “arranged in the order specified”. The order is given below.

• Cover page and title page
• Certificate (research work, originality and plagiarism declaration)
• Certificate of genuineness of the publication(s)
• Abstract
• Acknowledgement
• Table of contents
• List of figures
• List of tables
• List of symbols and abbreviations
• Chapters
• References
• Appendices: list of publications, reprints of your journal papers, bio-data

Some points in the model are missed by many scholars.

• Title page. In the model, your title comes first and then “A THESIS Submitted by”. After that come your name, register number and discipline, and the “in partial fulfillment” line for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy. The university name and the month and year of submission are at the bottom. Clause 11.7(3) of the regulations lists a few more items, like the supervisor’s name and designation, the address of the institution and the university logo. The model don’t show these. We feel you should add them, because regulations come above the model. Your supervisor can see the final page.
• The certificate. In the model, the research certificate and your plagiarism declaration are on a single page. It is signed by you, your supervisor and any joint supervisor, each with an academic designation. The preparation checklist is very clear on this point. Only the academic designation is allowed, and administrative posts should not come there. So write “Associate Professor”, and not “Head and Associate Professor”.
• Certificate of genuineness of the publication. It is a table of your published papers, with title, journal, volume, pages, year, ISSN and publisher. Your supervisor signs it and puts seal. As per its wording, part of your thesis results are already in these papers.

As per clause 11.7(4) you need three certificates, and they come before the contents page. First one is from the head of your institution, saying the work was done there. Next is from your supervisor, about originality and freedom from plagiarism. In interdisciplinary work both supervisors have to sign it. The last one is an undertaking from you. The model has combined two of these into one page, so check with your research centre whether they want a separate head-of-institution certificate. Our thesis structure guide is there if you want to see where the chapters go after these front pages.

What similarity limit does MSU accept?

MSU accepts up to 10%, and the check is done on DrillBit. Clause 11.4 of the Regulations 2023 says only this much, “Similarities upto 10% be accepted (via Drillbit software).” It is the same as the no-penalty level in the UGC’s 2018 plagiarism regulations, which the clause refers to.

The process around this number has a few more steps.

1. Before approving the synopsis and thesis, your third RAC meeting checks the draft thesis for plagiarism.
2. The University Library gives the application for the check and the rules (clause 11.6(4) and (5)). The current checklist shows the fee as ₹2,000.
3. The soft copy used for the check is also deposited with the Library “on the day itself”. The clause is not saying which day it means, so ask the Library staff.
4. You have to submit the thesis within 15 days of the check. The certificate must be signed by your guide, the head of the research centre and the Librarian.

In the submission form there is one more page, a “Certificate on Plagiarism Check” for your supervisor. It mentions the percentage DrillBit reported, and the detailed report is attached with it. Many scholars get caught by the 15-day window. One week goes at the binder and one more week in running for signatures, and the time is over. So print from the same file that was checked, and keep the forms signed in advance itself.

Clause 11.4 does not allow self-plagiarism either. If a chapter is built from your own published papers, cite them inside that chapter. How DrillBit reports and excludes matches is covered in our DrillBit guide. For the UGC bands and the limits at other universities, see the plagiarism limits guide.

What Tamil-language documents does MSU need?

Scholars from other states are many times surprised by this part. Unless it is a language thesis, your thesis is written in English. Even then, the submission checklist asks for these Tamil items.

• A one-page abstract in Tamil and English with the thesis title, your name and register number, signed by you and your supervisor(s).
• Synopsis in Tamil and English, both printed and on CD.
• The list of glossary terms you have used in the thesis.
• A certificate from the Tamil Virtual Academy, forwarded through your supervisor.

The Tamil Virtual Academy application form is on the same downloads page, dated September 2025. They want one Word file and one PDF. These files should have an abstract of up to four pages in Tamil and English, and a synopsis of 10 to 15 pages in both languages. You also add at least 30 glossary terms in both languages. Tamil text is typed in the TAU-Marutham font, and English in Times New Roman. If your PhD itself is in Tamil, only the Tamil versions are sent, along with the bilingual glossary.

Begin the translation work early. For many technical terms there is no fixed Tamil word yet, so you will have to choose one yourself.

How do you submit the synopsis and thesis at MSU?

Before the synopsis

You must have two research articles in UGC-CARE-listed journals, or one granted patent. You should be the first author, or the second author with your supervisor as first. The papers are uploaded to the Vidwan portal (clause 11.2), and they must show the MSU affiliation. Apart from the journal papers, two presentations in seminars or conferences are needed. Next is the Pre-Ph.D. presentation in your research centre. For its attendance sheet you need a minimum of 20 signatures other than yours and your supervisor’s. The third RAC meeting comes after that. To prepare for it, read our pre-submission seminar guide.

The synopsis

The synopsis should not go beyond 5,000 words. You submit three copies with a soft copy (clauses 11.5 and 11.6(3)). In MSU’s synopsis model the parts are Preface, Problem Statement, Introduction, Review of Literature, Methodology, Summary, References and List of Publications, in that order. At this stage your supervisor sends the panel of examiners. Regulation 12.2 gives the pattern of three foreign examiners, three from outside Tamil Nadu and three from inside the state. If you registered after January 2022, the submission checklist goes with this same pattern. For those registered before that, the checklist asks for five examiners within Tamil Nadu and five from other states. Our synopsis format guide has more on how to write it.

The thesis

The thesis goes in at least one month after the synopsis, and not later than six months (clause 11.6(6)). If you cross the six months, you have to apply for extension with a penalty. Once the maximum period of your programme is over, nothing is accepted. Along with the three hard copies you give the two checklists, the Thesis Submission Form, no-dues certificates, RAC minutes and fee receipts. As per the November 2025 checklist the submission fee is ₹15,000, or ₹20,000 for C and B2 category scholars. The office will give an acknowledgement. Don’t think the thesis is accepted because of that, it is a receipt for papers only.

After the viva, one copy of the thesis is returned to you and one copy goes to the MSU library. Once the degree is announced, clause 14(6) says the Director of the Centre for Research sends a soft copy to the UGC. Shodhganga is not named in the regulations. What normally happens to that copy is explained in our Shodhganga guide.

MSU PhD thesis checklist before submission

We took this list from the regulations and the two MSU checklists. Things the list does not cover, like margins, paper size and heading styles, are for your supervisor to decide.

• The thesis is 100 to 400 pages long, counted from Chapter 1 to the last page without the references. It is typed in MS Word in Times New Roman 12 pt, double-spaced, with 20 lines or more on every page.
• Pages are arranged as given in the Format (Model) for Thesis Preparation, and the certificate shows your supervisor’s academic designation only.
• Your ORCID iD appears in both the hard copy and the soft copy.
• The DrillBit check is done through the University Library with similarity of 10% or less. The certificate and the full report are attached, and you are submitting within 15 days of the check.
• The appendices have two UGC-CARE papers (or one granted patent) with reprints. These papers carry the MSU affiliation and are uploaded to Vidwan with evidence.
• The one-page abstract in Tamil and English is signed by you and your supervisor(s). The synopsis in Tamil and English is ready, both in print and on CD.
• The Tamil Virtual Academy certificate is with you, along with the list of glossary terms used in the thesis.
• Three hard copies are ready, soft-bound and printed on both sides from Chapter I. The PDF copies on CD and the PDF upload are also done.
• Both checklists, the submission form, the supervisor’s language and grammar certificate, the no-dues certificates and fee receipts are signed. All of them go through your head of department or principal.

Our thesis formatting service can make the numbering, lists and references consistent before your third RAC. We don’t change your content. Our work is on the presentation side only.