Academic Guidelines

2023-24

PhD Programme

1
6. PhD Programme

Introduction:
The goal of the Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) Programme at IISER Kolkata is to introduce students to
cutting-edge research and to stimulate their intellectual development. IISER Kolkata strives to provide
world-class training to its PhD students so that they gain the confidence to become an independent
researcher. The Institute offers PhD Programme of five years tenure in the following disciplines –
Biological Sciences, Chemical Sciences, Earth Sciences, Mathematics & Statistics, Physical Sciences,
Space Physics, Computer Science, and Humanities and Social Sciences.

General guideline for the award of PhD degree:

IISER Kolkata awards the degree of Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) to a student who has successfully
completed the stipulated Programme of research. The PhD Programme of research and its governing
rules and regulations are formulated by the Academic Senate of the Institute. The Senate can modify or
change the structure and the governing rules from time to time. To be eligible for the PhD degree, a
student must submit a thesis embodying the findings of her/his research carried out under this
Programme. The thesis should make original contributions of high quality, contributing to the
advancement of knowledge, which will be judged by the experts in the relevant area. The award of PhD
degree shall be made upon the recommendation of the Senate. The awarded degree will be “Doctor of
Philosophy,” and the certificate will mention the title and the year of the thesis.

Admission:

Protocol for student intake for PhD at IISER-K: The following points may be
considered whilechoosing candidates for PhD at IISER-K:

 DoAA/ADoAA will inquire from the HoDs for requirement for PhD students in the respective
departments
 The required information will reach DoAA/ADoAA though the departmental PGAC
Conveners/HoDs.
 DoAA/ADoAA will request DoSA /Chief Warden to report on the availability of seats in hostels.
 DoAA/ADoAA will inform about the possible quantity of intake for the PhD Programme to the
HoDs as approved by the Director through the PGAC members.The no. of students per faculty
member cannot exceed the upper limit of 12.

Channels of Admission

i. Regular Channel:
Selection to the PhD Programme is made twice a year - between May and July (for the Autumn
Semester beginning in August) and between November and December (for the Spring Semester
beginning in January). The PhD admission process is coordinated by the Post Graduate Academic
Committee (PGAC) comprising of one faculty member from each department of IISER Kolkata with the
support of the Academic Cell and the IT Cell. Advertisements are issued in the Institute website in
February/March for the Autumn Semester and in August/September for the Spring Semester.
Applications are accepted online through an application portal and all relevant information, including
the selection list is published in the Institute website on pre-defined dates. Interviews are conducted by
interview boards duly constituted by the respective departments in March/April/May for the Autumn
Semester and in October/November for the Spring Semester.

2
The PGAC would provide all documents pertaining to the PhD admission to the Academic Cell for
future records and reference.

ii. PhD students joining from other Institutes:

If a student of another Institute/University wants to move to IISER Kolkata, he/she has to qualify
through the regular admission process. Transfer of fellowship will be the responsibility of the candidate,
the supervisor and the PGAC. The student will have to do all regular course-work, appear for the
Comprehensive Examination and the Graduate Seminar, and, therefore, fulfil all the requirements of the
PhD degree in the Institute of a regular applicant. In principle, this will be a fresh PhD admission, albeit
of a shorter duration depending on the availability of the external fellowship.

iii. Students working in sponsored projects:

Students working in sponsored projects in the Institute (as project JRF or equivalent position) are not
entitled to join the PhD Programme automatically.
Project JRF student can enter the main PhD Programme of the Institute only if
a) The student has qualified in at least one National level examination.
b) The student goes through the rigorous PhD selection interviews.
c) After the duration of the project unless the student earns his own fellowship, the supervisor will
arrange for fellowship from his/her ARF or from other sources including other project(s).
d) The student and the Supervisor sign a declaration agreeing to the condition mentioned above.

iv. Students can be admitted under institute funding but the number of Institute-funded PhD
students of a Department at any point of time cannot exceed the number of faculty members in
the department as per the existing norms. The departments may formulate suitable policies to
accommodate the project-funded students as Institute-funded students with prior planning during their
intake.

v. Part-time PhD: If a regular PhD scholar, who has worked at least two years at IISER Kolkata
and has been promoted to SRF, gets a job and wishes to leave full-time PhD work, he/she may be
allowed to complete the work as a part-time PhD student without any fellowship, subject to
approval of the supervisor and the RPC. Such a student needs to present progress report to the
RPC every year following the PhD norms of the Institute. The upper limit of the total PhD tenure
for these candidates will also be 8 years (up to submission of the thesis).

vi. Students of newly joining faculty members from other universities / institutes:

If a faculty member of another Institute joins IISER-K, his/her existing students may be admitted
as per the following rules.
i. If a student had joined the faculty member within the past three months, the student will
have to give fresh interview at IISER-K.
ii. A relatively older student (who joined more than three months ago) will present his/her
work at IISER-K in front of a committee comprising the PGAC and the Head of the
department wherethe faculty member has joined. This committee will interview the
student before admission. The committee will also review the coursework already done by
the student in the previous Institute. In case of dissatisfaction, the Committee will
recommend fresh course work at IISER- K.

vii. Joint PhD Program and Research Partnership Program:

IISER Kolkata has several umbrella MoUs with various organizations for Joint PhD Programs. In
case of a Joint PhD Program, initiation for the design of Joint Degree Certificate may be allowed.

i. The PI from the partner institute may be called „Adjunct Research Faculty‟ the tenure of
which must not exceed the duration of the PhD program of the student taken under the
partnership program.

3
 ii. The name of the program may be called „Research Partnership Program‟ for those
institutes which cannot award degrees.
iii. For the Joint PhD Program where both the institutes can offer degrees, logos of both the
degree-awarding institutes should be included in the degree certificate.

viii. Foreign nationals: Foreign nationals will be admitted to the PhD Programme only through the
“Study in India” portal of MoE. The fees structure will be the same as that currently applicable to
Indian PhD students. A fraction of those admitted through the "Study in India" Programme of
MoE may enjoy tuition fee waiver as per MoE norms. The admitted students will be given
accommodation in Institute hostels and the PhD students will receive a monthly fellowship at par
with IISER Kolkata Institute fellowship. Admission will be as per the following seat matrix under
the „Study in India‟ program. Two foreign students can be admitted in each of the disciplines.
ix. Direct applications from foreign students for admission: Study in India no longer offers
fellowships and also suggested that the Institute make decisions regarding tuition fee waivers for
international students.

Under the given circumstances:

a) An additional quota (beyond the standard one Institute-funded student per faculty) may be
allowed for international students. This decision will be taken by the Director based on the
available funds.
b) Thus, the direct application channel for international students can be implemented in addition to
the existing SII channel.
c) The Departments may decide on the eligibility criteria for the direct channel admission to
maintain the standards of the foreign students admitted to IISER Kolkata

Minimum Eligibility Criteria

i. For students with own fellowship: Students with independent PhD fellowship from external
funding agencies (e.g. CSIR, UGC, DBT, ICMR, INSPIRE, NBHM, etc.) and having a minimum
of 55% marks in their Master‟s degree are eligible to apply for the IISER Kolkata PhD
Programme. Industry-supported candidates may be considered as „self-funded‟ and may be
selected, provided they apply and get selected through the regular admission process of the PhD
Programme. Initially INSPIRE fellows will be given provisional admission, confirmation of
which is subject to receiving a final award letter from the INSPIRE. The concerned supervisors
should ensure quality of research proposals which their PhD students submit to INSPIRE for
fellowship activation.

ii. For students without any fellowship: The areas in which Institute-funded PhD students will be
taken will be announced in the PhD advertisement. An applicant must have qualified at least one
national level exam, e.g. GATE, JGEEBILS, JEST etc. and must have a minimum of 55% marks
in the Master‟s degree. One Institute-funded PhD student for every faculty member. This implies that
the total number of students in a department will be equal to its faculty strength. The department may be
given the freedom to distribute the Institute funded students following a policy that is agreeable within the
department. This record has to be maintained by the departments and should ensure fair distribution of the
Institute-funded PhD students to the faculty members.

4
 iii. Students will also be admitted based on merit, for PhD, inter-alia, for general category students, the
CGPA may be >/= 8.5, and for reserved category CGPA may be >/= 8.0, based on evaluation of
projects submitted by them and such PhD students may be granted Assistantship in line with
assistantship granted to B. Tech graduates from the IITs. (This is as per recommendation of the
Council of NITSER vide Item No. 11.5 of its 11th meeting held on 18.07.2018.). The students
need to express in writing to the respective departments by their 10thsemester of the BS-MS
Programme about their decision to join IISER-K using the proper form available in the intranet
under the DOAA section. The shortlisted candidates need to appear for an interview conducted
by the department along with the new candidates and the list of selected candidates upon the
approval of the Director can be offered admission. Unless these students have an external
fellowship, they can be considered as institute funded fellow and their number is limited by the
maximum number of institute funded students of the department (see section 1.15 (iv) of the
General Guidelines for all programmes). Students should be encouraged to clear NET and Institute
funds should be allotted only for exceptionally good students who could not clear NET for some valid
reason.

iv. The minimum eligibility criteria mentioned above may change time to time upon
recommendation by the Senate.

v. Fulfilling the minimum eligibility criteria does not ensure that a candidate will be called for the
interview. Additional criteria might be set by the departments based on academic records,
experience and research interest of the candidates.

vi. Relaxation for SC/ST & OBC candidates will be as per prescribed Government of India norms.

PhD Registration:

i. The selected candidates are required to complete the online registration process after paying the
requisite fees through online transaction [the registration period and the current fee structure can
be found on the Institute website (https://www.iiserkol.ac.in/web/en/student-affair/fee-
structure/#gsc.tab=0)]. However, until the verification of the documents is done by comparing
with the originals, the registration will be considered to be „provisional‟.
ii. A department may choose to offer PhD position to the wait-listed candidates once the
registration deadline is over for the first listed candidates.

Students waiting for their final Masters Degree result may be provisionally selected for PhD
Programme but they must furnish the final result (mark-sheet) satisfying the qualification criteria
within 30 days from the date of admission. Scholarship will not be given to the provisionally
admitted students until the production of the final result. After the production of the final result,
the fellowships for the preceding months will be released with a retroactive effect. If a
provisionally admitted student fails to meet the eligibility criteria in his/her final results,
admission to IISER Kolkata will stand cancelled.

iii. Copies of joining report and attested forms of the new batch of externally-funded PhD students
are to be submitted through the thesis supervisor, to the Academic Office within two weeks of
their joining IISER Kolkata.

5
 iv. The valid tenure of the PhD registration will be 8 years (5+1+1+1=8). Extension beyond the fifth
year will require recommendation of the RPC each year on the basis of annual progress report
and presentation. The fellowship will be valid for 5 years only unless it is from an external
agency where the fellowship rule of the external agency will prevail. PhD students can continue
getting fellowship from other external agencies if such funding is available to their supervisor s.
For IPhD students, the tenure would also include the 2 years of their MS, followed by the same
tenure as that of the PhD program (see above).

v. The registration certificate of the students will be generated by the portal and be accessible to the students
through the WeLearn portal. Since it is system generated, it may bear the following note "This is a
computer-generated document. No signature is required”.
After the thesis submission by the student followed by the approval of the Supervisor, HoD, PGAC
Convener, and ADOAA/DOAA followed by its verification by the Academic Office (PG Section), a
system-generated "Thesis Submission Certificate" will be issued on request application.

PhD Orientation and signing of ethics and safety declarations:

Each department conducts an orientation for the fresh batch of PhD students, normally within two
working days of PhD registration. During the orientation, the concerned HoD welcomes the students and
introduces them to the departmental PGAC Convener. The students are briefed about the department‟s
activities, course choices, research ethics and about general PhD rules. Students have to sign a
declaration pertaining to research ethics and safety and submit to their respective departmental office.
Any other general queries of the students are also addressed during the orientation.

Appointment of PhD Supervisor:

Generally, a supervisor will be assigned to a student by the PGAC within two weeks from
the date of admission through mutual consent. All regular faculty members of the institute can
supervise PhD students. Any regular faculty member whose service is remaining for 5 years or
less but more than three years may take fresh PhD students. However, a co-supervisor should
also be allotted to such students. Any regular faculty member whose service is remaining for 3
years or less can only act as Co- Supervisor to fresh PhD students. The above will be intimated
by the concerned department to the Academic Office prior to obtaining approval from the
Competent Authorities. The departmental PGAC should send all the records related to supervisor
allotment to the Academic Cell within three months from the start of the semester.
Interdisciplinary work: A student may join, with permission from the Heads of both the
departments, a regular faculty from a department other than the student's parent department. In
that case, he/she is assigned a Programme Advisor from his/her parent department. In addition,
the student will have to fulfill a part of the PhD coursework requirement (including the
Comprehensive Examination and Graduate Seminar) of the parent department. Specifically,
he/she will have to take a minimum of two courses (out of the total number of courses required
for PhD coursework) from both departments which will be monitored by the Programme
Advisor. His/her PhD degree will be awarded from his/her parent department.
Supervision by faculty members on contract: Faculty members on contract may also
supervise a PhD student provided a regular faculty member from the same department is allotted
as co-supervisor, with the understanding that the co-supervisor will supervise the PhD student in
the absence of the faculty member on contract. In case co-supervisor leaves the Institute, the
faculty member on contract may continue as supervisor, and the department will have to allot
another co-supervisor.

6
Co-supervisor from another Institute/University: Faculty members of IISER Kolkata can act both as
co-supervisor for students and choose co-supervisors from other institutes. In order to induct faculty
member of another Institute as a co-supervisor, the supervisor has to submit a request to the
DoAA/ADoAA, forwarded by the HoD and the PGAC Convener, along with a written consent from the
concerned external faculty. If a student is externally funded then this information should also be
communicated to the funding agency.
Co-supervision in another organization outside IISER-K: A faculty member to be a Co-supervisor in another
organization outside IISER-K, the concerned HoD will write to the DoAA/ADoAA and once the latter
recommends the same, the DoFA will issue the No Objection Certificate to the faculty member.

Change of PhD Supervisor:

i. Change of supervisor is generally discouraged and is permitted only under very special
circumstances. This will be decided by the DoAA/ADoAA on the recommendation of the HoD
and the Departmental PGAC convener after obtaining the consent of (i) the student, (ii) the
present Supervisor(s) and (iii) the proposed Supervisor(s). For the externally funded candidates,
rules of the respective funding agency will be followed.
ii. If the supervisor(s) leave/s the Institute permanently or goes on leave for a period of more than
six months, the Departmental PGAC convener and HoD shall provide a co-supervisor in
consultation with the supervisor and the student. The supervisor should officially intimate the
HoD and the PGAC Convener, and should initiate the process of allotment of new
Supervisor/Co-Supervisor for all of his/her students. No-dues clearance for the supervisor from
the concerned department should be issued only after this process is completed.
iii. If a supervisor goes on leave for a period of less than six months but more than two weeks, HoD
may appoint a supervisor in-charge in consultation with the supervisor for that period.
iv. In case the thesis supervisor leaves the institute on deputation or on lien, an Administrative
Guide or a Programme Advisor will be suggested by the supervisor and approved by the
Institute, through the HoD, to help the student in administrative formalities.
v. If a supervisor leaves permanently, s/he may become a co-supervisor and the concerned Department will
assign a new supervisor to the PhD student.

vi. If the supervisor(s) leave/s the Institute permanently or leave/s the Institute without the approval of the
competent authority as per the GoI norms, the Departmental PGAC Convener and the HoD shall provide
a new supervisor to the PhD student. Prior to departure, the supervisor should officially intimate the HoD
and the PGAC Convener, and should initiate the process of allotment of the new Supervisor for all of
his/her students. No-dues clearance for the supervisor from the concerned department should be issued
only after this process is completed. If a supervisor departs from the Institute without proper
authorization, the Board of Governors (BoG) should provide guidance on how to proceed with the
supervision of PhD students and the granting of their degrees. Additionally, an explicit advice from the
BoG should be sought on how to maintain the name of the departed supervisor in the records of the
student.

Students enrolled with a faculty member who is retiring on superannuation: Students enrolled with a
faculty member who is retiring on superannuation have to complete their pre-submissionviva within one
year of the retirement of the faculty member. If the student fails to complete this requirement within a
year, then the co-supervisor becomes the supervisor of the student, and the former supervisor becomes the
co-supervisor.

7
PhD Course Work:

i. PhD students of IISER Kolkata must undergo rigorous PhD course work. The purpose of the
coursework is not just to prepare the student for the research he/she is going to conduct, but also
to enable the student to acquire a comprehensive understanding of the overall discipline, which
is needed for a fruitful career in teaching and independent research.
ii. A student must register for the courses online before the semester starts, avoiding any clash in
the timetable.
iii. Each department may fix its own minimum number of credits; however it should not be less than
16 credits. This minimum number of credits set by a department has to be earned within the first
year by a PhD student of the respective department to get the PhD degree. Only under
exceptional circumstances, the coursework may spill into the 3rd semester, with permission from
the DoAA/ADoAA. If a student wishes to apply for an external fellowship, then the student
needs to ensure that she/he has fulfilled the course-work requirement as per the standard of the
external funding agency, which is often different from the minimum number of credits required
for the coursework at IISER Kolkata. In addition certain courses such as independent studies,
seminar or lab courses, are not respected as credit courses. The credit for the Research
Methodology course, which is mandatory for IISER Kolkata students, are not counted by certain
funding agencies.

Name of the Department/Centre Minimum nos. of credits

required for PhD coursework
Department of Biological Sciences 16

Department of Chemical Sciences 16

Department of Earth Sciences 16
Department of Mathematics & Statistics 24
Department of Physical Sciences 24
CESSI 24
Department of Humanities and SocialSciences 16
Department of Computational and DataSciences 16

8
 iv. The courses to be taken by the PhD students are decided by the respective departments in
consultation with the supervisor. The coursework should include one course on Research
Methodology (of 4 credits).
v. The student should consult the PhD supervisor (or the departmental PGAC convener if the PhD
supervisor is not assigned) before choosing the courses.
vi. On approval of the departmental PGAC a student may take a PhD level course offered by
another department as long as they meet the prerequisites (if any). Out of the total number of
courses, at most two can be taken from other departments.
vii. For IPhD students all the PhD courses will be waived except the Research Methodology course
(if not done during IPhD course work). If a BS-MS student of IISER Kolkata joins the PhD
Programme, the coursework may be partially/fully waived upon recommendation from the
Research Progress Committee, the departmental PGAC convener and the supervisor. The students
applying for the PMRF may be intimated regarding the rules during the orientation regarding the
coursework waiver.
viii. For the successful completion of the PhD course work, a student must get grade „C‟ or above in
each of the courses taken. It is mandatory to complete the PhD coursework to continue in the
PhD Programme.
ix. In case a student is unable to secure grade „C‟ in a course, s/he will be allowed to sit for a
supplementary examination for that course, or to choose another course. If the student fails in
the new course as well, s/he will be allowed one last attempt for supplementary examination.
PhD students who fail in coursework will be allowed to complete the required number of credits
within the first 3 semesters of joining, failing which the student will have to leave the Institute.
x. The Academic Cell will keep track of the students who cannot secure a minimum of Grade C and
will initiate the process of termination of their studentship.

Review of Progress:

Research Progress Committee (RPC): A 3-Member Research Progress Committee (RPC) will be
constituted for all research scholars. The committee will comprise the Supervisor, and two other faculty
members from any department (nominated by the supervisor). External faculty members may also be
invited to join, depending upon requirements. The RPC will monitor and identify problems faced by
students, if any, at an early stage. Students will have to submit a Progress Report and will have to present
a talk in front of the RPC once a year. SRF up-gradation interview, as well as pre-submission open
seminars, can be initiated only on recommendation of the concerned RPC and PGAC. The submission of a
thesis should be approved by the RPC on the basis of a pre-submission open seminar.

9
 Annual Progress Report:

i. Every PhD student is required to prepare and submit an Annual Progress Report to the RPC.
After the RPC meeting, if the progress report is approved, it has to be communicated to the
Academic Cell. The failure to submit the APR on time will lead to the discontinuation of
fellowship.
ii. The externally-funded students should send the annual progress report to the funding agency and
should also submit a copy to the Academic Cell for record.

Annual review by the RPC: A student has to give a talk at least once in every year before
the RPC summarizing his/her progress, and the RPC is expected to advise him/ her and
recommend critical steps.

i. At the end of the 1st year, a student is supposed to have (a) completed the coursework, (b)
identified the problem (can articulate the questions he/she is asking), and (c) done some
literature survey to learn what is already known on that topic.

ii. At the end of the second year, a student is supposed to have completed the above items that may
have remained incomplete after the 1st year. In addition, by this time the literature survey must
be thorough, he/she must identify the methodology to be followed, and should be able to do at
least one piece of work that is either communicated or is ready for communication. If these
conditions are satisfied, the RPC recommends conduction of the JRF to SRF up-gradation
exercise. Otherwise it may be deferred by a few months.

iii. At the end of the 3rd and the 4th years the student should present the incremental work done in
the preceding year, and the papers published. By the middle of the 5th year the student should be
in a position to write his/her thesis. The RPC meeting should be conducted at this stage. Finally,
a last meeting of the RPC recommends conduction of the pre-submission open seminar and
submission of the thesis.

iv. The timing of the RPC meetings is not hard and fast. The supervisor may decide convenient
timings. For example, the RPC meeting after the 2nd year may be scheduled after the student has
completed one piece of work, so that the same RPC meeting can recommend the conduction of
the SRF up-gradation exercise. The meeting after the 4th year may be scheduled when the
student is ready to write his/her thesis.

Comprehensive Examination:

A comprehensive examination is defined as a means to evaluate a student‟s comprehensive

understanding of his/her discipline, ability to pose scientific questions and grasp of the methodology of
doing research. The examination will test whether the student has sufficient preparation to continue
research as a PhD student in the respective department of the Institute.
Comprehensive examination for PhD students will be conducted by the respective RPCs. It should
normally be conducted within one month from the completion of coursework. If a student fails, he/she will
be given a second chance within three months of the first attempt. If fails again, he/she may be asked to leave the
programme.
The recording of the proceedings will be mandatory for only when a student repeats a comprehensive or viva.

10
Fellowship and Tenure:

i. For students with independent fellowship the amount of fellowship/contingency and tenure will
be as per the norms and conditions of the concerned funding agency. Such students must initiate
the process of fellowship activation immediately after joining and must submit copies of relevant
forms to the Academic Cell for records.

ii. For Institute-funded PhD students the fellowship amount will be as per MoE norms. The
fellowship tenure of Institute-funded fellows will be five years.

Contingency grant:

i. For students with independent fellowship the amount and the duration of contingency fund will
be as per the norms and conditions of the concerned funding agency.
ii. Contingency fund will not be available for students funded by IISER Kolkata.

JRF to SRF upgradation:

i. A student should normally spend two years at the JRF level and will be upgraded to SRF level
subject to fulfilment of certain criteria.
ii. If the supervisor feels that the progress has been satisfactory, he/she will convene a meeting of
the RPC at the end of the 2nd year. The RPC should check if the student has done a thorough
literature survey, has decided the methodology to be followed, and has done at least one piece of
work that is either communicated or ready for communication. If these requirements are
satisfied, the RPC will recommend the conduction of the up-gradation exercise.
iii. The department will arrange an upgradation interview for the student. The progress of the
student would be evaluated by a selection committee comprising the PhD supervisor, the
Joint/Co-Supervisor, the PGAC Convener/nominee and an External Expert (of the rank
Associate Professor and above) from an academic institution. For externally funded students the
constitution of the selection committee will be as per the requirement of the funding agency. The
external expert will be paid an honorarium of Rs. 2000/- along with TA (for local travel) and
hospitality by the department.
iv. SRF up-gradation will be effective after 2 years of JRF or from the date of evaluation, whichever
is later. For externally funded students, the fellowship terms and conditions at the SRF level will
be as per the norms and conditions of the concerned funding agency.

Extension of tenure: In some cases, if a PhD student is unable to complete the requirements of the
degree within the stipulated time of 5 years, the DoAA/ADoAA, on recommendation of the RPC, may
approve extension of his/her, on a case to case basis.

11
PhD Thesis Submission:

Before submission:

i. All students will have to carry out their major research in the Institute for at least a period of two
years and six months from the date of PhD registration before the submission of the thesis.

ii. When the supervisor feels that the thesis is ready for submission, he/she will convene a meeting
of the RPC. If the RPC is convinced that the work done is sufficient for submission of the thesis,
it will recommend conduction of the pre-submission open seminar. The proceedings of pre-
submission seminar need to be recorded.

iii. Pre-submission open seminar can be organized by the PGAC only on recommendation of the
concerned RPC. Upon satisfactory performance of a student in the pre-submission presentation,
the PGAC will recommend submission of PhD thesis within three months. In case the student is
unable to submit the thesis within this period due to unforeseen circumstances, an extension may
be sought from the ADoAA/DoAA justifying the delay.
iv. The thesis must be passed through plagiarism check software (such as „Turnitin‟) and the student
must ensure that, apart from quotations, no part of the thesis is copied from any published
material other than the student‟s own papers.
v. Every research fellow should have a paper published/accepted for publication in a peer-reviewed
journal before submission of the thesis.
vi. As the peer reviewed conference proceedings are almost equivalent to the peer reviewed papers,
these can be considered for obtaining a PhD degree in CDS.

Thesis submission for evaluation:

i. The thesis will be submitted online through WeLearn. The details are given on the intranet.
http://intranet.iiserkol.ac.in/wiki/SUBMISSION_OF_PhD_THESIS
ii. The suitable panel list for reviewers‟ suggested by the supervisor on the portal has to be
approved by the HoD and concerned PGAC member online. The panel of reviewers should have
a minimum of 4 names at the level of Professor or Associate Professor. They should be subject
experts and active researchers with publications in the relevant areas in the last three years. It is
mandatory that the supervisor takes prior consent from the reviewer before empanelling him/her
(this expedite the process). Care should be taken to avoid any conflict of interest. Research
collaborators of the student or the supervisor should not be suggested as examiner of the thesis.
iii. Thesis Title: Special characters should not be used and number of characters should also be limited.
There should be a maximum of 300 characters (including blank spaces). Special characters and symbols
should be avoided as much as possible.

iv. Abstract and the synopsis of thesis: An Abstract box with a maximum of 300 words has to be provided
in the thesis submission link. The abstract (besides the synopsis) has to be incorporated in the main thesis

12
 Evaluation of the PhD Thesis:

i. The thesis will be evaluated by at least three independent reviewers including the supervisor –
The external expert for the viva-voce will be chosen by the DoAA/ADoAA from the pre-selected
external reviewers.

ii. The order of preference of the suggested reviewers will be chosen by the DoAA/ADoAA. The
Assistant Registrar (Academic) will seek consent of the suggested reviewers to evaluate the
thesis in the order of preference, by sending them the synopsis. If any of the suggested examiners
refuses to act as a reviewer or does not respond within 7 days, the next preferred reviewer from
the same panel will be contacted.
iii. On receipt of consent, the Assistant Registrar (Academic) will send the thesis to the reviewers.
iv. For evaluation of PhD thesis, an honorarium as per norms will be paid to the Indian and the
foreign experts. (Presently for Indian expert it is Rs. 10000/- per person whereas for foreign
expert it is USD 200/- per person, this amount may be revised from time to time.)
v. The reviewers will be requested to submit their evaluation report (in the prescribed format)
within 6 weeks from the date of receipt of the softcopy of the thesis. The PhD supervisor will
also be formally asked to submit her/his report within the stipulated time.
vi. If a reviewer is unable to send the report within the stipulated time of 6 weeks, reminders will be
sent by the Assistant Registrar (Academic). If the reviewer does not respond in spite of repeated
reminders, the DoAA/ADoAA may advise to send the thesis for evaluation to the next preferred
reviewer from the panel. The reviewers should be specifically requested for a critical evaluation
of the quality and the quantity of the research work embodied in the thesis. The reviewer has to
select one of the following statements in the Evaluation Report (with space for additional
comments overleaf):
(a) The thesis is recommended for the award of the degree without any correction.
(b) The thesis is recommended for the award of the degree provided the following points (as
listed in a separate sheet) are clarified during viva-voce.
(c) The thesis is recommended for the award of the degree with minor revision (as listed in a
separate sheet)
(d) Substantial revisions involving rewriting of one or more chapters are necessary (mentioned in
detail in a separate sheet) without, however, doing any further research work.
(e) The thesis is not acceptable in the present form and needs to be rewritten. However, it reveals
sufficient quality and quantity of work to warrant the student being given an opportunity for
further research work and/or re-interpretation of results (see the separate sheet for details).
(f) The thesis is not recommended.
vii. Upon receiving the reports, the DoAA/ADoAA will classify the reports into one of the following
four categories:
(a) Category 1 (the thesis be accepted without any correction).

(b) Category 2 (thesis be accepted with minor revisions).

(c) Category 3 (major revision is suggested, resending the thesis (after correction) to the
concerned reviewer(s)).

13
 (d) Category 4 (a complete rejection).

viii. Depending on the reports of the reviewers, the DoAA/ADoAA will decide whether the thesis can
be accepted for viva voce or be rejected or be referred to a new reviewer. If one of the external
reviewers recommends rejection, then an adjudicator from the same panel may be appointed.

ix. Copies of the reports will be made available to the PhD supervisor(s) of the student concerned
within a week of the receipt of the reviewers‟ reports, after classification of the same by
DoAA/ADoAA.
x. The supervisor must ensure that all the corrections including modifications/revisions suggested
by the external reviewers have been incorporated by the student.
(a) If the report is classified as Category 1 or 2, the revised thesis must be submitted to the
DoAA/ADoAA within 15 days;
(b) If the report is classified as Category 3, the revised thesis must reach the DoAA/ADoAA within
three months. However, the ADoAA can extend the deadline of submission upon request.
i. A thesis, if rejected, may be resubmitted once only after revision, not earlier than 1 year and not
later than 2 years from the date of such intimation to the student by the DoAA/ADoAA. The
thesis so resubmitted may be examined by the same reviewers or by new reviewers (as the
DoAA/ADoAA decides). The procedure after receiving the new reports should be the same as
above.
ii. Rejection even after resubmission will disqualify the student from further consideration for the
award of the PhD degree in the topic chosen.

Final Viva Voce:

i. Time schedule for conducting viva-voce after categorization of the thesis by the Competent
Authority:

Sl. No. Category of the Thesis Time schedule for conducting viva-voce
1. Accepted for Viva Voce Within 3 months of sharing the reports by
the Academic Office
2. Accepted for Viva Voce with minor Within 6 months of sharing the reports by
Corrections the Academic Office
3. To be resent to the concerned reviewer(s) The Process is to be completed within one
year of the submission of the thesis
4. Referred to another reviewer The Process is to be completed within one
year of the submission of the thesis
5. Rejected Resubmission within 2 yrs.

 For options 3, 4 & 5 registration is to be continued. In case the student resigns after submission
of the thesis, he/she has to re-register to the programme.
 If the time period is not followed the student has to continue his/her registration.
 The maximum tenure of registration is 8 yrs. The continuation of students who completed the
maximum program tenure of 8 Years of PhD programme will only be allowed with justification
from the concerned Research Progress Committee and with the approval of the Chairman, Senate,
on a case-by-case basis.

ii. For categories 1 and 2 above, the PGAC will organize his/her final viva voce (in form of an open
seminar), with intimation to the Academic Cell at least 7 working days in advance.
14
 iii. The Academic Cell will send out a formal invitation to the external reviewer chosen for the viva-
voce, who is expected to conduct the viva voce in the presence of the Supervisor and Co-
supervisor (if any), Head of the Department and the departmental PGAC convener.
iv. The viva-voce may be either through online or offline mode. It may be decided by the supervisor
and co-supervisor (if any) in consultation with the HoD and the departmental PGAC convener.
The DoAA/ADoAA will be the approving authority. The proceedings of online PhD viva-voce
exams need to be recorded and retained.
v. The final report of the viva voce signed by the supervisor and co-supervisor (if any), the external
examiner, the HoD and the departmental PGAC convener is to be submitted within 7 working
days from the date of viva voce to the ADoAA, who will place it in the subsequent Senate
meeting for approval of the award of the PhD degree.
vi. The student should upload a soft copy of the corrected final thesis in Welearn after the viva-voce
(on the date of viva voce). The student should submits one hardbound copy of the final thesis to
the supervisor along with a declaration from the supervisor that he/she has received his/her copy
from the student. One hardbound copy of the final thesis has to be submitted by the student to the
Institute Library.
vii. The external examiner shall be entitled to an honorarium of Rs 5,000/-(equivalent amount in US
dollars for the foreign expert). In addition her/his travel (economy class airfare for domestic
travels only) and local hospitality will be covered by the institute as per GoI norms.

Award of PhD Degree:

On receipt of the approval of the Senate, the PhD degree may be conferred in the next convocation.
Upon request of the student, a provisional certificate may be issued by the DoAA/ADoAA based on the
final report of the viva voce provided the student has obtained the „No Dues‟ clearance.

Leave Rules:

The leave sanctioning authority for PhD students will be the DoAA/ADoAA. All applicationsshould
be routed through the respective supervisor, PGAC convener and the HoD.

The PhD students receiving fellowships from the external funding agency will require permission from the
respective funding agency as well as the DoAA/ADoAA, for any long leave exceeding 30 days.

The PhD students are entitled for the following categories of leave:

Ordinary Leave:
i. A PhD student is eligible for 30 days leave with fellowship for each completed year from the
date of his/her joining. This includes medical leave. Saturdays, Sundays and holidays during the
leave period are counted towards leave, except for prefixed or suffixed holidays. The leave will
be treated as part of the student‟s tenure.
ii. For IISER-K fellowship holders the DoAA/ADoAA can sanction leave without fellowship under
exceptional circumstances. For students funded by external funding agencies, approval from the
concerned funding agency is mandatory.
iii. In case a student proceeds on leave before termination of Fellowship, he/she must join back
before the expiry of tenure; failing which the tenure will be deemed to have terminated with
effect from the date he/she proceeded on leave. A joining report should be communicated to the
DoAA/ADoAA, in case of leave for more than seven days.

15
 Academic Leave:

i. PhD students may be allowed to attend Seminars / Conferences / Workshops / Training / Short-
term courses etc. The duration of the leave will be decided based on the recommendation of the
supervisor.
ii. Any visit outside the country to attend Seminars/Conferences/Workshops/ Training/ Short-term
courses etc. must be intimated to the external funding agencies well in advance.
iii. The fieldwork such as data collection, survey work / going to laboratories of other Institutes for
use of instruments will be treated as „on duty leave‟.

Maternity/Paternity Leave:
i. Women students with less than two surviving children are entitled to full fellowship plus HRA
(if applicable) during the period of absence up to 180 days on the grounds of maternity. The
fellowship amount for leave period will be paid after the student resumes duty and submits a
medical certificate in support of actual confinement. It is expected that the student will make up
any deficiency in research progress during the remaining part of the tenure.
ii. Male students with less than two surviving children are entitled to15 days of paternity leave
during the confinement of his wife on submission of relevant documentary proof.
Conduct and Discipline:

Rules and regulations for conduct and discipline are common to all students of IISER Kolkata and will
be informed to the PhD students at the time of their joining in form of an undertaking (Institute bye-
laws). Failure to abide by these rules will lead to disciplinary action. Unauthorized absence for more
than a month, as communicated by the concerned supervisor/department through monthly attendance
sheets, may lead to a reduction of the fellowship amount, suspension, or termination.

Termination of Studentship:

The PhD studentship is liable to be terminated in the following events –

i. Giving false information at the time of application / admission / registration
ii. Failure to complete the course work requirement
iii. Not conforming to the regulations of the Programme
iv. Consistent lack of progress in research
v. Involved in any form of academic misconduct, e.g., plagiarism/data fabrication
vi. Violation of conduct and discipline rules of the Institute
vii. Not submitting the thesis within the stipulated period
viii. Not enrolling for a semester within stipulated dates

Note: The Senate may make further amendments to the Rules and Regulations, if required. The
amendment and the revised Rules and Regulations will be reflected in the revised Guidelines.
The PhD Rules and Regulations will be automatically applicable to the Integrated PhD students from
third year onwards.

Final Thesis:

An electronic version of the thesis and one copy of hard bound thesis along with a declaration from the
supervisor that he/she has received his/her copy from the student, should be submitted to the Academic
Office within 7 days of the viva voce/as directed by the Office of Academic Affairs.
The thesis must be passed through „Turnitin‟/other reputed software for plagiarism check and the student
must ensure that, apart from quotations, no part of the thesis is copied from any published material other
than the student‟s own papers.
16
 Format:
i. Page Size: A4/Back to Back
ii. Binding: Spiral binding at the time of submission, hard bound after the time of defence
iii. Cover:
(a) Colour: Black
(b) The top should have title of the thesis, the name of the student, the year of completion and the
Institute‟s name
(c) The backbone should have the title of the thesis, the student‟s name, and the year of completion.

iv. Font type and Size: Times New Roman, 12 Pts. or any other equivalent font size.
v. Line Spacing: 1.5
vi. The front page should have the following information with centre alignment:
(a) Title of the Thesis
(b) Name of the degree
(c) Name of the student
(d) Roll No. of the student
(e) Name of the Supervisor
(f) Name of the Co-Supervisor if any
(g) Name of the Department
(h) Name of the Institute with its Logo
(i) Month, Year
vii. Declaration of the student with his/her signature on academic integrity and copyright (template given
below)
viii. Certificate of the Supervisor with his signature (template given below)
ix. Acknowledgement (not more than two pages)
x. Dedication (optional)
xi. Abstract
xii. Chapters, starting with „Introduction” and ending with “Conclusion”
xiii. References
xiv. The electronic version should have the following information:
(a) Name and Roll No. of the student
(b) Title of the Thesis
(c) Month, Year

17
Template of Declaration by the student

Declaration by the student

Date:

I, Mr./Ms. Registration No. dated , a student of the Department of

of the Integrated PhD Programme/ PhD Programme of IISER Kolkata, hereby declare that this
thesis is my own work and, to the best of my knowledge, it neither contains materials previously published or
written by any other person, nor has it been submitted for any degree/diploma or any other academic award
anywhere before. I have used the originality checking service to prevent inappropriate copying.

I also declare that all copyrighted material incorporated into this thesis is in compliance with the Indian Copyright
Act, 1957 (amended in 2012) and that I have received written permission from the copyright owners for my use
of their work.

I hereby grant permission to IISER Kolkata to store the thesis in a database which can be accessed by others.

Signature
Name
Department of
Indian Institute of Science Education and Research Kolkata

Mohanpur 741246, West Bengal, India

i. The backbone should have the title of the thesis, the student‟s name, and the year of completion.
ii. Font type and Size: Times New Roman, 12 Pts. or any other equivalent font size.
iii. Line Spacing: 1.5
iv. The front page should have the following information with centre alignment:
(a) Title of the Thesis
(b) Name of the degree
(c) Name of the student
(d) Roll No. of the student
(e) Name of the Supervisor
(f) Name of the Co-Supervisor if any
(g) Name of the Department
(h) Name of the Institute with its Logo
(i) Month, Year
v. Declaration of the student with his/her signature on academic integrity and copyright (template given
below)
vi. Certificate of the Supervisor with his signature (template given below)
vii. Acknowledgement (not more than two pages)
viii. Dedication (optional)
ix. Abstract
x. Chapters, starting with „Introduction” and ending with “Conclusion”
xi. References
xii. The electronic version should have the following information:
(a) Name and Roll No. of the student
(b) Title of the Thesis
(c) Month, Year

18
Template of Declaration by the student

Declaration by the student

Date:

I, Mr./Ms. Registration No. dated , a student of the Department of

of the Integrated PhD Programme/ PhD Programme of IISER Kolkata, hereby declare that this
thesis is my own work and, to the best of my knowledge, it neither contains materials previously published or
written by any other person, nor has it been submitted for any degree/diploma or any other academic award
anywhere before. I have used the originality checking service to prevent inappropriate copying.

I also declare that all copyrighted material incorporated into this thesis is in compliance with the Indian Copyright
Act, 1957 (amended in 2012) and that I have received written permission from the copyright owners for my use
of their work.

I hereby grant permission to IISER Kolkata to store the thesis in a database which can be accessed by others.

Signature
Name
Department of
Indian Institute of Science Education and Research Kolkata

Mohanpur 741246, West Bengal, India

19
 Template of Certificate from the Supervisor

Certificate from the Supervisor

Date:

This is to certify that the thesis titled “ ” submitted by

Mr./Ms. _ Registration No. dated , a student of the Department of
of the Integrated PhD Programme/ PhD Programme of IISER Kolkata, is based upon
his/her own research work under my supervision. I also certify,to the best of my knowledge, that neither
the thesis nor any part of it has been submitted for any degree/diploma or any other academic award
anywhere before. In my opinion, the thesis fulfils the requirement for the award of the degree of Doctor
of Philosophy.

Signature
Name
Professor/Associate Professor/Assistant Professor
Department of
Indian Institute of Science Education and Research Kolkata

Mohanpur 741246, West Bengal, India

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

20