Free tool, planning and viva
PhD checklists
Five stage-by-stage lists, with your ticks saved in this browser.
This page has five PhD checklists, for the synopsis, pre-submission seminar, thesis submission, viva voce and journal paper, with 84 items in total.
In every stage of PhD there are some small things which can cost you one month if you miss them. Many times it is a certificate typed in the wrong wording. Or the title page shows a title different from the registration letter. Or the similarity report was taken long back and is no longer valid on the day you submit. None of these is difficult. Scholars forget them because they are tired, and the office closes at five in the evening. Open the list for your stage and tick each item once it is finished.
Synopsis or research proposal
Use it before the synopsis goes to your Doctoral Committee or Research Advisory Committee for registration.
0 of 17 done
Pre-submission seminar
Work through it before the date is set for your open presentation to the Research Advisory Committee.
0 of 17 done
Thesis submission
Start about a month before you hand in, and again after the viva for the Shodhganga deposit.
0 of 18 done
Viva voce
From the day the viva date is fixed until the viva itself.
0 of 18 done
Journal manuscript submission
Go through it just before you submit, with the author guidelines open in another tab.
0 of 14 done
Not sure the answer fits your study? WhatsApp us or call, and we’ll look at it with you.
How the tool works
The tabs at the top let you pick a list. Each list has one line on top telling when to use it. For example, the synopsis list is meant for the weeks before your Doctoral Committee meeting, and the viva list starts from the day your viva date is fixed. If the web address ends in #viva, #synopsis or #journal-submission, that list itself opens first, so you can bookmark it or send the link to a friend.
We took the items from three places. First is the UGC 2022 PhD regulations, for things like the Research Advisory Committee reviews, the open pre-submission presentation and the plagiarism undertaking. Second is the UGC 2018 regulations on plagiarism. Third is the usual steps we see in universities of South India, like the no-dues form and the Shodhganga deposit. “Read more” takes you to our guide on that item. Some rules change from university to university. Those items carry one more link to our comparison of PhD rules, where you can check what your own university is asking.
Your ticks are saved in this browser only, in its local storage, under the key name tws_checklists. Come back after one week on the same browser and the ticks are still there. Every list show its progress, like 7 of 17 done. The two buttons below it print the list or remove all its ticks. Some scholars keep JavaScript off in the browser. For them also the lists will come on screen as plain checklists, and printing works, only the ticks will not get saved.
Your ticks never come to our server. On our side we keep only a note that somebody used the checklists.
Questions scholars ask
Which list should I start with?
Open the list for your next meeting first. If your synopsis goes to the Doctoral Committee next month, use the synopsis list now. The submission list you will mostly open two times, around a month before handing in the thesis and again after the viva for the Shodhganga deposit.
Can I share my list with my guide?
Yes, many scholars are doing it by taking a printout. Print the list, or choose save as PDF in your browser’s print option, and send that file to your guide. The ticks come in the printout as they are, so your guide sees what is finished and what is pending. Your guide cannot see them online, because they are stored in your browser only.
Why does the pre-submission list say the seminar is open to all?
As per clause 11(2) of the UGC 2022 regulations, the presentation before submission is open to every faculty member and research student, and not only to your committee. That is why the notice must be displayed or circulated. Be ready for questions from people outside the committee also.
Will my ticks disappear?
The ticks stay as long as this browser keeps the site data. If you clear your history and site data, use a private window or move to another device, the lists will start from zero. After you tick the submission list fully, print one copy and keep it in your thesis file, that is safer.
Sources
- UGC (Minimum Standards and Procedures for Award of Ph.D. Degree) Regulations, 2022 (PDF)
- UGC (Promotion of Academic Integrity and Prevention of Plagiarism in Higher Educational Institutions) Regulations, 2018 (PDF)
- Shodhganga, the INFLIBNET repository of Indian theses
- VTU, thesis check list, March 2026 (PDF)
Stuck on a chapter? Talk it through with us.
Call or WhatsApp, say where you are in your thesis, and we’ll tell you plainly what kind of help makes sense, if any.