From PhD Registration
to Degree Award
Every step of a scholar’s PhD journey — tracked in one place, with no step falling through the cracks.
Proposal approvals, committee meetings, plagiarism checks, viva voce panels — all with workflow enforcement so nothing waits on a forgotten email.
The Research Office Today
Most universities run their PhD programmes across a patchwork of systems — and scholars pay the price.
Lost in email chains
Proposal approvals go back and forth over email. A committee member replies late, a deadline passes, and no one has a clear record of what was approved and when.
No overdue visibility
A scholar hasn’t submitted their progress report in 8 months. The supervisor doesn’t know. The DPGC doesn’t know. Nobody knows until the annual audit.
Manual compliance checks
The thesis was submitted. Has the plagiarism report been uploaded? Has the Shodhganga ID been obtained? These questions get answered by phoning people, not by looking at a system.
Registration & Coursework
A newly admitted PhD scholar arrives with an entrance result, a supervisor allocation, and a pile of paperwork. Unity captures all of it in a single record that persists through the entire programme.
- Scholar profile linked to university admission and department
- Supervisor and co-supervisor assignment with workload visibility
- Coursework credit requirements tracked per regulation
- Doctoral Advisory Committee (DAC) constitution recorded
- Research area and sub-discipline classification
- Stipend and fellowship details captured from day one
Research Proposal
The proposal isn’t just a document — it’s the start of a formal approval chain. Unity enforces every handoff so proposals don’t stall in someone’s inbox.
- Scholar submits proposal with supporting documents attached
- Doctoral Advisory Committee (DAC) reviews and records recommendations
- Automatic escalation to DPGC once DAC approves
- DPGC records formal approval with date and resolution number
- Complete audit trail — every comment, revision, and approval logged
Progress Monitoring & Committee Oversight
A PhD programme runs for 3–7 years. Unity ensures scholars and supervisors stay on track — with automated reminders, structured report templates, and live dashboards for the Research Office.
Annual Progress Reports
Biannual APR (Annual Progress Report) and APS (Annual Progress Seminar) are mandatory milestones. Scholars submit structured reports; RAC members record their recommendations.
- Due date auto-calculated from registration date
- Automated reminders at 30, 14, and 7 days before due date
- RAC recommendations captured against each report
- Overdue reports flagged to DPGC with days-outstanding count
- Research Office dashboard: all scholars, all statuses, one screen
DPGC, SPGC & Senate
Governance decisions that affect scholars — proposal approvals, extension grants, supervisor changes — are linked directly to the committee meeting where they were resolved.
- DPGC meeting agenda, minutes, and resolutions recorded
- SPGC and Senate decisions tracked separately by body
- Each resolution linked to the scholar or grant it affects
- DAC (Doctoral Advisory Committee) meeting minutes per scholar
- Historical record of all committee decisions in one audit trail
Pre-Synopsis Seminar
Before a scholar can submit their thesis, they must present their findings to the department. Unity tracks this gate — including whether the DPGC has formally granted clearance to proceed.
- Seminar date, panel composition, and venue recorded
- Scholar presentation and department feedback captured
- DPGC clearance_granted flag — mandatory before thesis submission unlocks
- Condition-based clearance: DPGC can specify revisions required
- Panel recommendations linked to the scholar’s thesis submission record
Thesis Submission
Thesis submission is not a single event — it’s a six-stage process. Unity enforces every checkpoint so nothing advances until the previous stage is formally complete.
Submission
Scholar submits soft copy. No-Objection Certificates from library, hostel, and accounts are verified before the submission is accepted.
Supervisor Endorsement
Supervisor digitally endorses the thesis as ready for external review. The endorsement is timestamped and audit-logged.
Plagiarism Check
Plagiarism report uploaded from iThenticate, Urkund, or Turnitin. Similarity percentage recorded. Shodhganga ID obtained and entered.
DPGC Forwarding
DPGC formally forwards the thesis for external evaluation. Forwarding resolution number and date recorded against the submission.
External Examiner Panel
Examiner panel proposed, approved, and communicated. Thesis dispatch to examiners logged. Reminder alerts sent if response is overdue.
Examiner Reports
External examiner reports received and uploaded. Recommendations (Accepted / Minor Revision / Major Revision) captured. Viva Voce scheduled.
Viva Voce
The viva panel is constituted, the date is set, and the outcome is recorded in Unity — with a clear result that flows directly into the degree award workflow.
- Viva panel composition with internal and external members
- Viva date, time, and mode (in-person / hybrid) recorded
- Outcome: Pass, Pass with Minor Corrections, or Major Revision
- Correction submission and supervisor sign-off tracked
- Viva minutes uploaded as a formal record
Degree Award
The degree award is the culmination of years of work. Unity enforces a four-level approval chain and generates the formal award record.
- DPGC → SPGC → Senate → Degree Award — four sequential approvals enforced
- Senate meeting record linked to the award
- Degree award date and convocation year recorded
- Certificate generation triggered after Senate approval
- Scholar record marked complete and archived
Research Grant Management
Funded research brings compliance obligations. Unity tracks every rupee from sanction letter to utilisation certificate — with expenditure statements that auto-populate from your accounts.
Grant Lifecycle
- Funding agency details: SERB, DST, ICMR, AICTE, industry
- Project registration with grant amount, duration, and PI
- Fund installment recording as amounts are received
- Budget head allocation and expenditure tracking
- Annual progress reports to the funding agency
- Grant extension requests with justification records
Compliance Documents
- Utilisation Certificates auto-generated for each reporting period
- Statement of Expenditure pulled from ERPNext GL — no double entry
- Auditor Certificates tracked against each UC
- Patent filing and IP assignment records
- Publications linked to grant — journal, co-authors, impact factor
- Equipment procurement linked to grant budget heads
On the Roadmap
These gaps are known. They are being built.
Qualifying / Comprehensive Exam Results
Formal recording of qualifying examination results for PhD scholars before the proposal stage — currently tracked offline at most universities.
Post-Viva Revision Resubmission
Structured workflow for scholars who receive a ‘Major Revision’ viva outcome — tracking correction period, resubmission, and re-examination.
UGC Minimum Publication Gate
Automated check that a scholar has the required peer-reviewed publications before thesis submission is permitted — enforcing UGC regulations.
Provisional Certificate Tracking
Issuance and tracking of provisional PhD certificates between Senate approval and the convocation degree ceremony.
Frequently Asked Questions
Which PhD lifecycle stages does Unity cover?
Unity covers all major PhD stages: registration and coursework, research proposal with DAC/DPGC approval, biannual progress reports (APR/APS), DAC committee meetings, pre-synopsis seminar clearance, thesis submission with plagiarism checking and Shodhganga registration, external examiner management, viva voce, and the final degree award with 4-level Senate approval.
Does Unity integrate with plagiarism detection tools?
Yes. Unity's thesis submission workflow has built-in integration with iThenticate, Urkund, and Turnitin. The system tracks plagiarism report upload, similarity percentage, and Shodhganga submission ID as mandatory gates before a thesis can proceed to external examination.
How does Unity handle research grant management?
Unity tracks the full research grant lifecycle: project registration, fund installment recording, annual progress reports to the funding agency, utilization certificates, and statement of expenditure. The expenditure statements auto-populate from ERPNext's general ledger, eliminating duplicate data entry for accounts teams.
Can committee members (DPGC, SPGC, Senate) access the system?
Yes. Unity provides role-specific access for DPGC Members, SPGC Members, Senate Secretary, PhD Supervisors, and Research Administrators. Committee meeting records, agenda items, and resolutions are captured and linked directly to the scholar records they affect.
How does Unity handle overdue progress reports?
Unity automatically tracks APR and APS due dates for every active scholar. When a progress report becomes overdue, the system sends automated alerts to the scholar, supervisor, and the DPGC. Research coordinators get a consolidated dashboard showing all overdue submissions by department.
Does Unity support multiple universities or campuses?
Yes. Unity's multi-entity architecture supports constituent colleges, affiliated institutions, and multi-campus universities — all under a single installation with separate data boundaries and governance structures for each entity.
Related University Features
Stop managing your research programme on email.
Give your Dean of Research, DPGC, and scholars a single system where nothing falls through the cracks.