Bengaluru: A task force formed by All India Council of Technical Education (AICTE) to formulate regulations for PhD in technical education recommended mandatory publishing of their work in peer-reviewed journals and giving Artificial Intelligence (AI) disclaimers.

The task force, headed by former Bangalore University vice-chancellor KR Venugopal, was to develop a comprehensive framework for PhD/DSc in technical education. Previously, it followed the same regulations of the University Grants Commission for other streams. The report was submitted in July 2025 to AICTE.

As per the regulations recommended, research scholars should publish articles based on their thesis as first and corresponding authors in peer-reviewed journals and conferences. PhD scholars can submit their thesis in two-and-a-half years if they have published their work in peer-reviewed Scopus-indexed Q1 journals.

“UGC does not mandate publishing in journals. But we have brought about the change here. We hope this will increase the quality of technical education. Unless a candidate has published a paper, how will they guide students in the future to do the same? Also, when the paper is published, the student will be the first author and not the guides,” Venugopal said.

The report recommended AI usage be disclosed with an AI disclaimer, copyright disclaimer, referencing, credits, and plagiarism checks to improve the quality of the thesis. “Everyone uses artificial intelligence. In fact, if you don’t allow students to use artificial intelligence, they will be outdated. But if using AI, they should also give a reference for that. Just as they give disclaimers for plagiarism, there should be references for AI usage, and it should be less than 20% of the overall thesis,” Venugopal said.

The recommendations also pave the way for highly accomplished students to complete a PhD within two-and-a-half years. Migration of research scholars is permitted among universities countrywide. “Yet another change is that retired faculty and professors of practice will be allowed to co-guide even after retirement,” he said.

The task force also formulated guidelines for awarding DSc (Doctor of Science), a postdoctoral academic qualification, in engineering & technology, applied sciences, and allied disciplines. A minimum duration of one year and a maximum of three years have been prescribed for DSc programme (including extension) proposed for academicians to ascend the career ladder.

“The committee examined PhD guidelines available pan-India and leading universities across the globe, and NEP guidelines have been considered,” said Venugopal. The report will now have to be accepted by the Ministry of Education and gazetted before being implemented.