The Reality of DNB Thesis
88 hours/week workload. 56% burnout rate. 6-month NBEMS response time. This guide helps you survive the thesis journey with your sanity intact.
The official NBEMS guidelines tell you what to do. This guide tells you how to actually do it—with all the real-world problems, workarounds, and survival strategies that no official document mentions.
Know Your Stakeholders
Before diving into problems, understand who you'll be dealing with:
| Stakeholder | Role | Common Issues |
|---|---|---|
| Thesis Guide | Mentor, approver | Unavailability, transfer, conflicts |
| IEC | Ethics approval | Infrequent meetings, delays |
| SRC | Scientific review | Methodology objections |
| HOI | Admin approval | Signature delays |
| Hospital GRC | Level-1 complaints | Use for guide/workplace issues |
| NBEMS GRC | Level-2 escalation | Meets quarterly, slow |
Phase 1Topic Selection
❌ Common Mistakes
- • Choosing topics where adequate cases won't be available in your hospital
- • Picking very common topics (NBE has database of all previous thesis)
- • Experimental studies (avoid unless you have resources)
- • Controversial topics (creates approval issues)
- • Copying old thesis (NBE's plagiarism detection will catch it)
✓ What Works
- • Hospital caseload-based topics — Choose cases common in your hospital
- • Prospective/retrospective studies (easier than experimental)
- • Search PubMed, Cochrane, Google Scholar for gaps in literature
- • Ask seniors who passed recently — what worked, what didn't
- • You CAN choose allied specialty topics (urosurgery, cardiothoracic, etc.)
Where to Search for Topics
- PubMed — Create free account, search your specialty + "India"
- Cochrane Library — See what systematic reviews are missing
- Google Scholar — Quick literature overview
- Local medical college library — Often has thesis archives
- Hospital records — What conditions have high admission rates?
Phase 2Guide Selection & Relationship
⚠️ The Hard Truth About Guide Issues
Reports exist of DNB residents being harassed, threatened with stipend withholding, blocked from OTs, and insulted publicly. When raised to DNB coordinators, sometimes even they don't support students.
This is why guide selection is CRITICAL. Once locked in, changing is difficult.
Choosing Your Guide Wisely
- Prefer guides committed for your entire training period (not retiring/transferring soon)
- Ask seniors about their experience with potential guides
- Choose someone who responds to WhatsApp/email within reasonable time
- Observe how they treat current trainees
- Academic productivity (publications) is a plus — they understand the process
If Guide Problems Arise
Grievance Redressal Pathway
Change of Guide Procedure
- Write to NBEMS with reason for change
- Get new guide's acceptance letter
- HOI must approve the change
- Email all documents to thesis@natboard.edu.in
Phase 3Sample Size Calculation
This is where most candidates get stuck. Different study designs need different formulas. One formula cannot be used for all designs.
Finding Help for Sample Size
Contact a trusted biostatistician or a senior person from the PSM (Community Medicine) department.
Reality check: Some people don't help on time — they're overburdened with their own work. Some are just lazy. Don't wait until the last moment hoping one person will help.
Best approach: Talk to your seniors (even from other departments) and find out who actually helps with sample size calculations. Word of mouth from seniors is the most reliable way to find helpful people.
✓ Free Tools for Sample Size
- • OpenEpi — Free online calculator (openepi.com)
- • G*Power — Free download, comprehensive
- • EpiInfo — CDC's free software
- • Hospital biostatistician — Many hospitals have one for free
- • medicalthesistopics.com — Has MD/MS/DNB specific calculator
⚠️ Dropout Rate Calculation Error
Wrong: 500 + (500 × 10%) = 550
Correct: 500 / (1 - 0.10) = 556
This common mistake can make your study underpowered.
Phase 4Ethics Committee (IEC) Approval
❌ Common Problems
- • IEC meets only monthly/quarterly — major delay source
- • Hospital lacks NECRBHR-registered IEC
- • Multiple revision requests from IEC
- • Median CDSCO registration: 77.5 days (can go up to 919 days!)
Solutions
- Submit to IEC within 2 weeks of finalizing protocol — Don't wait
- Know your IEC meeting schedule in advance
- If hospital lacks registered IEC: Execute MOU with nearby institution having registered IEC, submit MOU copy to NBEMS
- Register at www.naitik.gov.in (NECRBHR portal)
- Attend IEC meeting in person if allowed — faster query resolution
IEC Documentation Checklist
Phase 5Protocol Submission to NBEMS
⚠️ Critical: 90-Day Deadline
Protocol must be submitted within 90 days of joining DNB training. Approval takes approximately 6 months after submission.
Why Protocols Get Rejected
Two sections where MOST corrections happen:
- 1. Materials & Methods — Vague methodology, missing details
- 2. Referencing — Not following Vancouver style strictly
Protocol Resubmission
- No separate format for rejected protocol resubmission
- Use same format, add "Thesis Protocol Re-submission with Corrections" on front page
- Address each assessor comment specifically
⛔ Penal Provisions for Late Protocol
- 1. Not eligible to appear in DNB Final Theory Exam (first attempt)
- 2. Cannot submit thesis without Protocol Acknowledgement number
Phase 6Vancouver Referencing — Get It Right
This is the most common rejection reason. NBEMS is strict about Vancouver style.
❌ Common Vancouver Mistakes
- • Using "et al." in citations (only use in references for >6 authors)
- • Writing only first author + "et al." (should be first 6 authors)
- • Alphabetizing reference list (should be in order of citation)
- • Wrong page abbreviation: 123-129 (should be 123-9)
- • Missing journal abbreviation (use Medline abbreviations)
- • Inconsistent formatting across references
✓ Correct Vancouver Format
Journal Article (≤6 authors):
Author AA, Author BB, Author CC. Title of article. J Abbrev. Year;Vol(Issue):Pages.
Journal Article (>6 authors):
First 6 authors, et al. Title. J Abbrev. Year;Vol:Pages.
Page numbers:
123-9 (not 123-129), 126-34, 111-222
Tools to Get It Right
- Mendeley (free) — Reference manager with Vancouver output
- Zotero (free) — Alternative reference manager
- Journal abbreviations: ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/nlmcatalog/journals
Phase 7Data Collection & Thesis Writing
The Burnout Reality
- • Average resident working hours: 88 hours/week
- • Burnout rate among Indian residents: 56%
- • Thesis work often becomes "a formality to complete somehow"
- • Teaching, seminars, OT duty, ICU calls — thesis is the lowest priority
Surviving Thesis While Working 88 Hours/Week
- • Fixed 2-3 hours weekly for thesis — protect this time ruthlessly
- • Use early mornings or post-call recovery days for writing
- • Collect data during clinical duties — don't create separate time
- • Break thesis into monthly milestones
- • Train a junior/intern to help with data entry (acknowledge them)
- • Literature review can be done anywhere — use weekends
- • Use allowed leaves strategically for writing sprints
80-Page Limit Strategy
NBEMS limits thesis to 80 pages maximum (including text, figures, references, annexures, certificates). This is actually a blessing — keeps you focused.
- Introduction: 2-3 pages
- Review of Literature: 10-12 pages (don't exceed)
- Materials & Methods: 5-8 pages
- Results: 15-20 pages (tables, figures count)
- Discussion: 8-10 pages
- Conclusion: 1-2 pages
- References: ~5-8 pages
- Annexures + Certificates: remaining pages
Phase 8Payment & Portal Issues
💸 The Payment Nightmare
NBEMS is "increasingly famous for failed transactions and not refunding." Candidates report losing Rs. 10,000+ due to payment failures where money is deducted but transaction fails.
If Payment Fails But Money Deducted
- Wait 7 working days for automatic reversal
- If not reversed, email thesis@natboard.edu.in with:
- — Name, Registration Number
- — Transaction ID, UTR number, Bank reference
- — Bank statement showing deduction
- Use Communication Web Portal (creates ticket with tracking)
- Call 011-45593000 with all details ready
💡 Payment Prevention Tips
- • Use debit/credit card over UPI — better reconciliation
- • Screenshot everything — before, during, after payment
- • Keep UTR, transaction ID, bank reference handy
- • NEVER submit on last day — portal crashes under load
- • Keep multiple payment options ready
Portal Technical Issues
File Size Limits:
- • Declaration/undertaking: PDF <1 MB
- • IEC approval letter: PDF <1 MB
- • Application form: PDF <3 MB
- • Thesis file: typically <20-30 MB
Compress PDFs: SmallPDF.com, iLovePDF.com (free)
Phase 9Modified Thesis (If Rejected)
⏰ Critical Deadlines
- • Modified thesis deadline: 6 weeks from communication
- • Fee: Rs. 1,800
- • No inquiries entertained before 4 months after submission
Modified Thesis Requirements
Handling Unclear Assessor Comments
- Read assessor comments multiple times
- If truly unclear, write to NBEMS for clarification via Communication Portal
- Discuss with guide — they may understand what's expected
- If additional experiments/data needed and impossible in 6 weeks — write to NBEMS explaining situation
Phase 10Plagiarism — Avoid Disaster
⛔ What NBEMS Says
"Issues like Plagiarism, not maintaining the confidentiality of data, or any other distortion of the research process will be viewed seriously."
Safe Plagiarism Limits
- Target: <15% similarity for medical/scientific thesis
- Some institutions accept up to 25%, but safer to stay below 15%
- Standard definitions (e.g., medical terminology) will always flag — this is acceptable
- If including your own published paper, cite it as "my previously published work"
Free Plagiarism Checkers
- Grammarly — Has plagiarism checker
- Quetext — Free tier available
- SmallSEOTools — Online free checker
- Run check after literature review, before discussion
Free Tools Summary
| Purpose | Free Tool |
|---|---|
| Sample Size Calculation | OpenEpi, G*Power, EpiInfo |
| Statistical Analysis | R, JASP, JAMOVI |
| Reference Management | Mendeley, Zotero |
| Plagiarism Check | Grammarly, Quetext, SmallSEOTools |
| PDF Compression | SmallPDF, iLovePDF |
| Literature Search | PubMed, Google Scholar, Cochrane |
| Grammar Check | Grammarly, ProWritingAid |
| Graphs/Diagrams | Canva, BioRender |
| Backup/Storage | Google Drive (15GB free) |
Emergency Contacts (Keep Handy)
You Will Get Through This
Thousands of DNB trainees have navigated this system before you. The process is frustrating, the timelines are long, and the bureaucracy is real. But with preparation, persistence, and this guide — you'll make it to the other side with your thesis approved and your sanity intact.
Start early. Document everything. Keep pushing. 💪