MLIS Project Work and Dissertation
IGNOU MLIS Project for MLIP 2: Rules, Guide Eligibility, Format and Submission
The IGNOU MLIS Project for MLIP 2 is Project Work/Dissertation, a four credit, 100 mark core course of the Master of Library and Information Science programme. The synopsis goes to the Programme Coordinator (MLIS) at the School of Social Sciences. The finished dissertation goes to the Registrar (SED). A minimum of 50 percent is needed to pass.
Start here
What MLIP-002 is inside the IGNOU MLIS programme
MLIP-002 is the Project Work/Dissertation course of the Master of Library and Information Science (MLIS) programme at Indira Gandhi National Open University. It is counted as a full course of four credits carrying 100 marks, and it sits among the core courses, not among the electives. The MLIS programme as a whole runs to ten courses and 40 credits: eight core courses and two electives chosen from six on offer. MLIP-002 is the seventh core course. The eighth, MLII-105, is the Internship. Project Work/Dissertation is compulsory, and the MLIS Project/Dissertation Work Handbook states plainly that no candidate is exempted from it for the award of the degree.
One point separates MLIP-002 from every other course a learner will register for. There is no tutor marked assignment for it, and the Programme Guide confirms there is no continuous evaluation component either. Every one of the 100 marks comes from the dissertation itself. Students used to the 30 percent assignment cushion that props up their theory courses do not get that cushion here.
| Course code | MLIP-002 (also typed as MLIP 2, MLIP-02, MLIP 002) |
|---|---|
| Course title | Project Work/Dissertation |
| Programme code | MLIS, Master’s Degree in Library and Information Science |
| School and faculty | School of Social Sciences, Faculty of Library and Information Science |
| Credits and marks | 4 credits, 100 marks, counted as one full course |
| Position in programme | Seventh core course of eight; MLIS total is 10 courses and 40 credits |
| Assignment component | None. No TMA, no continuous evaluation |
| Pass mark | 50 percent, higher than the 40 percent floor used elsewhere in MLIS |
| Synopsis goes to | Programme Coordinator (MLIS), Faculty of Library and Information Science, SOSS, IGNOU, Maidan Garhi, New Delhi 110068 |
| Dissertation goes to | The Registrar (SED), IGNOU, Maidan Garhi, New Delhi 110068, or the online project portal when that session’s window is open |
| Programme duration | One academic year minimum, two years maximum |
Rule currency
Which MLIP 2 rules are current, and which have been superseded
Two official documents govern MLIP-002, and they do not agree on everything. The older one is the MLIS Project/Dissertation Work Handbook (MLIP-002), published by the Faculty of Library and Information Science in 2007. The newer one is Annexure III of the MLIS Programme Guide, dated July 2022 and hosted on ignou.ac.in. Most pages that rank for this keyword quote the 2007 handbook without saying so, which is how outdated guide eligibility keeps circulating.
Where the two documents differ, the July 2022 Programme Guide is the current instruction. Where the 2022 guide is silent, the 2007 handbook remains the only published detail available, and that is worth saying out loud rather than pretending a single clean rulebook exists.
| Point | 2007 Handbook | July 2022 Programme Guide |
|---|---|---|
| Programme size | Six core courses plus two electives | Ten courses, eight core plus two electives, 40 credits. This is current |
| Guide eligibility | Three routes, including a B.E./B.Tech (Computer Science) or MCA route | Two routes only, both requiring an LIS qualification plus Assistant Professor Scale or Pay Level 10. This is current |
| Final report office | Named as Director (SR&E) in one place and Registrar (SR&ED) in another | Registrar (SED). This is current |
| Synopsis route | Hard copy to the Programme Coordinator | Hard copy or soft copy by email, and the guide asks learners to send one or the other, not both |
| Report length | About 80 to 120 double spaced pages, approximately 20,000 words, 10 percent variation either side | Silent on length. The 2007 figure is the only published one |
| Viva voce | States there will be no viva-voce for evaluation of the project or dissertation | Silent. Confirm with the Programme Coordinator for the running session |
| Report contents | Approved proforma plus certificate of originality, methodology explained adequately | A thirteen item list running from Certificate through to Appendices. This is current |
The eligibility gate
Who qualifies to be your MLIP 2 guide under the current rules
Guide eligibility is the single point where an MLIP-002 proposal is most likely to fail before anyone reads the research idea. Annexure III of the July 2022 MLIS Programme Guide sets two minimum qualifications for the guide, and both of them attach a pay condition to the academic one.
- Ph.D. in Library and Information Science and working in Assistant Professor Scale or Pay Level 10 as per the 7th CPC.
- Master’s Degree in Library and Information Science with working experience in a library or information centre, or teaching LIS, in Assistant Professor Scale or Pay Level 10 as per the 7th CPC.
Read the second route carefully. An MLIS holder working in a library is not automatically eligible. The Pay Level 10 condition applies to that route as well. This is the detail that competitor pages almost uniformly drop, because they are reproducing the 2007 handbook, which set a softer bar of two years of library experience in a lecturer’s grade or equivalent, and which also permitted a third route for a B.E., B.Tech in Computer Science or MCA holder with two years in a reputed library. The July 2022 guide does not carry that computer science route at all. A learner who lines up a systems person as guide on the strength of an old blog post is setting up a rejection.
BK Sahni, who has guided 5,00,000 students till date, notes that the proposal proforma asks for the guide’s academic qualifications, years of relevant experience and a bio-data mentioning the present pay-scale. That pay-scale line is not a formality on the form. It is how the Faculty checks the Pay Level 10 condition, which is why a bio-data that omits the pay-scale tends to come back.
The paperwork the guide must sign
- A consent letter confirming the named project will be carried out under their guidance.
- A bio-data, signed, stating qualifications, relevant experience and present pay-scale.
- The proposal proforma, signed alongside the student’s signature.
- Later, the certificate of originality, signed by student and supervisor together.
The proforma also asks whether the supervisor is an Academic Counsellor of the MLIS programme, and if so, the name and code of the study centre they are attached to. It asks how many students are currently working under that supervisor for MLIP-002. The 2007 handbook capped a supervisor at five students at a time. The July 2022 guide does not restate that cap, so a learner approaching an in demand guide should ask about their current load rather than assume.
Stage one
What the MLIP 2 synopsis must contain, and where it is sent
The MLIP-002 synopsis is prepared in consultation with the guide, not submitted for the guide’s approval afterwards. The handbook asks for the objectives, methodology and other details of the proposed study, with full detail of the rationale, sampling, instruments to be used, limitations if any, and directions for further research. If the study runs on a population, the size of that population must be stated in the proposal. It is typed in double space on A4.
Four documents travel together. The Project Proposal Proforma, one copy of the synopsis, the bio-data of the supervisor, and the consent letter. The handbook is blunt about what happens if any of them is missing: proposals incomplete in any respect are rejected straight away, and proposals not accompanied by those papers are not considered for approval.
The address is the Programme Coordinator (MLIS), Faculty of Library and Information Science, School of Social Sciences, Academic Complex, Block-F, IGNOU, Maidan Garhi, New Delhi 110068. The July 2022 Programme Guide adds that a soft copy of the synopsis may be sent by email to the MLIS faculty address published in the guide, and instructs learners to send either the hard copy or the soft copy, not both. That instruction exists to prevent duplicate entries in the approval queue, so duplicating on purpose to be safe works against the learner. Verify the current email address on ignou.ac.in before sending, since faculty contact details change between editions of the guide.
Approval or non-approval is communicated in writing. Nothing about the research should start before that arrives. Retain a copy of the synopsis and a copy of the returned proforma, because the approved proforma has to be bound into the final dissertation later.
Topic territory
Which kinds of study MLIP 2 accepts
MLIP-002 does not accept any library related essay. The handbook lists the forms the work may take, and preference is stated for emerging areas of library and information science. A topic that does not sit inside one of these forms is harder to defend at the approval stage.
- Action research: design and development of an information system, user interface, information service or its components.
- Inter-institutional study: comparison across institutions of information networks, systems, services, products or practices.
- Comprehensive case study: a single library, information centre, information network or information system.
- Users’ survey or field study: empirical work with a defined population.
- Survey of literature: bibliographic or bibliometric study in any discipline.
- Users’ sensitisation.
- Information literacy: methods, techniques and case studies.
Appendix I of the handbook adds an illustrative list of twenty one areas, explicitly described as suggestive and not exhaustive. Among them: problems and constraints in initiating library automation, library resource sharing, library consortia in corporate libraries, web-based information services for visually challenged users, metadata practices in digital repositories, a special classification scheme on open and distance education, a thesaurus on open and distance learning, professional skills requirements in the knowledge process outsourcing industry, information seeking behaviour of different user types, bibliometric, scientometric or webometric studies, preservation and conservation of library materials, and a comprehensive study of library associations in India.
Two of those items, the classification scheme and the thesaurus on open and distance learning, are worth noticing. They are construction projects rather than survey projects. A learner with access to a working collection and no realistic survey population may find those a better fit than a questionnaire study with a thin sample.
A practical filter for the topic
Pick the population or the collection first, then pick the question. MLIP-002 topics fail at the proposal stage more often for an undefined population than for an uninteresting subject. If the synopsis cannot state who will be surveyed, how many of them there are and what instrument reaches them, the topic is not ready to send.
Stage two
How the MLIP 2 dissertation is structured and how long it runs
Annexure III of the July 2022 Programme Guide gives the report format as a thirteen item sequence. Two of those items are routinely missing from templates circulating online, so they are worth flagging: a Preface sits between the Table of Contents and the Introduction, and an Index sits between the Bibliography and the Appendices.
| Order | Section | What it carries |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Certificate | From the guide, stating the work was carried out under their supervision |
| 2 | Acknowledgements | Institutions and people who gave access or assistance |
| 3 | Table of Contents | Chapter and section listing with page numbers |
| 4 | Preface | Often skipped by template users. Include it |
| 5 | Introduction | Background, problem statement, scope |
| 6 | Review of Literature | Prior LIS work the study builds on |
| 7 | Objectives | Must match the approved synopsis |
| 8 | Methodology | Design, population, sampling, instrument, analysis |
| 9 | Findings | Data presented and analysed |
| 10 | Conclusion | Interpretation and recommendations |
| 11 | Bibliography | Consistent citation style throughout |
| 12 | Index | Also commonly skipped. Include it |
| 13 | Appendices | Instrument, raw tables, correspondence |
On top of the thirteen sections, the report must be typed in double space on A4 and bound. It must adequately explain the research methodology adopted. Bound into it, in original, go the approved Project Proposal Proforma, the approved synopsis and the Certificate of Originality signed by both student and supervisor.
Length is the figure to be careful with. The 2007 handbook puts the report at about 80 to 120 double spaced typed pages, not exceeding approximately 20,000 words excluding appendices and exhibits, with 10 percent variation permissible either side. The July 2022 Programme Guide does not restate any page or word figure. So the 80 to 120 page range is the only published number with a traceable official source, and it comes from the older document. Treat it as guidance, write to the thirteen section structure, and confirm with the Programme Coordinator or the guide if the work lands well outside that band. The language must be English.
Stage three
Where the finished dissertation goes, and what it costs
The final MLIP-002 dissertation does not go back to the Programme Coordinator who approved the synopsis. One copy goes to The Registrar (SED), IGNOU, Maidan Garhi, New Delhi 110068. The handbook allows insured registered post, insured speed post, or delivery by hand, and asks that “PROJECT REPORT – MLIS” be written prominently on the top of the envelope so that the Student Evaluation Division can sort it to the right programme. A copy of the proforma carrying the approval must accompany it.
IGNOU also runs an online project submission portal at onlineproject.ignou.ac.in, opened session by session, which accepts final projects, dissertations, field work journals, practicum files and internship reports as a single scanned PDF. The portal notice states that synopses and assignments must not be uploaded there. So for MLIP-002 the split holds even in online mode: the synopsis travels by post or email to the Faculty, the completed dissertation travels to SED or through the portal. Check whether the portal window is open for your session before assuming either route.
The two MLIP 2 amounts, and which way each one moves
Two small sums attach to MLIP-002, and they travel in opposite directions.
The learner pays IGNOU a project evaluation fee. From the January 2023 admission cycle onwards, IGNOU charges this alongside the term-end examination form. The published slabs on the IGNOU examination portal are Rs. 300 per course for project work up to 4 credits and Rs. 500 per course above 4 credits. MLIP-002 is a 4 credit course, so it falls in the lower slab. This matters because much of the advice circulating for IGNOU projects quotes Rs. 500, which is the figure for the larger management and commerce dissertations, not for MLIP-002. Confirm the amount on the examination form for your session before paying, since fee slabs are revised by circular.
IGNOU pays the guide a token remuneration. The handbook’s Appendix V sets it at Rs. 100 per student, claimed by the supervisor on a remuneration bill after the student’s dissertation has been submitted. It is not something the learner hands over. A guide asking the learner directly for a supervision fee is operating outside what the handbook describes.
Submission timing
The handbook sets two annual slots: submission in April each year for accountability in the June Term End Examination, and in October each year for the December Term End Examination, with the schedule table naming 31 May and 30 November as the outer dates for those two cycles. Those were the dates printed for the session the handbook covered. IGNOU fixes and frequently extends project submission dates by notification each session, so the working rule is to treat 31 May and 30 November as the historical pattern and confirm the current notification on ignou.ac.in before planning around either.
Marking
How MLIP 2 is marked, and whether there is a viva
The MLIP-002 dissertation is evaluated by the Faculty or by an external expert as necessary, and a learner must secure a minimum of 50 percent in the Project Work/Dissertation course to pass it. That 50 percent floor sits above the 40 percent used for the rest of MLIS, in both continuous evaluation and the term-end examination, and it is not offset by anything else. With no tutor marked assignment and no continuous evaluation for this course, the dissertation carries all 100 marks on its own.
On viva voce, the published position is worth stating precisely, because it is where most pages covering this keyword go wrong. The MLIS Project/Dissertation Work Handbook states, under evaluation, that there will be no viva-voce for evaluation of the project or dissertation. Annexure III of the July 2022 Programme Guide describes evaluation and the pass mark but does not introduce a viva. So no published MLIS document prescribes one for MLIP-002. Regional Centres do schedule vivas for several other IGNOU programmes, which is probably where the confusion originates. A learner who wants certainty for the running session should ask the Programme Coordinator (MLIS) directly rather than rely on general IGNOU project advice.
If the dissertation does not qualify, the handbook allows the learner to complete it within the stipulated time frame of the programme after incorporating the suggestions made on the earlier submission, on payment of an additional amount. If it is still not cleared within that time frame, the work may be submitted within the next two years, again with an additional payment. The maximum period allowed to complete the MLIS programme is two years from the date of registration, so a failed first attempt eats directly into that window.
Where it goes wrong
Why MLIP 2 proposals come back unapproved
Approval failures cluster, and most of them are document failures rather than research failures.
- An ineligible guide. The commonest cause. A working librarian without Assistant Professor Scale or Pay Level 10, or a computer science graduate lined up on the strength of the withdrawn 2007 third route.
- A bio-data with no pay-scale. The proforma asks for a bio-data mentioning the present pay-scale. Without it the Faculty cannot verify the eligibility condition.
- An incomplete packet. Missing consent letter, missing proforma, or the synopsis sent on its own. The handbook rejects incomplete proposals outright rather than writing back for the missing paper.
- An undefined population. The proposal must state the size of the population to be studied if the work is empirical. “Users of academic libraries” is not a population.
- A topic outside the accepted forms. A general essay on the history of libraries fits none of the seven prescribed types.
- Both hard copy and soft copy sent. The Programme Guide asks for one or the other.
- Research started before approval arrived. Costly rather than fatal, but a changed objective after data collection means either a revised proposal or a report that does not match its approved objectives.
- Objectives in the report that drift from the approved synopsis. The approved proforma is bound into the dissertation, so the evaluator can see the drift directly.
Where a revised proposal is required, a copy of the returned proforma carrying the Programme Coordinator’s comments must be enclosed with the fresh proposal. Keeping the original is therefore not optional housekeeping, it is part of the resubmission packet. For the wider picture of how IGNOU project work is structured across programmes, the IGNOU project guide covering synopsis format, report structure and submission sets MLIP-002 against the other course codes.
Planning
Working the MLIP 2 timeline backwards
MLIS runs one academic year with a two year outer limit, and MLIP-002 has an approval stage sitting in the middle of it. Planning forwards from admission usually leaves too little room. Planning backwards from the submission date works better.
| Counting back from submission | What should already be done |
|---|---|
| Submission date | Bound report with approved proforma, approved synopsis and certificate of originality; evaluation fee receipt kept with the TEE form record |
| 2 to 3 weeks before | Guide’s certificate signed, certificate of originality signed by both, binding done, personal copy retained |
| 6 to 8 weeks before | Full draft with all thirteen sections, including the Preface and Index that templates drop |
| 3 to 4 months before | Data collected and analysis started. Instrument already tested on a few respondents |
| 5 to 6 months before | Written approval received. Research begins |
| 7 to 8 months before | Synopsis packet sent to the Programme Coordinator (MLIS) |
| 8 to 9 months before | Guide confirmed and eligibility checked against Annexure III; bio-data and consent letter collected |
The approval wait is the part learners consistently underestimate. Written communication of approval or non-approval is sent per the schedule in the project guide, and a non-approval means preparing a revised proposal and waiting again. Building one revision cycle into the plan is more realistic than assuming first-time approval.
Verify before you act
The programme structure, guide eligibility, report format and submission address in this article come from the MLIS Programme Guide (PG-MLIS) and the MLIS Project/Dissertation Work Handbook (MLIP-002). Read the current programme guide on ignou.ac.in and the archived course material on egyankosh.ac.in before finalising anything. Session dates, fee slabs and faculty contact details are revised by notification and are the items most likely to have moved.
Quick answers
IGNOU MLIS project for MLIP 2: frequently asked questions
Is MLIP-002 the same as MLIP 2, MLIP-02 and MLIP002?
Yes. The canonical course code for the IGNOU MLIS Project Work/Dissertation is MLIP-002. Learners commonly type it as MLIP 2, MLIP-02, MLIP 002 or MLIP002, and search results treat them as the same course. On the proposal proforma and the report front page, write it as MLIP-002 with the programme code MLIS.
Does MLIP-002 have an assignment or a term-end examination?
No. The MLIS Programme Guide states that every student submits one assignment for each course except MLIP-002, for which there is no assignment, and that there is no continuous evaluation for project work or dissertation. There is no written term-end paper for MLIP-002 either. The dissertation carries all 100 marks.
Is a viva voce compulsory for the IGNOU MLIS project?
No published MLIS document prescribes one. The MLIS Project/Dissertation Work Handbook states there will be no viva-voce for evaluation of the project or dissertation, and Annexure III of the July 2022 Programme Guide does not introduce one. Because viva arrangements are handled at Regional Centre level for several other IGNOU programmes, confirm the position for your session with the Programme Coordinator (MLIS).
Can a school librarian be my MLIP 2 guide?
Only if the pay condition is met. Annexure III requires either a Ph.D. in Library and Information Science, or a Master’s Degree in Library and Information Science with working experience in a library or information centre or teaching LIS, and in both routes the guide must be in Assistant Professor Scale or Pay Level 10 as per the 7th CPC. The bio-data submitted with the proposal must mention the present pay-scale so the Faculty can verify this.
How many pages should the MLIP 2 dissertation be?
The only published figure comes from the MLIS Project/Dissertation Work Handbook: about 80 to 120 double spaced typed pages, not exceeding approximately 20,000 words excluding appendices and exhibits, with 10 percent variation permissible either side. Annexure III of the July 2022 Programme Guide gives the thirteen section format but no page or word limit. Write to the structure and confirm with the guide if the work falls well outside that range.
What is the project evaluation fee for MLIP-002?
MLIP-002 is a 4 credit course, so the published slab for project work up to 4 credits applies, which the IGNOU examination portal lists as Rs. 300 per course, against Rs. 500 per course above 4 credits. The fee applies from the January 2023 admission cycle onwards and is paid with the term-end examination form. Confirm the amount shown on the form for your session, since slabs are revised by circular.
Can the MLIP 2 synopsis be submitted online?
The MLIS Programme Guide allows a soft copy of the synopsis by email to the MLIS faculty address published in the guide, as an alternative to posting a hard copy to the Programme Coordinator, and asks learners to send one or the other rather than both. The onlineproject.ignou.ac.in portal is not the route for a synopsis: its notice states that synopses and assignments must not be uploaded there. That portal is for the completed dissertation.
What happens if the MLIP 2 dissertation does not clear?
The handbook allows resubmission within the stipulated time frame of the programme after incorporating the suggestions made on the earlier report, on payment of an additional amount. If the work is still not cleared within that time frame, it may be submitted within the next two years with a further payment. Since the maximum period to complete MLIS is two years from registration, a failed attempt uses up part of that window.
ignouproject.shop is an independent study-help publisher operated by Shri Chakradhar Publication Pvt. Ltd. It is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or acting for Indira Gandhi National Open University. Programme rules, fees and dates are set by IGNOU and are revised by notification. Always confirm the current requirement with your Regional Centre, your Programme Coordinator or the official IGNOU website before you submit anything.
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