Choosing of the right topic is the first step in your IGNOU MCOM Project (course code MCOP-001). The subject has to be of interest to you as an academic and should be in either of the broad categories of commerce as well as management. Guidelines provided by IGNOU encourage a student to select a topic within his/her field (i.e. Marketing, Finance, Human Resources, International Business, Accounting or Taxation). Selecting a topic which you are interested in will help the research a more interesting and easier procedure.

Hints, in choosing an IGNOU MCOM project topic:

• Pick your areas of interest: Do consider the subjects in commerce/management that you enjoy or are good at (e.g.: financial analysis, consumer behaviour, banking, etc.). The topics of the MCOP 001 project can be discussed on any topic relevant to the sphere of commerce, and therefore it is wise to choose such a subject as you are really interested in.
• Take a look at sample projects done in the past: In case you find a copy of IGNOU MCOM Project Sample PDF or a passing project report of a senior, study it. The study of similar successful project in the past will assist you in attaining the right scope and format. Nevertheless, use samples as a guide only - your subject and material have to be your own.
• Make the topic research worthy: The topic should not be too broad or too narrow. It has to be analytical based on the time and word limit available. Ensure that you are able to locate data or information about it. Prior to making a final decision, think how you will obtain the needed data (e.g.: do you have sources, companies or respondents to turn to?).
• Consult your guide or faculty: At this point you have a tentative topic. Talk with a prospective project guide or mentor. They could tell whether the topic is appropriate and possible. The opinion of the guide will help you avoid taking the wrong topic and to start making corrections later.

Prescribed project guidelines of IGNOU project program MCOP 001 give clear details on how to prepare your project synopsis and final report. The important guidelines are:

• Synopsis submission and approval is required: You should submit a project synopsis (proposal) to the university who will approve it before proceeding with doing the project. It is impossible to begin the work on the project before the synopsis is approved. The process of submission of the synopsis will be discussed later.
• Project report structure: The end product of IGNOU MCOM Project Report (dissertation) needs to have a formal outline. Normally it comprises Introduction (background of study), Review of literatures, Research Methodology (design, data sources, tools, sample information), Data analysis and findings, conclusion and recommendations, and Bibliography/ References and any appendices. Your report should bear the same title you have submitted in your synopsis.
• Format and word limit: The report should be typed on A4 paper, should be in a double-spaced and should be properly bound. It does not specify a limit of pages, but a typical report is between 50-100 pages. To the report, IGNOU wants a few things incorporated, which are, the accepted project proposal proforma, a Certificate of Originality (a document signed by you and the guide), the bio-data of the guide and a copy of the receipt of the project evaluation fee. These should be attached in the final project report before submission.
• It should be original work: Your project should not be copied work. There will be no allowance of plagiarism or duplicated work. IGNOU has the power to sentence summary punishment in case of plagiarized project. You should carry your research and give your own analysis. You can use the published sources, but you will have to quote them, you cannot just copy.
• Education with a guide: You have to undertake the project with the assistance of a competent guide (supervisor). The guide will assist in the rendering of the topic, preparing the synopsis, and the development of the report. Make sure that you select a qualified guide and keep constant contact with her or him to get feedbacks. Guide selection and eligibility (which are discussed in subsequent sections) are set out in detail.

It is important to follow these guidelines. They act as a manual in your M.Com project. Following the format and guidelines provided, you will simplify the process of finding approval and end up with a project report complying with the standards of IGNOU.

Yes. The organization or company (other than IGNOU) in which you want to do your M.Com project is free of choice. Generally, the project of MCOM of IGNOU entails researching a real business situation, working on research and applying commerce principles to this work, it does not have to be related to IGNOU directly.

Practically, you can develop the project on any company or industry that may be of your interest. An example of this would be to carry out a financial performance analysis on a corporation, or a marketing strategy analysis of a retail brand or a human resource practice analysis in a firm. Comparative study of more than one organization or a survey of the industry-wide can also be acceptable. The guidelines of IGNOU permit feasibility studies on the single-case organizations and comparative studies on multiple organizations.

The trick is that your topic must be based on commerce/management and one that you can be able to research. In case you select a certain company, you must have access to the information or data you anticipate (you may request to access data or interviews in case you need to). The instruction that the company requires you to use any IGNOU related data does not exist, you are just supposed to explore the business world by conducting your research. Simply state in your synopsis the name of the organization(s) about which you intend to write and your reasons as well. It is more than okay to study an external company as long as the synopsis is accepted.

It is said that you are not employed by the company, you are researching on it academically. Try to be objective and use the company as a case to practice the concepts learned. There are other companies that you can choose and the best is a company that you are conversant with (this may be your workplace or a company well documented) but it is not a requirement. Your attention should be paid to the quality of designing a study and problem analysis within that external setting.

IGNOU consists of two sections of the M.Com project, project report and a viva voice (project defense) of the project. They are both mandatory and you have to deliver well enough in each in order to pass the project.

• Evaluation of Project Report: The term project report refers to a written report (dissertation) as assessed by academic experts. They evaluate the clarity of your goals, analytical depth and accuracy as well as the structural and design of the report and how good you were in coming up with conclusions and recommendations. Such a project is considered as a 6-credit course, and this is why it considerably influences your final outcome. Generally, the mark concerning the project element is usually minimal (approximately 40%-50%).
• Viva Voce: A viva voce examination (also called oral examination) is the final process and will most often follow the written evaluation at the Regional Centre where you write. During the viva you will be interrogated on the contents of your project work as a method of corroborating your recognition and genuineness. The examiners could ask you to outline your reason to select the topic, about how you conducted a research or about the main finding of the research or about the recommendations that you have provided. They can also investigate the weak points and shortcomings of your study. This is actually defense of your work, therefore, be ready to justify and discuss what you have written.
• Marks Distribution: There are marks given in the report as well as in the viva having equal value and adding up to your project mark. As an example, the project report can be given 70% of the marks and viva 30 percent (weightage may vary). You have to successfully complete the combined evaluation. This translates to the fact that you must be doing fairly well in the viva (and vice versa) even when your written report is good.
• Outcome: The result of the project (pass/fail and the grade/ marks) should normally be announced and released along with the Term-End Examination results. By the last date in June term (end of May) you would find the result in the June TEE result if you submit by that due date, and the same end of November date will give result at end of December in the December TEE result. When graded, your project marks will be recorded in your grade card. Passing of the project is compulsory to acquire the M.Com degree.

The best way to succeed is to ensure that your written report is good and to prepare well to do the viva by reading through your project as a whole. The confidence with which you answer questions on your work will show that you indeed carried out the research and comprehended what you got.

Many websites do repetitious tasks owing to a lack of skill, provide copied and unverified content, offer insufficient assistance and customization, and have low customer service standards. At IGNOUMCOMPROJECT.COM, we ensure that none of these issues impede with your project.

In case, your project synopsis (proposal) is Not Approved, you will be getting a feedback with the reasons served by IGNOU. The next step is the following:

1. Read the feedback: Take the time to read what the evaluator has written to know the reason why your synopsis was turned away. Typical problems are ambiguous goals, incorrect structure or guide inapplicability.
2. Revised the synopsis: Make your proposal better, taking into consideration the points I suggest. Improve the subject, re-write some lines or even the methodology, as it might be necessary. It is good to correct all the points raised.
3. Replace the guide where necessary: In the case where you were rejected due to the lack of approval of the suggested guide you have to find a new suitable guide. Take the signed bio-data and signature on the synopsis proforma of the new guide.
4. Reconsider and re-submit: Write a new presentation package. You should send it with the updated synopsis, a new Project Proposal form (which you and the guide must sign) and a copy of the old synopsis with the remarks of the evaluator attached. Resubmit this to the Regional Centre.
5. Wait to be approved again: The new synopsis will be a new proposal (you will be issued with a new proposal number). Another couple of weeks may be needed in order to evaluate. Wait it out but you can call the Regional Centre to enquire about it such as after 2-3 months.
6. Wait till it is approved: You are not allowed to start the final work on the project till your synopsis has been approved. After receiving the approval letter only then go on with the data collection and report writing.

It is annoying when a synopsis does not review in favor of your work, but it is the time to improve your project plan. Quite a number of students are required to revise their synopsis once. Submitting the feedback again and as quickly as possible by responding well to any comments on the previous attempt, you stand a high probability to succeed at the next opportunity.

In order to have your project plan accepted, you must lay a synopsis (proposal) and a particular procedure. The priority in giving synopsis is:

1. Select topic and guide: Do it early (as early as 3rd semester). Select a project topic and get an able guide/supervisor to engage him/her to guide/supervise your project. The guide needs to fit in the criteria prescribed by IGNOU (more about that below).
2. Write the project synopsis: Write a succinct synopsis of your proposed study. It must have the title, introduction that includes the rationale of your study, objectives of the research work, a summary literature review, methodology of the research (how and where you will collect data, sample size, equipment used to collect and analyze the data), opinion about what the implications of the study will be, and what limitations you will have in conducting the research work. Basically, the synopsis is a small project proposal that summarizes your plan of doing it.
3. Complete the official Project Proposal Proforma (Annexure I) with all the given details (your details, topic etc.): You should also have the signed bio-data (CV) of your guide which contains his qualification and experience at work. These forms (the form and the bio-data) should be enclosed with your synopsis. Make sure to ensure all is filled and signed twice since incomplete submission will be counted as a rejection.
4. Send the synopsis to IGNOU: You will be required to submit a synopsis package to your Regional Centre in which you are studying (addressed to the Regional Director of your RC). It can be delivered either by mail or physically. The envelope should bear the title of project synopsis such as MCOP-001 M.Com Project Synopsis in bold fashion that should be channeled towards the project evaluation unit. In case you are an online M.Com student you might be required to put up the submission through an online port but in case of the offline/ODL students, it is normal to put up the submission in hard copy.
5. Wait to be notified about the acceptance: The Regional Centre will create a specific Project Proposal (PP No.) number to your synopsis and forward it to be evaluated. The responses usually come after 4-8 weeks. The RC will advise you by sending a letter / email to the effect that your synopsis is either Approved or Not Approved (with the PP No. given). Save this communication in case it is approved - this is the evidence that you can go on. In case it is not approved, you too will receive a set of comments to revise (see the previous section on how to cope with this).
6. Work on it when approved: After your review of the synopsis becomes accepted, then you may proceed to working on the project. This is the only time when you should begin data collection and project report writing on the basis of your proposal. You should ensure that you stay within a given topic and methodology as a change to these brings the need to obtain new approval.

Executed in this order, you will have a project that has an acceptable and proven plan to begin with. The process of submitting a synopsis to your reviewer may on the face of it look bureaucratic, but it is done to ensure that you actually have a viable study in mind and a suitably qualified guide to undertake it, before the full thing sucks your time away.

After your synopsis is accepted and after conducting the research, you are supposed to hand in the final project report to be evaluated. These are the steps to follow in submitting IGNOU MCOM project report:

1. Conclude the report with new details: Finish the report using needed details: Write the project report, including all its chapters (Introduction, Methodology, Analysis, Conclusion, etc. Get your guide to go through it. The title page, the declaration of a student (in case), the Certificate of Originality, to be signed by you and the guide, an acknowledgment (in case), table of contents, and the accepted synopsis proposal, all go to the preliminary pages. The synopsis approval and the bio-data of the guide must be attached to the annexure. Include replica of the fees receipt of the project evaluation. Organize all material properly.
2. Print and bind the report: Print the two-colour copy of your report (on A4 paper) on (that is, put into order). Put it in an act (spiral or hardcover). Ensure the proper order of documents and that what is needed is contained before one puts it in a binder. Your name, enrollment number, program (M.Com) and course code (MCOP-001), project title and the year must be placed clearly in the cover or the first page.
3. Upload on IGNOU (SED) Website: Upload the bound project report on SED web site by using the file option provided there. This is the Division of Student Evaluation (SED) that deals with project evaluation. Write a cover note wherever necessary, and once again mention the package label as Project Report - MCOP-001. Registered or speed post should be used so as to have a tracking record. The hard copy is even unnecessary. Keep a copy somewhere safe with you.)
4. Note the Deadline: The project report can be submitted at any time you care to or feel like doing so, but in order to get it marked in a particular exam cycle you need to mark off the due dates. The reports filed during the period of December 1 to May 31 and June 1 to November 30 will be considered before results are announced on the June and the December Term-End Exams respectively. Arrange your submission in a way that would give you your results when you need them. As well, the project is to be done in time before the lapse of your program validity (before the longest duration of M.Com program).
5. Post submission - Twist in the curtail - Acknowledgement and viva After submitting your report, upon IGNOU receiving it, it will allot it with a Project Receipt number (PR No.). You may not get a formal acknowledgement without asking, but you may email or call SED to prove that you have received it with your enrollment number. The evaluation procedure will involve a viva voice arrangement at your Regional Centre. Be vigilant with the announcements that your RC makes- they will always make it known to you when the day of the viva approaches. Turn up at the viva as arranged (generally a week or two or months after submission).
6. Results: Marks obtained in your project (report plus viva) will be entered in your grade-card after we have marked and the marks have been verified by the university. The project grade is available in the grade card or in the result portal on IGNOU. The project has to be passed; but don’t worry in case something goes wrong or there is delay (e.g. you may not get your result at a pre-agreed time), contact SED and get necessary clarification.

This is the most important sequence to follow a complete report, submission to the right address by the due date, getting ready in time for the viva that will duly take you through the project requirements of your M.Com. Do not forget to keep copies of your work and receipts, and follow the guidelines that will put you on the safe side with regards to the evaluation process.

It is quite important that the MCOM project has a good project guide/supervisor. The following are some of the sources of an IGNOU MCOM project guide:

• IGNOU Regional/Study Centre: Just call your IGNOU Study Centre/Regional Centre and ask them to help you. The list of accepted, academic counsellors on M.Com that are able to serve as guides exist in many regional centres. The study centre coordinator or the regional director could like or know a commerce faculty or counsellor who might have advised in projects previously and could guide you.
• Academic faculty near you: You could hire faculty members of the local colleges or university departments (commerce or management). Identify the professors or lecturers that have postgraduate teaching experience of not less than five years. They can be your guide as long as they accept to do it and they fit the criteria (even though they may not be officially recognized under IGNOU).
• Practitioners in the field: Someone in the field (a senior professional, e.g. a Chartered Accountant, financial analyst, HR manager etc.) who is qualified in a relevant field (post-graduate university degree), e.g. a relevant Master degree and with enough field experience (usually 5+ years), may also be a guide. Provided you have the chance to refer to a member of the industry who appears in this profile, and is willing to be your mentor (submitted to approval), you may suggest him when proposing your guide.
• Network and suggestions: Now, inquire with other students or past fulfilling M.Com, how they were suggested their guides. In most cases, they (former students) can suggest teachers or professionals who have already mentored IGNOU projects. Networking may also get you willing and qualified guides.
• Check eligibility: Before confirming a guide, you must find out whether he or she satisfies IGNOU expectations (learn more under next section). It is crucial because IGNOU will disapprove your synopsis in case the guide is inadmissible. In this case, an M.Com friend with only 1 year of experience would not qualify; but a college professor or veteran manager most probably would.
• Get permission and bio-data: After getting a prospective guide, approach him/her about your idea and assure him that you want him to oversee you. You could inform them of the steps of it (they will be required to sign the proposal and certificate, give their CV). It is polite to give them a summary of the time lines and what will be expected (such as occasional advice, and signing some forms, and maybe attending your viva). Most scholars are willing to accommodate a student, however do not waste their time and be as convenient as possible to them.

You should start seeking a guide as soon as possible, since getting the permission of a guide might require some time. The advantage of having someone as a guide on board early is that your topic and a synopsis can be refined using their input. A friendly and intelligent supervisor will not only meet the need of IGNOU but also will go a long way in improving project work.

IGNOU has stipulated strict guidelines to those who can assume the role of project supervisor. To sum up, the following are authorized to be MCOM guide to project:

• IGNOU Faculty (SOMS): A guidance can be done by a faculty member of the School of Management Studies at IGNOU Headquarters (in particular the discipline of Commerce).
• Approved M.Com Academic Counsellors: An academic counsellor in M.Com course at an IGNOU Study Centre, who should have adequate teaching experience (in most cases at least 5 years), at the postgraduate level.
• University /College Faculty (Commerce/Management): A lecturer /professor in Commerce / Management, or any similar discipline in any recognized institution of higher learning and a minimum of 5 years of postgraduate experience of teaching the subject.
• Industry Professionals: An individual who has undergone a Master degree in either Commerce, Management or similar fields and a minimum of 5 years’ experience in the same field. In one example, a senior accountant, business manager, banker, or consultant may be qualified provided that the experience is in line with the project topic.

Additional guidelines:

The guide cannot be your immediate family member or a student going through the M.Com at the current point of time. They ought to be a person who has an objective professional relationship with you.

In case you suggest a guide who is not an academic counsellor at IGNOU, you need to provide the elaborate CV of the guide. When gauging your synopsis, the university will screen their qualification and experience.

• It is usually recommended that one guide should not deal with more than 5 students at once (in order to give every student a little bit of attention).
• One has to make a good choice of a guide who is knowledgeable in the area that he or she is interested in. One guideline that IGNOU recommends to the guides is that they should specialize in the area.

When you include your synopsis, the assessor will ensure that your intended supervisor fulfils the following requirements. Otherwise, your synopsis can be denied irrespective of what it entails. Hence, ensure that your guides profile has portrayed any of the above-entitled categories mentioned in the above section. Failing which, when uncertain about the eligibility of a guide, refer to the Regional Centre so that you may get a clarity to complete the person.

• Submission: Submission of the M.Com project synopsis: Submit your Synopsis to your Regional Centre (to the Regional Director of the region in which you are enrolled). The synopsis should not be sent to the headquarters of IGNOU. The Regional Centre address can be obtained on the IGNOU web site or in IGNOU prospectus. To ensure the envelope reaches the right department, you will have to write on the envelope MCOP-001 M.Com Project synopsis. You can do it by hand delivery or by using the post/courier to the address of the RC. Save a copy of your mails.
• Submission of Project Report: The finalised project report ( once the synopsis is approved) should be submitted to the IGNOU Headquarters. In particular, send it to The Registrar (SED), IGNOU, Maidan Garhi, New Delhi -110068, or mail to. This is the Student Evaluation Division (SED) that deals with project evaluation. Place a cover note in case necessary and once again tag the package as Project Report MCOP-001. The trouble is the most appropriate is to use registered or speed post so as to have a tracking record. You need to send only a single hard copy (ODL mode); you need not to send multiple copies unless specifically required. (Provided IGNOU has come up with an internet-based submission facility or mails option, then you must do that, but as of now only the hard copy on SED is the norm with M.Com.)

Important considerations:

• Deadlines: The report must be submitted to SED prior to the semester cut-off date (May 31 or Nov 30, as noted above) to be considered in the term of desire.
• Keep evidence: You should always have a personal copy of your report and synopsis, and postage-paid mail slips or couriers tracking results to show they were submitted.
• Viva coordination: The viva voice is arranged by your Regional Centre after they get an instruction on evaluation by SED. There are no extra materials that you should submit in preparation of the viva; all you need is to be prepared to attend the viva at the appointed time. The RC will get in touch with you about the viva in due time.
• Inquiries: Should you want to enquire on the status of your synopsis approval, contact your Regional Centre (they coordinate the evaluation of synopsis). In any case of questions specific to the project report assessment or finding, I recommend you to approach SED at headquarters (you may use a special email address projects@ignou.ac.in to address any project related inquiries).

In short, forward the summary to your Regional Centre, and forward the final project report to IGNOU SED in New Delhi. It is important to follow these channels; delivery of documents to the wrong organization may cause delays or misplacing of such documents. This is because it is always necessary to confirm the existing submission requirements as given by IGNOU in the event of changes.