Design and Implementation of Web-Based Certificate Verification System (Case Study Adamawa State University Mubi)

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Design and Implementation of Web-Based Certiﬁcate Veriﬁcation System

(Case Study Adamawa State University Mubi)
Article · December 2021
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Multidisciplinary International
Journal of Research and Development
Volume: 01 | Issue: 02 | 2021 - Open Access - Website: www.mijrd.com - ISSN: 2583-0406
Design and Implementation of Web- Based

Certificate Verification System (Case Study
Adamawa State University Mubi)
Christopher Boniface Umaru1, and David T. Nzadon2
1,2,3Department of Computer Science, Adamawa State University, Mubi Nigeria
Email: [email protected]
Abstract— A Certificate verification system is a system designed to digitize the process of adding
certificates and verifying the certificate records considering the problems faced by doing this manually.
The system was studied and relevant officials were interviewed to acquire the required data. This designed
system allows for easy retrieval of information that is accurate for effective and efficient allocations. It has
easy maintenance of information as well as time saving and reduction in operation. The front end of the
system was designed using HTML and CSS, while the backend was developed using PHP. The output is an
interactive, menu-driven and user-friendly system which provides timely and accurate information about
certificates. The certificate operations are recorded and stored in the computer and retrieved at will. The
system also ensures security as users must log in before and after any certificate is added or printed.
Keywords— certificate verification system, web-based, programming.
BACKGROUND TO THE STUDY

Globally, most institutions and organizations rely on the use of traditional paper verification methods to
verify the documents presented to them [1]. These organizations and institutions often times do not have
the capacity to verify the documents presented to them instantly [2] One of the problems associated with
traditional based verification, is that people, especially recruiters and employers find difficult to ascertain
the validity of documents such as academic certificates. [3] Certificate verification systems are applications
which are generally small or medium in size and can be used by school management’s to create and manage
student certificates through a digitized system where the school can create, print and verify the certificate
of any student [4]. With a digitized system, the hassle and stress involved in the verification process is
eliminated [1]. Once the admin logged in, will be able to create and maintain all the certificates of students
[5]. The add certificate, view student record, print certificate, are the modules in the program which the
Registrar will use to manage all the student certificates with more convenience and in a more efficient way
and it also help in verification of student certificates in an easy and stress-free way[10]. This work is
centred on the need to adopt real time verification systems that will eliminate the hassles of manual
verification method [1]. This will enable an employer or an interested party to verify an institution’s
certificate anywhere without having to officially to send a request to the s school either directly or
otherwise [1]. All that is required of the employer is to login to the verification page and use the verification
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code printed on the certificate to verify the authenticity of the certificate or use a Smart Phone Application
and scan the QR Code which is a digital signature that contains data such as holder's name, enrolment
number, grade etc. which will have already been approved be signed by university authorities [10].
Traditional based certificate verification has been one of the major challenges facing Academic institutions
and employers of labour [5],[1],[13]. One problem that is easily encountered is the issue of forgery of
printed certificates [6]. Similarly, the low skill threshold for counterfeiting academic certificates is also a
major issue. [7]. The difficulty involved in the traditional verification process has resulted in unnecessary
delays as well as inconveniencies arising from long distance travel for the purpose of verification [2].
However, with improvement in information and computer technology, there is need for paradigm shift
from traditional based verification to real-time verification [8]. The study aimed at developing an
application that will automate the verification of certificates. The study employed the use of encrypted QR
codes print graduation certificates. This QR codes will then be used to verify the authenticity of any
certificate. The system will do the following:
i. Provide a login page where the registrar can have access to register and generate certificate for
student
ii. Enable the registrar to automatically generate unique certificate codes and a QR code for each
certificate added.
iii. Resolve the issue of manual verification by student and any employer
iv. Easily confirm the authenticity of any certificate by student and any employer.
v. Reduce time required in certificate verification.
vi. Design a system that can help to minimize the high rate of manipulation and falsification of
certificates in higher institutions.
LITERATURE REVIEW
Certificate verification is the process of ensuring certificate presented by a prospective employee to a
prospective employer is genuine and that the holder is the rightful owner [4] Certificate verification is the
also the process of determining or confirming that a certificate is original [9]. Moreover, a graduation
certificate has to be verified to ensure that its content is true and also to ensure that the issued certificate
comes from a real source [10]. This confirmation is often, but not always, provided by some form of external
review, education, assessment, or audit [11]. Accreditation is a specific organization's process of
certification [1]. According to the National Council on Measurement in Education, a certification test is a
credentialing test used to determine whether individuals are knowledgeable enough in a given
occupational area to be labelled "competent to practice" in that area [1]. One of the most common types of
certification in modern society is professional certification, where a person is certified as being able to
competently complete a job or task, usually by the passing of an examination and/or the completion of a
program of study [3]. In today’s global labour market, certificates are used to assess the candidates'
knowledge and skills [11]. Some professional certifications are valid for a lifetime upon completing all

certification requirements [13]. Others expire after a certain period of time and have to be maintained with
further education and/or testing [14]. Certifications can differ within a profession by the level or specific
area of expertise to which they refer [14].
For example, in the IT Industry there are different certifications available for software testing, project
management, and software development [10]. Institutions issue certificates to those who have successfully
completed the requirements for graduation [10]. A graduation certificate is still in the form of a paper-
based document because, as yet, an electronic document cannot effectively replace a physical certificate
[2]. However, due to the presence of advanced and cheap scanning and printing technologies, the forgery
of certificates has increased, which threatens the integrity of both the certificate holder and the university
that has issued the certificate [11].
Therefore, document validation and verification has become an important task [10], it is the process of
ensuring that the graduation certificate presented by a prospective employee is genuine and that the holder
is the rightful owner [12]. Educational establishments try to combat fraud and forgery in several ways;
however, most of the methods are time consuming because they are manual and involve human interaction
[1]. To check the validity of a certificate, much time is spent in either reaching out to the university to verify
a certificate or in awaiting a reply from the university to confirm that the certificate is valid, and the
information is accurate [10]. This process can be extremely laborious and expensive especially if a company
needs to check the certificates of several hundreds of applicants [2]. Hence, this study attempts to model a
cloud-based service to verify graduation certificates and preserve the confidentiality of the information in
them [3].
Verification is the evidence that establishes or confirms the accuracy or truth of something while verifying
is the act to prove the truth of, as by evidence or testimony [4]. There are so many reasons a certificate
might want to be verified [1] Academic affair’s is usually in charge of student result and up to date of the
honours awarded to each students[10]. It has a collection of sources, resources, and services, and the
structure in which it is housed [10]. There can be no doubt that much of the certificates in this area
speculates on the future role of safe means (mini-library) – none of which is particularly clear. Since (1995),
or what Tenopir calls the “post web world” (2003), libraries have been seen as in danger of “substitution”
The web is becoming “a ubiquitous source of information” giving an “illusion of depth and
comprehensiveness” that leads to a questioning of the value of libraries and their collections []. This review
will not speculate on these future roles but will focus instead on the certainty of changing technology,
increasingly digital information resources and societal shifts that have changed user expectations of online
certificate verification system [].
Types of certificate verification

There are two major ways to check the authenticity of a certificate.

Manual verification
This is a type of verification in which the person/team that wants to verify a certificate writes a letter to
the school they want to verify from and has to wait until the letter is replied. This type of method is time
consuming and the transfer medium of the information is usually very slow [1]
Web-based certificate verification

To meet the demands posed by the huge growth in educational content, resources and student numbers, a
suitable environment needs to be adopted that can accommodate such advancements in the educational
sector. The introduction of a web-based certificate verification process would be an important contribution
to developing proper educational environment [8] Web-based Certificate verification has many of
characteristics and its benefits can be summarized as follows:
i. The user can access and verify the certificate through a browser anytime, anywhere.
ii. Web-based Certificate verification system allows for efficient utilization of resources.
iii. Online Certificate verification is scalable and affordable.
iv. Performance monitoring is easily executed.
v. Fewer IT skills are required in order to verify a certificate online.
vi. The security of the online certificate verification system can be better than the security of
traditional systems.
Features of certificate verification system

[2] Outlined the features of a certificate verification system. The features are as follows;
i. Adding student details for certificate printing. This system handles the adding of student’s details
ranging from their names, grade graduated with, year graduated, faculty, and department. These
details are therefore used to print out certificate for graduating students. Therefore, the system
also serves as a management system.
ii. Saving certificates for further printing. The system automatically saves all details of any certificate
printed therefore a new certificate can easily be printed for a student in the case of theft or missing
result. The system can also serve as a source of data collection.
iii. Easy verification of certificates can be done with this system. When a certificate needs to be
verified, the body/person that needs to verify the certificate will use the certificate verification
code (CVC) and check the site for the authenticity of any Certificate.
Information keeping and management

According to [12] information cannot be accurately ascertaining without adequate and authentic records
made available when needed, the computer as an electronic processing devices given out results based on
a set of instructions given to it [4]. Record is a collection of data elements; such as the students’ records or
information. Record management as used here is talking about manipulation of these data to achieve

certain objective which is for keeping of students’ information [9]. The record keeping of information in a
computer system can be done in sequential where information is stored sequentially [4]. Secondly, in a
direct access-filling, a situation where records or information stored may be accessed in a random manner
i.e. without waiting to be accessed sequentially or otherwise. This provides immediate access to data and
is mostly stored on disk.
Existing system
Certificate verification method that is prevalent today is a manual process, in this process the
institution/organization that wants to verify a result will have to travel down to the university or send a
written request so as to verify result [2].
Figure 1: Graphical view of the existing
Process of document verification

The graduation certificate is one of the most important documents issued by universities and other
educational institutions [2]. It is proof of a graduate’s qualification [6]. However, due to advances in printing
and photocopying technologies, fake certificates can be created easily and the quality of a fake certificate
can now be as good as the original [1]. The certificates of many prominent universities have been forged
and these forgeries are very difficult to detect [2]. Moreover, many factors have led to reduced operational
efficiency in student services at universities [5]. One of the most significant factors that have had a
detrimental effect on the quality of university services is the verification process for educational certificates
and related documents [3].
Yet, certificate verification is essential in order to ensure that the holder of the certificate is genuine and
that the certificate itself comes from a real source [1]. However, manual verification is a tedious task for
any organization and its inaccuracy is one of the key reasons that document forgeries continue to be made
and go unnoticed [3]. The manual verification process can consume a lot of the resources (time and money)
of both the issuer and the verifier and it imposes an extra burden on the university or college [10].

Reasons for certificate verification

There are so many reasons a certificate might want to be verified. The following are some of the important
reasons why a certificate might want to be verified.
Certificate Verification for Higher Studies

If a person tends to attain a higher degree in a particular field of study e.g. when a B.sc holder wants to
further studies in other to get a Master degree, the B.sc certificate need to be verified before the person can
be allowed to start the course for the Master’s program [11].
The role of verifying a certificate can never be underemphasized, it is a part of the system and it will always
be in the system [6].
Certificate Verification for Employment

During a job interview, the panel can ask a question like “which school did you graduate from?” and the job
applicant will answer sharply to the question asked [12]. So many thought might go through the mind of
the panel members such as “How are we sure he/she graduated from that school?
When are we going to write a letter to the school to confirm the authenticity of the certificate? And other
questions” They later tell the applicant to go home while they verify the credentials brought before them
by the job applicants.
Verifying a school certificate can be very tedious and can also be very easy, depending on if the school has
a certificate verification system, if there is no easy online system to verify certificate for a school then it will
be a very tedious means to verify the certificate which will include writing of letters and waiting for a while
before response finally comes in [1].
Certificate Verification during Travels

When travelling we might drop our certificate as a form of identity and such certificates will need to be
verified before they can be used for any purpose [14]. Names and other important details can be gotten
from the school to actually authenticate the claim that the owner of the certificate graduated from the
school and the certificate is actually his/her own [2].
There are so many instances in which certificate verification is vital and it is of outmost importance that
the process in which a certificate is to be verified is easy and should not be stressful [13].
Process of certificate verification

At present, the process of certificate verification involves three parties, the university, the owner
(graduate) and the verifier (company/prospective employer) as shown in figure below.

Figure 2: Process of certificate verification
It is clear from Fig 2. above that the verification process for a graduation certificate involves several steps
that need to be taken by each of the three key parties in order to successfully accomplish verification and
that three key parties are involved in that process [8]. This research aims to enhance the certificate
verification mechanism by proposing a web-based model in order to combat the forgery of such certificates
and preserve the confidentiality of the information in them [8].
Benefits of proposed model

The proposed model has several benefits that can be classified into internal benefits and external benefits
[12]. Internal benefits include improved work processes and ease of use for university staff due to the
digitization of the verification process [9]. External benefits include the receipt of faster and more efficient
verification results by students/alumni and employers [4]. The proposed model could also improve the
links between universities and government entities such as the Secretariat, gaining more reputation in the
far-sightedness [14]. A specific benefit for universities would be that some staff and hardware resources
would no longer be required as the time-consuming manual verification process would be eliminated [5].
An important benefit for the graduate would be that the information in his/her certificate would be
confidential making it difficult for unauthorized persons or entities to use their certificate illegally [2]. A
key benefit for the verifier would be that less resources such as time and money would be needed for
verification as, for example, there would no longer be a need for the verifier to call the university and for
the university to consult its records and reply to the verifier [12]. Several methods can be used to verify a
document and can guarantee the originality and confidentiality of a document, including cryptography
techniques and cloud services [7] This section describes how the proposed model can improve the security,
validity and confidentiality of the certificate validation process [11].
Security
Online Certificate Verification System is designed to address several security objectives such as
confidentiality, data integrity, non-repudiation and authentication [3]. Confidentiality means that the

information can be understood just by the intended people while data integrity refers to the information
being impervious to being altered illegally [3]. Non-repudiation means that neither the sender nor the
receiver can deny the creation or transmission of the information, while authentication refers to the bone
fide nature of all parts of the document [8]. Since the university is solely responsible for issuing certificates
for their graduates, the security aspect has to be considered and ensured by the university itself [9].
Unquestionably, all universities should apply a security mechanism when issuing certificates for their
graduates. Educational institutions should have a mechanism to combat fraud both in the misuse of their
name or to identify fake documents [2]. The increasing incidence of fake documents has led to the
introduction of many techniques such as holograms, stamps and wet-signatures [7]. However, these
techniques can easily be duplicated to create forged documents [4]. Hence, the proposed model includes a
step to generate a Certificate Verification Code (CVC) [2]. A CVC can be generated easily by using the
proposed system because it is an online web-based system that is hosted on the university’s own website
[11]. When a graduate wish to apply for a job, they can request a CVC that can be used by their potential
employer to verify and validate their graduation certificate [5]. To successfully generate the CVC, the
graduate must provide the system with a secret code and the Registration number on their certificate [3].
A code is generated by the university for all graduates when they receive their original certificate [1].
Validity
Here, validity means that the issued certificate has been checked to ensure that it comes from a real source
and also that the content of the certificate is true [8]. This aspect is the main concern of the verifier
(prospective employer/company/university) [7]. Clearly, the verifier will have been given a copy of
certificate and will want to validate it [9].
The potential inaccuracy of manual verification is overcome by allowing the verifier easy access to the
proposed online system [2]. To verify and validate the certificate the verifier must access the online system
available on the university’s website [1].
The verifier has to provide an input in order to successfully verify and validate the certificate [11]. The
input is the CVC mentioned above, is the code number on the certificate that can easily be taken from the
certificate in hand [11].
Confidentiality
Degree certificates and transcripts contain information that is confidential to the individual concerned and
should not be easily accessible to others [8]. Hence, there is a high need for a mechanism that can guarantee
that the information in such a document is original, which means that document has originated from an
authorized source and is not fake [12]. In addition, the information in the document should be confidential
so that it can only be viewed by authorized persons [11].

Confidentiality is the most important feature of information security [10]. Therefore, it is crucial to ensure
the confidentiality of information on the certificate and this aspect is taken into consideration in the
proposed solution [4].
Let us assume that a copy of a certificate comes into the hands of an unauthorized person or entity such as
a fake company and that they want to use the certificate illegally [13]. The above-mentioned secret key can
prevent this from happening [11]. The secret key is required in order to verify and validate the certificate
[6]. However, it is impossible for unauthorized people to verify and validate the certificate because that
secret key is unavailable to them [3].
METHODOLOGY
Analysis of the Proposed System
This certificate verification system will follow the same process in an institution, but this time it will be
online and automated.
The system will be customized to have each certificate number linked to the student’s detail. Each person
or organization that want to verify the certificate must have the Certificate Verification Code (CVC) and
type it into the field named “enter certificate number” or scan the QR cod on the certificate
System Design
Systems design is the process of defining the architecture, modules, interfaces, and data for a system to
satisfy specified requirements. Systems design could be seen as the application of systems theory to
product development.
Figure 3: System design Figure 4: Flow chart for verifier
This certificate verification system will follow the same process in an institution, but this time

Figure 4: System architecture
Figure 5: Input Design
Figure 6: Output design

Figure 7: Home Page Interface
Figure 8: Interface of the Verification Page
Figure 9: Interface of the verification output

Figure 10: Admin login interface
Figure 11: Add certificate interface
This project highlighted the practical implementation of an online certificate verification system for higher
institutions (case study of Adama).
RECOMMENDATIONS
The website developed for the implementation of this research can be used by Admin, employer and thus,
the following recommendations are proposed:
i. Awareness should be created on the benefits that can be derived from the use of this system.
ii. Staff must be computer literate
iii. I recommend that the imperfection of this software design should be dully observed and
considered by future researchers.
REFERENCES
[1] Izuchukwu Chijioke Emele, Stanle Ikechukwu Oguoma, Kanayo Kizito Uka, Emeka Christian Nwaoha;
Emele, Izuchukwu Chijoke; Emele Chijoke; Emele, Izuchukwu Chijoke;. (2020). An Enhanced Web Base
Certificate Verification System. Open Access Library Journal, Volume 7, e6432.
[2] Ahmed, H. A., Jang, J.-W., & Hamdi, A. A. (2017). Higher Educational Certificate Authentication System
Using QR Code Tag. International Journal of Applied Engineering Research ISSN 0973-4562 Volume 12,
Number 20 (2017), pp. 9728-9734

[3] Kuacharoen, M. W. (2012). Paper-based Document Authentication using Digital Signature and QR Code.
2012 4TH International Conference on Computer Engineering and Technology (ICCET 2012) .
[4] Obilikwu, P., Usman, K., & Kwaghtyo3, K. D. (2019). A Generic Certificate Verification System for
Nigerian Universities. International Journal of Computer Science and Mobile Computing, IJCSMC, Vol.
8(Issue. 10), pg.137 – 148.
[5] K.C, N.-N., & Abraham, I. (2015). Designing An Automatic Web-Based Certificate Verification System
For Institutions. Journal of Multidisciplinary Engineering Science and Technology (JMEST)(ISSN: 3159-
0040 ).
[6] Pramusinto, W., Sartana, B. T., Mulyati, S., & Amini, d. S. (2020). Implementation of AES-192
Cryptography and QR Code to Verify The Authenticity of Budi Luhur University Student Certificate.
jurnal pendidikan technologi kejuruan, Vol. 3, No. 4 November 2020 (P-ISSN: 2621-3273 E-ISSN: 2621-
1548 ).
[7] Ratnaparakhi, A. v., & Jadhav, S. S. (2020). Education Degree Fraud Detection and Student Certificate
Verification Using Blockchain. International Journal of Scientific Research and Engineering
Development-, Volume3 Issue 1, Jan-Feb 2020 (ISSN: 2581-7175), Page 287.
[8] Abraham, N.-N. K. (2021). Designing an Automatic Web-Based Certificate Verification System For
Institutions (CASE STUDY: MICHAEL OKPARA UNIVERSITY OF AGRICULTURE, UMUDIKE). Journal of
Multidisciplinary Engineering Science and Technology (JMEST), Vol. 2 (Issue 12, December - 2015).
[9] Os man Ghazali2, Q. A. (2019). Graduation Certificate Verification Model: A Preliminary Study. (IJACSA)
International Journal of Advanced Computer Science and Applications, Vol. 10, No. 7, 2019, Vol. 10, No.
7, 2019.
[10] Rafi, M., Shaji, S. M., & Thomas, P. A. (2020). CERTIFICATE MANAGEMENT AND VALIDATION SYSTEM
USING BLOCKCHAIN. International Research Journal of Engineering and Technology (IRJET), Volume:
07 Issue: 05 | May 2020 (e-ISSN: 2395-0056 Volume: 07 Issue: 05 | May 2020 p-ISSN: 2395-0072 ).
[11] Huynh, T. T., & Pham, D.-K. (2021, September). EUNICERT: ETHEREUM BASED DIGITAL CERTIFICATE
VERIFICATION SYSTEM. International Journal of Network Security & Its Applications (IJNSA), Vol. 11,
No.5, September 2019.
[12] Obilikwu, P., Usman, K., & Kwaghtyo, K. D. (2021). A Generic Certificate Verification System for Nigerian
Universities. International Journal of Computer Science and Mobile Computing, IJCSMC, Vol. 8(Issue.
10, October 2019), pg.137 – 148.
[13] Saleh, O. S., Ghazali, O., & maatouk3, Q. A. (2019). Graduation Certificate Verification Model: A
Preliminary Study. (IJACSA) International Journal of Advanced Computer Science and Applications, Vol.
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[14] Huynh, T. T., & Pham, D.-K. (2019). EUNICERT: ETHEREUM BASED DIGITAL CERTIFICATE
VERIFICATION SYSTEM. International Journal of Network Security & Its Applications (IJNSA), Vol. 11,
No.5, September 2019.
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Design and Implementation of Web-Based Certiﬁcate Veriﬁcation System

Article · December 2021

David Tufe Nzadon

The user has requested enhancement of the downloaded file.

Design and Implementation of Web- Based

Keywords— certificate verification system, web-based, programming.

BACKGROUND TO THE STUDY

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Types of certificate verification

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Web-based certificate verification

Features of certificate verification system

Information keeping and management

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Figure 1: Graphical view of the existing

Process of document verification

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Reasons for certificate verification

Certificate Verification for Higher Studies

Certificate Verification for Employment

Certificate Verification during Travels

Process of certificate verification

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Figure 2: Process of certificate verification

Benefits of proposed model

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Figure 3: System design Figure 4: Flow chart for verifier

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Figure 4: System architecture

Figure 5: Input Design

Figure 6: Output design

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Figure 7: Home Page Interface

Figure 8: Interface of the Verification Page

Figure 9: Interface of the verification output

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Figure 10: Admin login interface

Figure 11: Add certificate interface

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