Get your Universite Libre de Bruxelles (ULB) Thesis right the first time. The template handles the official structure, margins, and references, so you can focus on the work with confidence.
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Authored by Sumalatha Gangadhar | Published on 25 July, 2026
A ULB thesis/dissertation is most often sent back for formatting, not content: margins, front-matter order, and page numbering. The graduate school formatting office checks these before anything else. This template sets the correct structure from the first draft, following the the official formatting guidance.
It is a formatting shell for a ULB thesis/dissertation, built to the official rules. It covers the title page, approval/signature page, abstract, table of contents, chapters, references, and appendices, with a consistent citation style. Confirm the current requirements in the the official guidelines before you begin.
Set up the front matter and chapters in the required order, apply the correct margins and spacing from the manual, and use the prescribed citation style throughout. Keep figures and tables captioned and numbered as specified.
The signature failure mode is margin, front-matter order, and page-numbering rules. Second is inconsistent citations. Third is missing or out-of-order front matter. Fix all three against the the official guidelines before submitting.
The shell mirrors what the graduate school formatting office checks first: structure order, margins, and citation consistency. Use the the official formatting guidance as the source of truth.
| Element | ULB requirement |
|---|---|
| Figures/tables | Captioned and numbered per manual |
| Keywords | Keywords are advised to be introduced in the DI-fusion repository submission, preferably in both English and French. One keyword or expression per field should be used. These should be different from those already present in the summary or title. No specific count, range, or requirement for MeSH terms is stated. Keywords are described as optional in the repository encoding. |
| References | NOT SPECIFIED - The official PhD regulations and submission guide do not specify a required citation style (Vancouver, APA, Harvard, etc.). The regulations state the thesis must be written in French or English (or another approved language) but do not mandate a specific reference format. Individual faculties or supervisors may have their own preferences, but these are not stated in the official university-wide guidelines. |
| Peer review | NOT APPLICABLE - This is a doctoral thesis defense system, not a journal peer review. Theses are evaluated by a thesis jury composed of at least 5 members who all hold a doctorate. The jury includes the supervisor(s), at least 3 members from ULB academic staff, and at least 2 external members. The jury evaluates the thesis and determines if the doctoral degree may be awarded. This is an open examination process with named jury members, not anonymous peer review. |
| Submission | https://difusion.ulb.ac.be (DI-fusion institutional repository) - PhD students must upload their complete thesis to My DI-fusion at least one day before the public defense. Access via My DI-fusion requires ULB authentication (ULBID and password). |
| Structure | Title page, front matter, chapters, references, appendices |
| Margins/format | Per the official manual |
| Front matter | In the prescribed order |
| Citations | Per the official guidelines |
| Source of truth | official guidelines |
Read the official manual before drafting and before submission. Set margins and front-matter order first. Apply the citation style from the first reference. Compare against a recently accepted ULB thesis/dissertation in your department.
Keep numbering and captions consistent. Verify every required page is present and in order. Do a dedicated formatting pass against the the official guidelines before submission.
Do one focused pass for margins, front-matter order, and page numbering. Then confirm citation style and that all required pages/sections are present, following the the official formatting guidance.