Using a template is mandatory! Read it carefully before you start writing!
A template is a style sheet that greatly facilitates your work and ensures that Polytechnique publication requirements are followed.
Note: If you are writing a dissertation or a thesis by articles in French, which includes articles in English, use the templates in French.
• MS-Word Template in English (last updated February 13, 2023**)
• MS-Word Template in French (last updated February 13, 2023**)
**When the documents based on the previous January 20, 2023 templates were saved as PDFs, the Table of Contents was not complete.
▸ Comment télécharger et appliquer une feuille de style / How to Download and Apply a Template (français + English)
• Bilingual LaTeX Template (last updated April 4, 2025)
▸If you started writing your thesis or dissertation using an old version of the LaTeX template (2024 or before), copy your text into the latest template.
▸The previous version of the template (January 2025) had no indented table of contents (see how to correct it).
▸ The document to compile in the template is Document.tex (see how to do this in Overleaf).
▸ At Polytechnique, there is no APA style in French or in English for LaTeX. Therefore, we recommend that you use the IEEE style in English or in French (both included in this template), even though you used APA during your studies.
▸The figures should all be put in their own subfolder.
▸Compile the figures in these subfolders, generate a PDF and insert the PDF into the template by mentioning the full path.
▸The figures must be generated properly. Although other figure formats are accepted, we recommend the PDF format. For example, if a small figure was generated in MATLAB and saved as .png, it might be too blurry when inserted into the template and enlarged. This problem disappears if it is saved in PDF.
▸When you reproduce a figure from source [x], you need to cite it in the caption according to the IEEE style. However, the List of Figures should only list the number and the title of figures, so the citations should not appear in it. To this end, use the code:
\begin{figure}[htb]
\centering
\includegraphics[width=2in]{Circuit_compile}
\caption[Circuit]{Circuit \cite{Anschutz2011}}
\label{fig:Circuit}
\end{figure}
If necessary, do not forget to obtain permission to reuse the figure from the copyright holder!
▸By default, the template lists the sections in the appendices in the Table of Contents:
If you would only like to have Appendices....#page in the table of contents, add the line \addtocontents{toc}{\protect\value{tocdepth}=0} at the beginning of 9-Annexes.tex:
More information here.
• Page titre mémoire de maîtrise / Title Page Master's Thesis (Word)
• Page titre thèse de doctorat / Title Page PhD Dissertation (Word)
• Page titre thèse de doctorat / Title Page PhD Dissertation (LaTeX)
• Page titre thèse de doctorat en cotutelle / Title Page Joint PhD Dissertation
Attention! The Graduate Studies decided not to include the abbreviations M. (Mr.) and Mme (Ms.) or titles such as PhD in the title pages. This is not an error.
These tables of contents are just examples and are not mandatory! The chapters and the thesis structure should be agreed upon by the student and the supervisor.
The Table of Contents line should not be included in the Table of Contents.
The table of contents only includes chapters, sections, and subsections. Do not use Level 4 titles!
• Thèse de doctorat en français (LaTeX)
• PhD Dissertation in English (LaTeX)
Are you about to start writing your thesis or dissertation?
Consult the Graduate Studies' Thesis and Dissertation page and these guides:
Many students and alumni receive solicitation emails from European publishing houses specializing in the publication of theses and dissertations in book format. These companies comb university web sites in order to send mass email invitations to those who have recently submitted or are about to submit a thesis or a dissertation.
The editors gather and stock large numbers of theses and dissertations and sell them in PDF format through companies like Amazon without any significant marketing. The documents are only printed once a purchase order is received, thus avoiding the need for the publishers to stockpile copies which may remain unsold.
Royalty payments from such endeavours are generally minimal.
Polytechnique students are the sole copyright owners of their theses and dissertations. Upon submission of the document at the end of your program, you grant a licence authorizing Polytechnique to publish your thesis or dissertation in electronic format on the PolyPublie institutional repository operated by Polytechnique's Library and Computer services.
Another similar licence is granted to Library and Archives Canada (LAC) for the electronic publication and dissemination of your thesis or dissertation by its sub-contractor, ProQuest. The authorizations you give to Polytechnique and to LAC are non-exclusive; in other words, you remain free to accept offers made to you by other publishing houses who wish to sell your document.
Books published by such companies, however, do not undergo peer review. Such books are therefore unlikely to contribute to your advancement if your intention is to pursue an academic career. If this is your goal, you should consider dealing with well-established publishers within your area of specialization.
Polytechnique cannot provide you with legal counsel with regard to the contract proposals sent by these companies. If interested by such an offer, you must inform the publisher that you previously granted licences to Polytechnique and to LAC. You must also ensure that you do not sign a contract which contravenes the existing Polytechnique and LAC licences, namely if the contract involves exclusive distribution rights. If needed, we urge you to consult a law firm to obtain legal advice. Indeed, such a contract could result in you transferring your copyright to the publisher and thereby inhibiting your ability to reuse portions of your thesis or dissertation in an article at a later date.
For more information on this matter, please contact the Library.
The forms that the students need to fill in and/or sign will be provided by the agent aux dossiers académiques (academic records officer) in their department.
Optional Forms: