Getting Started with LaTeX

Document Structure

Every LaTeX document has two parts: the preamble and the body.

\documentclass[12pt,a4paper]{article}  % document class + options

% --- Preamble: load packages and configure settings ---
\usepackage[utf8]{inputenc}
\usepackage[T1]{fontenc}
\usepackage[english]{babel}
\usepackage{amsmath}
\usepackage{graphicx}

\title{My Paper}
\author{Jane Doe}
\date{\today}

% --- Body: the typeset content ---
\begin{document}

\maketitle
\tableofcontents

\section{Introduction}
Text goes here.

\end{document}

• \documentclass sets the layout template (article, report, book, beamer …)
• Load packages in the preamble with \usepackage{name}
• Everything between \begin{document} and \end{document} is compiled

Text Formatting and Lists

Inline formatting:

Sectioning commands:

\section{First Section}       % numbered 1, 2, 3 …
\subsection{A Subsection}     % 1.1, 1.2 …
\subsubsection{Deeper}        % 1.1.1 …

Lists:

\begin{itemize}          % unordered (bullets)
  \item First item
  \item Second item
\end{itemize}

\begin{enumerate}        % ordered (numbers)
  \item Step one
  \item Step two
\end{enumerate}

Math in LaTeX

LaTeX’s math typesetting is unmatched among document preparation tools.

Inline math — wrap in $…$:

Einstein showed that $E = mc^2$.
The mean is $\bar{x} = \frac{1}{n}\sum_{i=1}^{n} x_i$.

Display math — \[…\] or equation for a numbered equation:

\[
  \int_{-\infty}^{\infty} e^{-x^2}\,dx = \sqrt{\pi}
\]

\begin{equation}
  \label{eq:bayes}
  P(H \mid D) = \frac{P(D \mid H)\,P(H)}{P(D)}
\end{equation}

Common symbols:

Figures, Tables, and Cross-references

Inserting a figure:

\begin{figure}[htbp]
  \centering
  \includegraphics[width=0.7\linewidth]{myfigure.pdf}
  \caption{A descriptive caption.}
  \label{fig:myfigure}
\end{figure}

A simple table:

\begin{table}[htbp]
  \centering
  \caption{Summary statistics.}
  \label{tab:summary}
  \begin{tabular}{lcc}
    \hline
    Variable & Mean & SD \\
    \hline
    Age & 32.4 & 5.1 \\
    Score & 78.2 & 8.3 \\
    \hline
  \end{tabular}
\end{table}

Cross-references — \label to mark, \ref to cite:

See Figure~\ref{fig:myfigure} and Table~\ref{tab:summary}.
Equation~\ref{eq:bayes} shows Bayes' theorem.

LaTeX resolves all numbers automatically — renumbering never breaks references.

Advantages of LaTeX

Consistent, professional typography — automatically

• Fonts, text sizes, line heights, and layout follow the rules you set once
• No manual reformatting when you restructure a document
• Handles citations, cross-references, figure/table numbering automatically

Designed for complex documents

• Mathematical formulas, linguistic examples, tables, figures — first-class support
• Long documents (theses, books) stay manageable
• Style files from journals mean submission-ready formatting with minimal effort

Plain text — version-control friendly

• .tex files are plain text: diff them, track them in Git, collaborate via pull requests
• No binary format that breaks between software versions

Key Resource 2: DKZ.2R Workshop Materials

“LaTeX for Novices: Academic Publishing”
from the Rhine-Ruhr Center for Scientific Data Literacy (DKZ.2R)

• Follows the Carpentries workshop template — structured, hands-on lessons
• Tested and refined over four deliveries
• Covers the full workflow: from a blank document to a formatted academic paper

LaTeX Distributions

A LaTeX distribution bundles the compiler, packages, and fonts you need to compile .tex files locally.

Which should I use?

• VS Code users: install TeX Live for the smoothest experience
• R / RStudio users writing in R Markdown or Quarto: TinyTeX is the easiest path
• Windows users who want a GUI installer: MiKTeX is straightforward

The Local Installation Problem

Before choosing an editor, it is worth being honest about why many researchers avoid local LaTeX altogether.

Common complaints (from practitioners):

“LaTeX is such a nightmare to work with locally.”

“Just install LaTeX is really not a valid response when the LaTeX toolchain is a genuine nightmare to work with.”

• Package version mismatches between collaborators produce different output from the same source file
• Merging collaborative edits in Git is difficult with scientific, nuanced prose
• Installing, updating, and debugging the toolchain takes real effort

Web-based editors solve most of this:

• Everyone compiles with the same packages and options — no version drift
• Collaborative editing without merge conflicts
• No local installation required
• Templates are built in; the distribution stays up-to-date automatically

Editors for LaTeX

You can write LaTeX in any text editor, but dedicated tools add compilation, preview, and autocomplete.

Prism — AI-Native LaTeX Workspace

Prism is OpenAI’s free, cloud-based LaTeX editor designed for scientific writing.

Key features:

• Free with unlimited collaborators and unlimited compile time
• AI assistant powered by ChatGPT, integrated throughout the writing workflow:
  • Proofreading, summarising, and restructuring your text
  • Literature search with direct citation import
  • Image-to-LaTeX and voice-to-code conversion
• Project-aware AI — the assistant understands the full context of your manuscript, including past drafts and revisions
• Zotero integration for citation search and import
• Real-time collaboration with inline comments
• Built-in error checking, citation management, and equation conversion

TeXlyre — Open-Source, Local-First LaTeX

TeXlyre is a free, open-source, browser-based LaTeX and Typst editor with a strong focus on privacy and offline capability.

Key features:

• Local-first — all documents stored in your browser (IndexedDB); works fully offline
• Real-time collaboration via WebRTC peer-to-peer — no central server sees your content
• In-browser LaTeX compilation using TeX Live 2026 (WASM) — supports pdfTeX, XeTeX, LuaTeX
• SyncTeX — click source to jump to PDF position and vice versa
• Integrated Draw.io diagram editor for collaborative figures
• Zotero and OpenAlex reference search and import panel
• Inline math preview and editing with MathLive virtual keyboard
• Git backup to GitHub, GitLab, Gitea, or Codeberg
• Self-hostable — run your own instance on university or personal infrastructure

VS Code — LaTeX Workshop Extension

VS Code + LaTeX Workshop is a powerful local setup for researchers already using VS Code.

• Syntax highlighting, snippet completion, build on save
• Side-by-side PDF preview (SyncTeX: click source → jumps to PDF position and vice versa)
• Linting via lacheck / chktex; auto-formatter via latexindent
• Works alongside Git for version control of your source files

Install guide: github.com/James-Yu/LaTeX-Workshop/wiki/Install

Alternatives to LaTeX

LaTeX is the standard in many fields, but other tools are worth knowing:

Bibliography Tools: A First Look

LaTeX handles bibliographies through external tools. Two key tools in the academic workflow:

Zotero — reference manager

• Free, open-source reference manager
• Browser connector: one-click import from publishers, Google Scholar, PubMed
• Organises your library; generates citations in thousands of styles
• Website: zotero.org

BetterBibTeX — seamless LaTeX integration

• Zotero plugin that auto-exports your library to a .bib file
• Generates stable, customisable cite keys (e.g. schepens2024prominence)
• Continuous auto-export — every time you add or edit a reference in Zotero, the .bib file regenerates automatically; your LaTeX project always has fresh references

AI and LaTeX

The opportunity

LaTeX’s plain-text format makes it unusually well-suited for AI assistance:

• AI tools can generate, edit, and fix .tex directly — something not possible with binary word-processor formats
• Useful for: fixing compilation errors, generating boilerplate, converting equations, reformatting tables

The concern — an editor’s perspective

AI writing tools also lower the barrier to submitting scientifically empty manuscripts:

“From my perspective as a journal editor, these tools cause many more problems than they solve. A significant fraction of submissions are now vibe-written and come from folks looking to boost their CV — this just wastes already-stretched reviewer time.”

“The hard part always has been, and always will be, understanding the research context and producing novel and interesting work. Connecting this together in a paper is a learnable skill, but it is really a minimal part of the process.”

A useful distinction for workshop participants:

Coming in Session 2

The next workshop builds on today’s foundations:

Hands-On Exercise

Work through the DKZ.2R lesson at dkz2r.github.io/latex-novice-academic-publishing:

Step 1 — Set up your editor (choose one):

• Overleaf (no install): log in via Sciebo → Apps → Overleaf → New Project → Blank
• Local (VS Code): confirm TeX Live is installed, open an empty folder, create main.tex

Step 2 — Write a minimal document:

\documentclass{article}
\title{My First Document}
\author{Your Name}
\date{\today}
\begin{document}
\maketitle
Hello, LaTeX!
\end{document}

Step 3 — Compile and explore:

• Add a section, a list, and a simple equation
• Try importing a figure or adding a bibliography entry