LaTeX for academics and students, and digital literacy self-development

I have always written in Word, but after having some issues with creating larger documents I decided to teach myself to use LaTeX (pronounced La Tek). Self-development is a more advanced digital literacy skill, and requires a combination of self-reflection, the ability to seek out resources, and the ability to apprise these resources. LaTeX is not even a piece of software, it is a typesetting system.

The self-reflection element came as I was having issues with creating my Thesis in MSFT Word. I decided that there must be a better way. The issue is that by the time all the tables, figures, references, styles, well everything that you would put in a larger document goes in there is a lot of code in the background. This can result in a slow document that tried to build every time you make a change due to the way everything is embedded. I started by looking for alternatives through discussion boards and found LaTeX.

As I am published in academic journals, I am well aware that what ever formatting I use to make my document ‘fancy’ and how I like it would likely be wiped, so what is the point? This is where LaTeX comes in. LaTeX removes all the need for formatting, or makes it easy to change. All those elements that Word tries to embed within the document and display every time you open it are also removed. Using this was of writing allows you to concentrate on the content, and let someone else worry about the formatting. If you are reading this as a student, it does still allow some formatting and output as a PDF if you want to submit it for coursework. It will even let you create academic posters.

I started with Overleaf, which suited me as it had help files and allowed me to learn how to start. All was going well until Overleaf had an outage on my ‘research day’. A web-based platform is useful when moving around and trying to work in different places, until it isn’t. It was then that I started to look at the permissible software for installation onto my workspace within my work server and found TexMaker, so thought I would give it a go. By placing my LaTeX files onto my OneDrive I was able to experience the same flexibility of Overleaf, but without relying on a Web App. And I actually quite like it.

To get started with LaTeX, I would start here on the Wiki pages, as you also need to download and install the TeX ‘language’ to your device. Using LaTeX is for those who have a higher developed digital literacy for a number of reasons.

• It is not WYSIWYG and the only way to see the final work is to compile it. When you start you will do this a lot. Now, I rarely do this as I am used to the code.
• It needs code, and although the syntax is fairly straightforward, it does take searching sometimes to problem solve, which is a higher digital literacy capability. Something simple in Word, such as referencing even using a plugin, can require some setting up and potentially using a reference manager that supports BibTex. But, even then it is not that simple. Biber has superceeded BibTex, but BibTex is still used as the term to describing the referencing package. Confused?
• You rely a lot on external resources to learn how to use it, although this may not be problematic with a quick Google of a problem or error code, there are a lot of out-of-date resources or assumptions about ability within some of the answers so patience is key. I tried to collect some resources to support me but instead found it easier to Google each time as they are number of ways of doing everything.
• It is a steep learning curve but most of that is down to finding where to start and get going, and get past the initial errors. You have to have input into the software and how it behaves from the start, so make sure you have the helpfiles for Overleaf and Tex Maker open (even if you do not use Overleaf, I found the lesson style of it helpful) and learn how to manually update everything, and it is not always automatic.
• You cannot use it on its own, well you can but it works so much better with Zotero, R, all the software that you would expect to see being used within academia but isn’t.

Not put off yet? Start with downloading the correct TeX ‘language’ for your system of choice, then find a piece of software. I am on a Windows machine so I had to go for MikTex (download and update this before doing anything else) and would definitely recommend Maker Tex and keep my source files on a cloud server I have faith in. Overleaf is good, but once bitten twice shy and all that. Start working through the Maker Tex and Overleaf documentation to build your first document or you will fail (as I did many times until I went back, and if you move between Overleaf and Tex Maker there are some minor differences in the header code that you need to change). Build a ‘boilerplate’ starter or try a template you find online or within the app itself. Once you get the hang of it, I am not sure I would go back to Word for anything unless it was on a Word template.

Some good resources:

• TeX Stack Exchange – A question and answer style resource that is really helpful. There is so much information here I search rather than ask another question.
• r/LaTeX – I am an avid user of Reddit, and most geeks use it (I am sure) so it is no surprise that there are 62k members in the r/LaTeX community ready to share advice or support.
• GitHub – Ok, not fully GitHub but a cheat sheet I found early on. Do not get hung up on formatting, this is about content creation but I think you move away from it eventually and believe in the code.
• Google – Like most advanced skills, there may not be much in the way of formal training available as this is aimed at those with a more developed digital literacy, but there is a massive community of users. And, because they are likely those with a more developed digital literacy they are happy to answer questions, offer support, or build resources that are invaluable.

I do love opensource. It is really geeky, but its a challenge and it is a community. The same with R, Zotero, and everything else that you find within these circles.

Speaking of which, I have decided I want to try and use R, R Studio, Markdown, and shortcode to add posts in the future. This requires me learning some more shortcode, and well, having a go. Wish me luck!