A Showcase of LaTeX Documents

On the 3rd of August, 2018 we held our first LaTeX meet-up!
The purpose of this event was not only to showcase some exemplary LaTeX documents, but also to give attendees the opportunity to ask their burning LaTeX-related questions, and learn some tips and tricks. We saw examples of including images in LaTeX, a recipe book, academic posters, and slide presentations. Keep reading to hear about each of these, and to access some great templates…

Images

After some quick introductions and once everyone had settled in with some tea and snacks, Ben began the meet-up with his presentation on preparing illustrations and images for inclusion in a thesis using LaTeX.

LaTeX handles images slightly differently to many other applications. The DPI setting in the image is ignored and the size of the image will be based on the DPI of the document if no other size parameters are included. There are no rules for adding images, thesis instructions including required DPI settings are rare. For the sake of consistency I recommend you resize your images to match the size that they will be reproduced at… There are a few ways of including figures with vector objects (with or without images as well) in LaTeX. From a technical support perspective I look for methods that provide the best quality with the fewest problems… – Ben Kreunen @OzBigBen
Ben also discussed the following frequently asked questions:
  • What file format do I insert in my document?
  • What programs can I use to compile the figure that will export the right format?
  • What file formats can this program import?
  • Can I get my components from their source applications/ file formats into one of these formats?
Check out the answers to some of these, and see some examples in Ben’s notes!

Cookbook

Next, Brian presented his Mother’s recipes coded in LaTeX. The detail of his presentation was not about code specifically, but about communication with audiences and working with teams.

When we write we often write to ourselves, as my Mother did. We may include shorthand, not fully explain ideas presuming others have already grasped them and more importantly, we may not be actually addressing our audience or have a clear idea who they are. Pitch your ideas at the knowledge set of your presumed audience and explain all concepts that would be unclear to this audience. Make sure the flow of the document is logical and leads the reader to the conclusions that you intend.
Also, working with teams on documents — as this one was — has it’s own difficulties and complexities. This was created with an online editor/UX coder, a typesetter/graphic layout person and a recipe checker. As it was a labor of love it was difficult to assign deadlines. However, when working with a team who have specified areas and content to deliver it is a good thing to specify both job demarcations and time-lines in which to deliver the work. Deadlines and clarity around what a person is to do helps them deliver and, while it may be some pressure, people generally perform better knowing the limitations. – Brian Boyce @innerversitysou

You can view the template Brian created for the cookbook on Overleaf.

Posters and slide presentations

Thomas illustrated the usefulness of LaTeX by presenting an assortment of documents he created using the software at different stages of his academic life.
These included his Ph.D. thesis, a presentation, as well as a set of lecture notes for a subject he is teaching. Particular attention was given to creating a poster in LaTeX using the baposter template designed by Brian Amberg.
This link contains a sample poster created using the template, the documentation of the template, as well as a LaTeX primer with sample code to get things rolling. – Thomas Wong
Meirian also showed examples of slide presentations which were created in LaTeX.
The document class for creating presentations is beamer. There are many options for layouts and colour schemes to choose from; some of these are displayed in the beamer theme matrix. I recommend reading the ShareLaTeX guide on beamer for some great help and tips when creating your own presentations in LaTeX! There are also a variety of templates available online to help you get started. – Meirian Lovelace-Tozer @MeirianLT

Would you like to come along to a future LaTeX workshop or meet-up, and get involved?
I encourage you to sign up to upcoming events on Eventbrite. Please also check out our website for more information, or contact me if you have any questions.


This blogpost was created by Meirian Lovelace-Tozer, who is a Research Community Co-ordinator and LaTeX trainer at Research Platforms Services @ResPlat.