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How to Write a Thesis in LaTeX (Part 1): Basic Structure

Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5

Author: Josh Cassidy (August 2013)

This five-part series of articles uses a combination of video and textual descriptions to teach the basics of writing a thesis using LaTeX. These tutorials were first published on the original ShareLateX blog site during August 2013; consequently, today's editor interface (Overleaf) has changed considerably due to the development of ShareLaTeX and the subsequent merger of ShareLaTeX and Overleaf. However, much of the content is still relevant and teaches you some basic LaTeX—skills and expertise that will apply across all platforms.

Your thesis could be the longest and most complicated document you'll ever write, which is why it's such a good idea to use L a T e X instead of a common word processor. L a T e X makes tasks that are difficult and awkward in word processors, far simpler.

When writing something like a thesis its worth splitting up the document into multiple .tex files. It's also wise to organise the project using folders; therefore, we'll create two new folders, one for all the images used in the project and one for all the .tex files making up the main body of the thesis.

• 1 The preamble
• 2 The frontmatter
• 3 The main body
• 4 The endmatter
• 5 All articles in this series

The preamble

In this example, the main.tex file is the root document and is the .tex file that will draw the whole document together. The first thing we need to choose is a document class. The article class isn't designed for writing long documents (such as a thesis) so we'll choose the report class, but we could also choose the book class.

We can also change the font size by adding square brackets into the \documentclass command and specifying the size—we'll choose 12pt. Let's also prepare the document for images by loading the graphicx package. We'll also need to tell L a T e X where to look for the images using the \graphicspath command, as we're storing them in a separate folder.

The start of our preamble now looks like this:

Now we can finish off the preamble by filling in the title, author and date information. To create the simplest title page we can add the thesis title, institution name and institution logo all into the \title command; for example:

This isn't the best way to alter the title page so we'll look at more elaborate ways of customising title pages later on in the series, but this will suffice for now.

This is what the \maketitle command now produces for us:

The frontmatter

After the title page we need to add in an abstract, dedication, declaration and acknowledgements section. We can add each of these in on separate pages using unnumbered chapters. To do this we use the \chapter command and add an asterisk. After these sections we'll add a table of contents using the \tableofcontents command:

The main body

Now for the main body of the document. In this example we will add-in five chapters, one of which will be an introduction and another will be a conclusion. However, instead of just composing these chapters in the main .tex file, we'll create a separate .tex file for each chapter in the chapters folder. We can then fill in these chapters with text remembering to split them up into sections and subsections.

Then to add these chapters into the document, we use the \input command in the root document. Remember to add in chapters/ before the file name so that L a T e X knows where to find it.

The endmatter

We will now add in an appendix at the end of the document. To do this we use the \appendix command to tell L a T e X that what follows are appendices. Again We'll write the appendix in a separate file and then input it.

If we now compile the document, all our chapters will be added to the document and the table of contents will be automatically generated.

Now we have a basic structure for a thesis set up. In the next post I will show you how to change the page layout and add headers.

All articles in this series

• Part 1: Basic Structure ;
• Part 2: Page Layout ;
• Part 3: Figures, Subfigures and Tables ;
• Part 4: Bibliographies with BibLaTeX ;
• Part 5: Customising Your Title Page and Abstract .
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Writing a thesis in latex.

This article is a guide to constructing a decent parent file for a thesis or dissertation compiled in Latex. The specific details implemented here, and included in the example files, are those set out by the guidelines for submission to the University of Nottingham, but can be easily amended to suit any sensible requirements.

Considerable attention has been paid to presenting the final document as a PDF file, which keeps the file size manageable (compared to postscript) and allows groovy add-ons such as hyperlinks and back-referencing. However, several hacks are required to attain good functionality from your PDF file and these can give the latex code a mysterious (and messy) appearance in places. While I highly recommend the inclusion of the PDF-related commands, they are not strictly necessary and can be ignored especially if you are new to Latex.

Note for Windows users

The code outlined below was designed and implemented on the unix system at Nottingham. For those of you unfortunate enough to be running a Windows box, a number of problems may arise when using the below code:

First off, not all the packages used will be present and will need to be installed. Probably the easiest way to do this is to google the package name with the extension .sty and save this file in the C:\VTEX\l2e\\ directory of your machine. Note that for the natbib package, you will also need to download the relevant .bst file, which in this case is unsrtnat.bst .

Also, many of the packages that are installed locally may need updating. For instance, the computers I have tested on both have old versions of the geometry and caption packages, which cause Latex to return errors. To resolve these problems, either download the latest versions, or remove the includefoot option from the geometry package and set the bottom margin to 1.4in.

Also, the code for compiling to PDF does not work so well in Windows, and so it is recommended that Windows users use the template without PDF code.

Requirements

The guidelines for theses to be submitted to the University of Nottingham specify that:

• the document should be presented on single-sided a4 paper and typeset in a double-spaced size 10-12 font;
• the left-hand margin should be at least 1.5 inches (4cm) to allow for binding;
• the other three margins should be at least 1 inch (2.5cm).

Other settings such as the way chapter headings are formatted, and whether headers are included, are not specified and are up to the user. In this case, we’ll install headers and tinker with the chapter formatting.

Template files

Here are the template files which this page explains:

• thesis_without_pdfcode.tex
• thesis_with_pdfcode.tex

The appearance of both these files on the printed page will be identical; however after compilation into PDF (see the section below) and opening in Adobe Acrobat (or a similar PDF reader), the advantages that come with the PDF format will be apparent.

• thesis_without_pdfcode.pdf
• thesis_with_pdfcode.pdf

The rest of this page is devoted to explaining the code in these files.

Document structure

The document begins in a standard and entirely self-explanatory manner.

Preamble: essential packages

Next, the essential packages are loaded:

where the geometry package has been loaded to allow the margins to be set in a neat and consistent way. The non-obvious option includefoot ensures that the footer (which only contains the pagenumber) is included in the page and is thus 1 inch above the bottom of the page. Note that this option is only available in recent versions of the package: if you’re using an old version and can’t/won’t upgrade, then remove the offending option and extend the bottom margin to 1.4in. headheight=13.6pt is included due to to ensure compatibility with the fancyhdr package (and is not required if you don’t use the fancyhdr package). Also quite essential is the natbib package:

where the various options ensure that references appear in the document as:

…boiled dog can do maths claims experimenter [10,12,15-18].

Alternative referencing styles are easily implemented, see the natbib help file for more details. In fact, to use the natbib package, you’ll have to read at least a few lines of the help file so you understand the difference between \citet and \citep , and I insist you do that now.

Preamble: custom captions (optional)

We now set the figure captions to be elegant and dignified:

Note that early versions of this package don’t support the margin= and tableposition= options; in this case, these trimmings will have to be ignored.

Preamble: custom fonts (optional)

You can also choose an alternative font for both the text and the mathematical characters. This can be achieved by:

Aside from mathpazo , there are several other fonts available, such as chancery , palatino and times (all loaded in the same way).

Preamble: fancy headers (optional)

Feeling a little devil-may-care? If so, you’ll probably want to install some elegant headers along each page. This is easily achieved through the fancyhdr package:

The final complicated-looking three lines simply ensure that the headings for appendices are formatted correctly. (Without these lines, what should read “Appendix A” is set as “Chapter A”.)

Preamble: customised chapter/section headings (optional)

We now make use of several customisation options that are bundled with the sectsty package.

These alter the appearance of the first page of each chapter to have a centred title, with the word “chapter” set in small capitals immediately above. Feel free to employ your own individual and highly refined tastes here in choosing your own chapter/section settings.

Preamble: pdf options (optional)

If you want to publish your thesis on the internet, or even just to email it to someone, then you’ll want to store it in the ubiquitous PDF format. Doing so offers some neat facilities, such as hyperlinking, which are implemented by the hyperref package:

There are various other options you can pass to your favourite PDF reader via the \hypersetup command, such as pdftitle , pdfauthor and pdfsubject ; however, they’re not really essential. Note that the hyperlink colours have all been set to black for consistent printing. Should you want to distribute your thesis over the web, then it would be advisable to set these colours to red or something similarly vibrant and exciting.

Things get a little messy now as a hack is required to ensure the hyperlinks actually jump to the right place.

No need to worry about this code, let’s just move straight on.

Preamble: page layout

We now set various parameters to alter the general page layout:

The first two of these commands alter the paragraph formatting so that new paragraphs are not indented but separated from the previous one by a small amount of whitespace; the third sets the line spacing. The sharp-eyed among you will notice the discrepancy between our chosen line-spacing and that dictated by the university guidelines. However, no matter how poor your eyesight is, you’ll quickly appreciate that true double line-spacing (set with \renewcommand(\baselinestretch}{2} ) looks rubbish. In addition, Nottingham University are perfectly happy to accept theses set with the above line-spacing, which is more pleasing to the eye.

Some final settings:

Set which chapters to include when Latex is next run. The advantage of this method is that all your cross-references are remembered and Latex does not spit out loads of warnings.

Main matter

We now begin the document in earnest and define a suitable title:

followed by a dedication:

We now construct an abstract:

some acknowledgements:

and a contents page:

Now, we alter the pagenumbering to arabic and point to the relevant chapter files:

All your chapter files should be included here; to save time when editing, use the \includeonly command to specify which chapters to compile.

Finally, we make sure there is a link to the references section in the table of contents and reference the correct bibiography file (which in this case is called bibliography.bib ).

And there we have it: a complete thesis parent file that not only looks good on the printed page, but is fully functional and hyperlinked in PDF format.

Compiling to PDF

Whether you’ve included all the red PDF commands or not, you can convert your TEX file to PDF by running (in unix):

The additional argument to ps2pdf is required as the default paper size is US Letter. Note that you will probably need to bibtex your thesis file before running latex for the final time.

For Windows, first open a command window by going Start->Run and entering cmd . Provided MiKTeX and GhostScript are correctly installed then the necessary commands are:

The syntax for ps2pdf is slightly different in Windows compared to Unix - and note that the output pdf filename MUST be specified, else the ps file is overwritten and corrupted.

Something wrong? Suggest an improvement or add a comment (see article history ) Tagged with: latex Filed in: guides

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Using LATEX for writing a Thesis

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Mason Porter

LaTex (which is pronounced LAY-TECK) is commonly used by scientists to write their research articles, as it is the easiest for them to include mathematical symbols, figures, tables, etc. in their work in a platform-independent manner. Increasingly many scientific journals require that submitted articles be typeset in LaTex. The purpose of this article is to provide a minimalist introduction to LaTex.

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Fortunately, the life of a LATEX consultant can be varied and the activities diverse. In my fourteen years working with Donald Knuth’s wonderful language, I’ve spent time teaching LATEX, writing special-purpose macro packages for, among other things, database publishing, tables that continue for hundreds of pages, training slides, software documentation, and PDF production, in addition to my major activity — writing and supporting multiuser macro packages for publishing companies. The programming capabilities of the language are immense, and it has been fun exploring a tiny part of its possible applications. In this paper I’d like to share some observations, especially in the areas of designing and supporting multiuser macro packages, the use of PostScript in design, and some of the capabilities of LATEX as a generator of PDF. Preparing and Supporting Multiuser Macro Packages

We discuss some of the problems related to the process of learning of LATEX and the opportunity of a LATEX course. We also propose a syllabus for such a course and briefly mention some of the LATEX books which, in our opinion, are suitable to be adopted as course material. 1 Is teaching LATEX really necessary? Let’s face it: LATEX courses are very rare. Only now and then one can find a university offering an introduction to the basics. Some probable reasons for the scarcity of organized LATEX learning are, in the opinion of many LATEX users: – LATEX is very easy to learn, after all; – there are plenty of excellent (and free) introductions on the internet. In spite of the validity of these claims, from our experience as editors of this journal and in discussions with colleagues, it seems to us that: – Many users of LATEX learned the basic elements of writing a document only and stopped there, having yet to explore LATEX’s richer features. – Many mathematical users don’t employ equati...

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ABSTRACT: The present study aims to introduce a series of procedures toward preparing any scientific text using MS Word software. Some journals and academic centers, based on their scientific domain, have their own styles and formatting. One of the challenges that authors may encounter while preparing any research report is to apply those formatting style to their thesis document file. At first, the paper provides some information about styles and then some information about the author's needs and problems during preparing any research report text. Finally, some new procedures are presented which enable authors to satisfy all formatting styles components within document files. We called the procedures thesis preparing algorithm. This algorithm renders some technical procedures which should be followed according to their order to achieve a desired output for thesis preparing procedures. This algorithm is based on three features: familiarity with software's tools and their functions, the order of processes, and special techniques. We believe using this algorithm, authors will gain a better performance in preparing any dissertation and research reports.

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Writing a thesis in LaTeX

Why you should write your thesis in LaTeX? Start here and give it a try!

What is LaTeX, and why should you use it to write your thesis? LaTeX is a typesetting system widely used in academia, particularly for technical and scientific documents, which offers a series of advantages over traditional word processors:

• Superior Typesetting Quality and Consistent Formatting. One of LaTeX’s best qualities is its consistency, which ensures that your thesis not only reads well but also looks professional.
• Great Handling of Mathematical Content. Thesis in STEM fields often involve an extensive use of mathematical formulas and equations. LaTeX provides a powerful equation editor that allows you to write and format complex equations with ease; moreover, referencing them is easy, thanks to the labeling system.
• Efficient Citation Management. Thanks to tools like BibTeX and BibLaTeX, managing references and citations is fast and efficient.
• Flexibility and Customization. LaTeX offers many customization options. You can tailor the appearance of your thesis to meet specific guidelines or personal preferences. You can change the look of a whole document in a matter of seconds, and it will keep its consistency.
• Learning and Community Support. Although LaTeX has a steeper learning curve than traditional word processors, the investment in learning it pays off. Moreover, a vast community of LaTeX users and a wealth of resources are available, including tutorials, templates, and forums where you can seek and share advice.

Ok, but where do I start?

With that said, where should you start when trying to learn LaTeX? In my opinion, the easiest way is to use an online editor like Overleaf , which does not require you to install anything and allows for real-time collaboration for free. This has its limitations (it’s slow at compiling, and the free plan also has a compilation time limit), but it’s a great starting point. Pair this with the hundreds of templates already available on this and other websites, and you will be writing documents in no time.

In this article, I will explain how to use my particular template, which can be found here, but you can try to follow along with similar templates. One I highly suggest taking a look at once you grasp LaTeX basics is Classic Thesis by André Miede.

The Title Page

Once you downloaded the zip and opened it with your preferred editor (on Overleaf, you can start a new project by simply uploading the zip file), you will see the following file structure:

Once you understand how this structure works, you can easily add and remove things. First, let’s change the Title Page! To do so, all you have to do is open the config.tex file: here, you can insert your university name, department, course, title, supervisors’ name, academic year, and your name and matriculation number.

This template uses custom fonts! You will have to change the compiler from pdfLaTeX to either XeLaTeX or LuaLaTeX!

To do so in overleaf, click the Menu button in the top left corner. You will find the compiler option in the Settings section.

If you are using VSCode with LaTeX Workshop, I have included the appropriate flag at the start of the document (%!TEX program = lualatex). All you have to do is enabling magic comments by changing the setting forceRecipeUsage to false.

Managing and adding chapters

As you can see, I added a dedication page. You can choose to remove it by removing or commenting the following lines in the main.tex file:

To modify other sections, like the abstract or the introduction, you can go to their respective files: ./frontmatter/abstract.tex and ./chapters/introduction.tex . If you want to add another section, do so by creating the relative tex file in the appropriate folder; then add it to the main document by including it in the main.tex file: \include{path/to/document.tex} .

If you are having troubles with anything, you can refer to the Overleaf tutorials. Usually, you can find everything you may need there. Moreover, I suggest the LaTeX Cookbook by Stefan Kottwitz, a book that teaches you how to solve common problems when using LaTeX.

Customization

You can customize how things look in the SciThesis.cls file. Here, you can manage packages and other layout preferences.

You can customize how theorems, code portions, labels, and other things look.

The easiest thing you can customize is the main color for the Chapters and links:

Here, you can change the RGB definition to any color you want. The default one is teal.

What’s next?

This is just an introductory post to get this template up and running. In the next weeks, I will write more specific tutorials on how to handle common situations you may encounter when writing your thesis, starting with bibliography management.

See you next time!

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How to link Table of Contents in thesis PDF

I used the following code and I am able to link references, List of Symbols but unable to link the Table of Contents in my thesis. I wish a completely linked PDF of my thesis. Please help me....

• table-of-contents

• 1 Adding lintocpage to the options of hyperref will help? –  user11232 Commented Aug 2, 2012 at 4:21
• 1 The user above probably means linktocpage , but that option does something completely different. –  Ela782 Commented Jun 15, 2017 at 18:43

2 Answers 2

Probably you mean that the table of contents is not in the bookmarks (outlines). It is debatable, whether the table of contents should have an entry for itself. But for the bookmarks it is IMHO ok, because they are just a navigational help. I use the opportunity to comment some option settings for hyperref . Additional bookmarks can be set using \pdfbookmark as shown in the example, see documentation of hyperref . To avoid links to wrong pages, it is important that \pdfbookmark is on the same page. Ensuring a page break before makes this easier.

I had this same problem. My fix is kind of messy but does the job for me. Hope it helps you

(note that I use \cleardoublepage to ensure that each new section begins on an odd-numbered page for printing purposes)

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