coursework latex

Getting Started with LaTeX

• Installation
• Creating a document
• A sample document
• Library Workshop Files

Introduction

Before reading this section you should have a basic understanding of how to create a LaTeX document, as well as, the basic structure of a document.

This section is about creating templates for LaTeX documents.  Templates are meant to speed up the initial creation of a LaTeX document.  Often it is the case that the same packages and document structure will be applicable to many of the documents you are working on, in this case using a template will save you the time of having to input all of this information every time you create a new document.

Using and Creating Templates

A good front end LaTeX software package will contain at least some standard templates for different document types such as articles, beamers, and books, a great one will also let you create your own template.  Templates can be very useful when there are certain documents types you need to create often such as class notes, homework assignments, and lab reports.  In these cases a template will create consistency between documents and greatly simplify the creation of the document.

Using Templates

How to use a template depends on what program you are using to write your LaTeX code.  If you are not using any front end software a template would simply be an already written .tex file you used to start your document.  It is important to make sure that you do not save over the template as you create the new document as this would destroy the template file.  Different front end software have different methods for using templates.  In TexStudio for example under "File" there is a "new from template" option.  TexStudio comes with a number of preprogrammed templates but also allows you to add your own.  TexMaker on the other hand, under file, has the option "new by copying an existing file".  In this case you would need to create your own template file,  but you would not have to worry that you might accidentally save over it.

If the template you are looking for is not built into the software you are using there are online resources such as LaTeX Templates  where you can download templates for a variety of purposes.  A more advanced LaTeX user may also want to consider creating their own template. 

Creating Templates

When creating a template there are several important questions to ask yourself:

• It doesn't make sense to have a template if you will need to change the document class often.  It is also important to recognize which document best suits your needs (i.e. if you want sections use article but if you want chapters use book).
• One of the best reasons to have a template is that you won't have write the preamble every time you start a new document, therefore it is very important to include all the packages you will need.  Its better to have extra packages than not enough.
• You can save time by incorporating certain common elements into you preamble such as title, author, and date.  You may also want include certain structures in the document, for example if you were making a lab report you may already include all the sections the report requires (Introduction, Experimental Setup, Results, Conclusions, etc...).  
• Perhaps you are using your template for a certain class that often uses matrices or a mathematical symbol with a long name.  Creating a new command as part of the template can help simplify the writing process.

Sample Template Code

% This is a template for doing homework assignments in LaTeX

\documentclass {article} % This command is used to set the type of document you are working on such as an article, book, or presenation

\usepackage { geometry } % This package allows the editing of the page layout \usepackage { amsmath }   % This package allows the use of a large range of mathematical formula, commands, and symbols \usepackage { graphicx }   % This package allows the importing of images

\newcommand { \question }[2][]{ \ begin{ flushleft }         \textbf {Question #1}: \textit {#2}

\end{ flushleft } } \newcommand { \sol }{ \textbf {Solution}:} %Use if you want a boldface solution line \newcommand { \maketitletwo }[2][]{ \begin{ center }         \Large { \textbf {Assignment #1}                          Course Title} % Name of course here          \vspace {5pt}                  \normalsize {Matthew Frenkel   % Your name here                  \today }         % Change to due date if preferred          \vspace {15pt}          \end{ center } } \begin{ document }      \maketitletwo [5]   % Optional argument is assignment number     %Keep a blank space between maketitletwo and \question[1]           \question [1]{Here is my first question}           YOUR SOLUTION HERE          \question [2]{Here is my second question}          YOUR SOLUTION HERE          \question [3]{What is the \Large { $ \int_ 0^2 x^2 \, dx $ } \normalsize {. Show all steps}}           \begin{ align* }     \int_ 0^2 x^2 &= \left. \frac {x^3}{3} \right| _0^2 \\                  &= \frac {2^3}{3}- \frac {0^3}{3} \\                  &= \frac {8}{3}      \end{ align* } \end{ document }

Sample Template Output

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LaTeX-Tutorial.com

A simple guide to latex – step by step, learn about latex in short lessons with full code examples. a comprehensive guide to basic and advanced features..

These tutorials, provide a hands-on introduction to LaTeX. You will see, the usage is very simple. Even if you have only used word processors (e.g. Word) before, you can learn LaTeX in no time.

In the following lessons you will be introduced to all the basic features of LaTeX, one feature at a time. As a beginner, you should either start with the first lesson or, if you just want a very brief introduction, try the interactive  quick start guide . While the beginners course will enable you to typeset your research papers or thesis, the advanced lessons will introduce you to very powerful features, which are a bit harder to grasp, but can boost your productivity.

• 00 Installation
• 01 Your first document
• 02 Document structure (sections and paragraphs)
• 03 Packages
• 05 Adding pictures
• 06 Table of contents
• 07 Bibliography
• 08 Footnotes
• 10 Automatic table generation (from .csv)
• 11 Automatic plot generation (from .csv)
• 12 Drawing graphs (vector graphics with tikz)
• 13 Source code highlighting
• 14 Circuit diagrams
• 15 Advanced circuit diagrams
• 16 Hyperlinks

I’m constantly trying to improve and extend these lectures. Please let me know if you think a crucial feature is not covered on this website.

LaTeX Templates

If you would like to use LaTeX for homework, you can start by copying one of these templates, and then filling in your responses. This should prevent you from having to spend time on formatting.

To get up-and-running quickly, you can use the Overleaf online editor, which is essentially Google Docs but for LaTeX. They also have tutorials . You may prefer to install LaTeX to your computer, in which case you can use any text editor. For Emacs users, the AUCTeX plugin is very popular.

12 February 2014

Doing your homework in latex.

It is a common occurrence for other students to comment on my homework whenever I turn it in for one of my classes.

The complete LaTeX file (and the pdf output) can be found in my repository, latex-homework-template .

Below are a few screenshots of problems that I’ve done in the past:

If I didn’t know how easy it was and the benefits that I get from typesetting my homework, I’d probably ask as well. However, I’d argue that using LaTeX to type up homework has made me a far better student than when I used to handwrite my homeworks.

And that is something that I care a lot about.

The Benefits

I can summarize the benefits like so:

It can be kept in Source Control. Handwriting can’t be stored in a version control system; once you erase something, it’s gone.

You can see your homework materialize in front of you. Seeing the results and the equations in their complete LaTeX-glory is a very powerful way to conceptualize things. There’s just something different about the way things look so perfect that makes the subject easier to understand.

You’ll do better in your classes. This one goes with the previous point, but having the ability to see your homework helps you understand it. By understanding it well, you’ll do better on tests. You will maximize how much you can learn as well as maximize your grade (if that matters to you).

It’s very neat & tidy. Although my handwriting has improved quite a bit, I still find myself slipping back into a rushed, messy script from the past. LaTeX gives zero doubt that the professor/TA will be able to read my solutions.

About LaTeX

A very short history.

Donald Knuth , a legendary Computer Scientist as well as one of my favorites, is well known for the system that he created called just TeX .

It is a piece of typesetting software that aids in writing documents and formulas. The power comes from the fact that the document that you write is plain source code.

The code that you write is then “typeset” into the final document in whatever form you wish.

Here’s an example of some basic LaTeX code:

With the output looking like below:

Using the Template

I’ve created a GitHub repository, latex-homework-template , just for my homework template that I’ve been using ever since I started. I found it online and used it as a base to start my template.

To use it, just download the homework.tex file and start editing. Once you need to typeset it, you’ll need LaTeX here .

After that, you just need to compile it and you’ll get your output. There are tons of different resources that I’ve found useful in learning LaTeX:

TeX StackExchange

LaTeX Wikibook

Effect on Performance

I have a solid set of anecdotal evidence in favor of using LaTeX for writing up my homework.

In all the classes that I’ve used LaTeX, I’ve come out of the class with a very strong understanding of the material as well as a good grade. Although I’m not a big fan of grades (like at all), I know it matters to some people.

This might have to do with the fact that doing the homework in LaTeX takes longer. It might have to do with the fact that I perfect the appearance and spend a lot more time looking at the subject.

The most likely reason is a combination of all that I previously mentioned plus other factors. I’m usually one to always want to quantify something, but in this case, I know it helps; that’s all I need.

Learning Curve

There definitely is a learning curve when it comes to trying to use LaTeX for homework. I felt that it was definitely worth the effort unlike how it might seem to some students.

I reasoned that when I go to graduate school, I will want to use it there. I also know how pervasive it is in textbooks. Since I love to read textbooks so much, I wanted to see what it took to write them so elegantly. I may even want to write one in the future; we’ll have to see =]

To me it seemed like a small tradeoff for the great benefits that it provided.

I cannot recommend using LaTeX for your homework enough.

The benefits go a long way. It helps you learn the material and in a way that isn’t as easily achieved when just using pencil and paper.

LaTeX is also widely used in academia and learning about the tool is almost essential if you wish to go to graduate school.

Once I graduate from university, I plan on releasing all my code for the last three semesters as open source. It includes all my LaTeX code which has really accumulated over the last year. It should provide a nice resource for others.

In the meantime, hopefully if you start using LaTeX for your homework, you won’t be able to resist doing it early because of how fun it is. Well, at least it was fun for me =]

02 Using LaTeX for Homework

I hope that you will use the LaTeX typesetting system to write your homework solutions for this course. (See the guide to submitting homework.) It might look daunting at first, if you haven't used LaTeX before, but you won't have to learn LaTeX in depth. You just have to fill in answers to exercises, so you won't need to deal with the complexities of writing complete documents. You will mainly need to know how to express mathematics in LaTeX. Unfortunately, matrices and systems of linear equations are among the more difficult things to write. Fortunately, you will have examples that you can imitate. What follows here is some basic information to get you oriented.

Using LaTeX is something like programming: You write "source code" in plain text, which is "compiled" to produce the actual document. Perhaps the first thing to know is that to start a new paragraph, you need to leave a blank line. Other than that, carriage returns are ignored. Also, multiple consecutive spaces are treated as a single space.

To Include mathematics in a document, you type the LaTeX source code for the math between dollar signs. For example, $ax^2+bx+c=0$ will be typeset as \(ax^2+bx+c=0\). If you enclose the code between double dollar signs, the math will be displayed on on line by itself. (This is called "displayed math.") For example, $ $ax^2+bx+c=0$ $ will be typeset as \[ax^2+bx+c=0\] Some things look different as displayed math. For example, compare \(\lim_{n\to\infty}\sum_{k=1}^n\frac{1}{2^n}=1\) to \[\lim_{n\to\infty}\sum_{k=1}^n\frac{1}{2^n}=1\] If case you are wondering, the LaTeX code for that is \lim_{n\to\infty}\sum_{k=1}^n\frac{1}{2^n}=1 . Remember that it has to be enclosed between either single or double dollar signs. Stuff that is between dollar signs is said to be in math mode , as opposed to the regular "text mode."

In the source code, certain characters have special meaning: $ \ { } ^ _ & ~ # % . We have seen that $ is used to surround math code.

The backslash character, \ , is used for LaTeX commands, and braces, { and } , are used to enclose the parameters to which a command applies. For example, in \sqrt{b^2-4ac} , the command is \sqrt , the parameter is b^2-4ac , and the typeset result is \(\sqrt{b^2-4ac}\). The \frac command is used to make a fraction, and it has two parameters, so \frac{n!}{k!(n-k)!} is typeset as \(\frac{n!}{k!(n-k)!}\). Some commands don't have parameters. For example, \infty represents the infinity symbol, \(\infty\), and \to produces a right arrow, \(\to\). Note that you might need to leave a space after a command like \to to mark the end of the command word. For example, use f\colon X\to Y to get \(f\colon X\to Y\). Typing \colonX instead of \colon X will just get you an error.

The special characters caret, ^ , and underscore,  _ , are used for exponents and subscripts in math mode. Note that if an exponent or subscript is more than one character or command, it must be enclosed in braces, so you need f^{-1}(x_i) to get \(f^{-1}(x_i)\). Some similar things, such as the upper and lower limits on a sum ( \sum_{n=1}^\infty for \(\sum_{n-1}^\infty\)) and the thing that goes below "lim" ( \lim_{x\to a} for \(\lim_{x\to a}\)). By the way, in display math, that would look like \(\displaystyle\lim_{x\to a}\). If you want to force some math into display style, use the command \displaystyle in regular math mode: $\displaystyle\lim_{x\to a}$ .

We will see that the amphersand, & , is used similarly to a tab character in tables and matrices. The other three special characters probably won't come up in your writing for this course. (A  ~ represents a non-breaking space, #  is used when defining new commands, and %  marks the start of a comment that ends at the end of the same line. Comments are ignored by LaTeX.) Most of the special characters can be output to the typeset document by preceding the character by a backslash in the source code. For example, type  \{ for \(\{\). However, this does not work for the backslash character; \\ is used to force a line break in the output. It also does not work for \^  or  \~ (which are used for making accented characters). I also note that | , < , and  > work in math mode but give funny results if used outside of math mode.

Some LeTeX code uses environments . Environments are coded using \begin and \end , which take the name of the environment as parameter. For example, you will write your solution to exercises in this course using my " answer " environment. That means that you will write your solution between \begin{answer} and \end{answer} . Similarly, I will write the problem text between \begin{problem} and \end{\problem} . (These two environments are not built into LaTeX. It is possible to define new environments and new commands in a document. The LaTeX source files that I give you will already define any extra commands and environments that you need.)

If you are going to use LaTeX in this course, you need to learn about matrix environments. To produce a matrix enclosed in parentheses, use the pmatrix environment. The rows of the matrix are separated by \\ . In each row, the elements of that row are separated by  & . All of that goes between \begin{pmatrix} and \end{pmatrix} , and it must all be in math mode or displayed math mode. LaTeX ignores end-of-lines in math mode, but it's a good idea to lay out the matrix in the source code similarly to how it looks when typeset (except I don't always do that for simple column vectors, which have just one element per row). For example,

will produce this in the typeset document: \[\begin{pmatrix} 3 & -10 & 2 \\ -1 & 7 & 4 \\ 5 & 0 & 1 \end{pmatrix} \begin{pmatrix} x\\ y\\ z \end{pmatrix} = \begin{pmatrix} 3x-10y+2z \\ -x+7y+4z \\ 5x+z \end{pmatrix}\]

Later, we will use the vmatrix environment to make matrices that are enclosed between vertical bars instead of between parentheses. There is a plain matrix environment for typesetting the elements of the matrix with nothing enclosing them. I use the matrix environment to typeset systems of linear equations, where each equation is one row in the matrix. Each term in an equation is one element of the row. The equal sign and the right-hand side of the equation are also elements. A column can be left empty—two & 's in a row—if a term is missing from the equation. For example:

gives \[ \begin{matrix} 3x_1 & -2x_2 & +x_3 & -x_4 & = & 7\\ -x_1 & & -5x_3 & +2x_4 & = & 2\\ & x_2 & +2x_3 & & = & 0\\ 2x_1 & +3x_2 & & -5x_4 & = & -1 \end{matrix} \]

Unfortunately, there is no simple environment for making augmented matrices. I use a pattern based on the array environment, which makes it possible to put lines between columns of the array and to say whether you want the columns to be centered, left justified, or right justified. This is specified in an extra parameter that comes after \begin{array} . For example, \begin{array}{cccc|c} is used for an array with five centered columns and a line between the fourth and fifth columns; you can use r and l instead of c to get right-justified or left-justified columns. Since the array environment does not include parentheses, I have to add them myself: \left( and \right) add appropriately sized parentheses around whatever is put between them. Here's the augmented matrix that represents the above linear system:

giving \[\left( \begin{array}{cccc|c} 3 & -2 & 1 & -1 & 7\\ -1 & 0 & -5 & 2 & 2\\ 0 & 1 & 2 & 0 & 0\\ -2 & 3 & 0 & -5 & -1 \end{array} \right) \]

The only other environment that is really essential is align* . This environment is unusual in that it is used for mathematics, but it has to be used in regular text mode, not inside math mode. Its purpose is to vertically align a sequence of rows. Rows are separated by \\ , and the position in each row that is to be aligned is marked with a  & . Often, a row is an equation or inequality (or just the operator and the right half of an equation/inequality), with the operators vertically aligned. Here is an example:

which is typeset as

\(\begin{align*} \frac{d}{dx}(x\sin(x^2)) &= x\frac{d}{dx}(\sin(x^2)) + \sin(x^2)\frac{d}{dx}(x) \\ &= x\cos(x^2)\frac{d}{dx}(x^2) + \sin(x^2)\\ &= x\cos(x^2)2x + \sin(x^2)\\ &= 2x^2\cos(x^2) + \sin(x^2) \end{align*}\)

For showing a series of row reductions applied to a matrix or linear system, you might use array or matrix environments inside an align* environment. This can get complicated, but an example is given in the first homework assignment. I have defined the command \rowop for making the arrows that go between the steps of a row reduction. The parameter to \rowop is either a single row operation or several operations separated by  \\ . For example, \rowop{\rho_2\leftrightarrow\rho_3} and \rowop{2\rho_1+\rho_2\\-3\rho_1+\rho_3} for \(\rowop{\rho_2\leftrightarrow\rho_3}\) and \(\rowop{2\rho_1+\rho_2\\-3\rho_1+\rho_3}\)

You can find lists of other LaTeX command elsewhere, and you will find examples in the documents that I give you. Here are a few more that you might use in this course. Most of these are used only in math mode, and a few of them require some preliminary configuration in the LaTeX file.

(back to contents)

Learn LaTeX for Creating Scientific Documents

Are you looking to create professional-looking documents with ease? Look no further than the world of LaTeX. LaTeX is a typesetting system that enables users to produce high-quality documents, such as academic papers, scientific publications, and even books.

We just published a beginner's course on the freeCodeCamp.org YouTube channel that will teach you the basics of LaTeX and help you become comfortable with its many features.

Michelle Krummel created this course. She is a National Board Certified Teacher with two Master's Degrees plus additional certification in Gifted Education. She has 20 years of teaching experience and has taught Advanced Placement courses for 16 years.

The course consists of nine sections.

Section 1: Creating a LaTeX Document

This section is perfect for those who are new to LaTeX. You will learn how to create a document from scratch, including how to create a title, sections, and subsections. Additionally, you will be introduced to the basics of LaTeX syntax.

Section 2: Common Mathematical Notation

LaTeX is widely used in academia, and mathematical notation is a key component of many documents. This section will teach you how to use LaTeX to create complex mathematical formulas and equations with ease.

Section 3: Brackets, Tables, and Arrays

LaTeX offers a wide range of formatting options, including brackets, tables, and arrays. This section will teach you how to use these formatting options to make your documents more readable and organized.

Section 4: Creating Lists

LaTeX allows you to create a variety of lists, including bulleted, numbered, and descriptive lists. In this section, you will learn how to create and format lists in LaTeX.

Section 5: Text Document Formatting

LaTeX is not just for mathematical notation; it can also be used to format text documents. This section will teach you how to format your text documents using LaTeX, including font size and style, text alignment, and more.

Section 6: Packages, Macros, and Graphics

LaTeX offers a range of packages and macros that can enhance your documents. This section will teach you how to use packages and macros, as well as how to include graphics in your documents.

Section 7: Errors and Debugging

No matter how experienced you are with LaTeX, you are bound to encounter errors at some point. This section will teach you how to identify and fix common LaTeX errors.

Section 8: TeXmaker and Overleaf Tips

TeXmaker and Overleaf are popular LaTeX editors. This section will provide you with tips and tricks for using these editors to their full potential.

Section 9: Calculus Notation

Calculus notation can be complex, but LaTeX makes it easy. This section will teach you how to use LaTeX to create calculus notation, including integrals and derivatives.

LaTeX is a powerful tool for creating professional-looking documents, and this beginner's course is the perfect place to start. Whether you are new to LaTeX or looking to expand your knowledge, this course will give you the skills you need to create impressive documents.

Watch the full course on the freeCodeCamp.org YouTube channel (4.5 hour watch).

I'm a teacher and developer with freeCodeCamp.org. I run the freeCodeCamp.org YouTube channel.

If this article was helpful, share it .

Learn to code for free. freeCodeCamp's open source curriculum has helped more than 40,000 people get jobs as developers. Get started

Learn LaTeX

Take your first steps with latex, a document preparation system designed to produce high-quality typeset output., introduction.

LaTeX can be scary for new users as it is not a word processor, and because it is not a single program. Our aim is to help you get started with LaTeX: the basics, installation, writing code, without trying to show you everything in one go. More on our mission …

How it works

We have taken the most important things you will need to know, and made them into 16 short lessons , which should not take long to cover. In each lesson, we give lots of examples of what you would write. You can edit and run the examples in this website. More on examples …

We have included a More on this topic page for each lesson. This extra information is there to support you when you need the detail, but should not get in your way if you don't.

1 LaTeX basics

2 working with latex, 3 document structure, 4 logical structure, 5 document classes, 6 extending latex, 7 using graphics, 8 latex tables, 9 cross-referencing, 10 mathematics, 11 fonts & spacing, 12 citations & references, 13 structuring sources, 14 fonts & unicode engines, 15 error handling, 16 help & documentation, additional lessons, + english language-specifics, + latex showcase, going further.

Getting a book about LaTeX is the best way to learn the details. We cover getting more information, along with book recommendations, in the last lesson .

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9 Best Free LaTeX Courses for 2024

Master the Art of Typesetting with the top free LaTeX courses.

If you’ve clicked on this BCG (Best Courses Guide), you’re probably a university student, a lecturer, researcher, or perhaps an avid math fan who wants to take their document preparation skills to the next level. And let me tell you, you’ve come to the right place!

LaTeX is a powerful yet flexible document preparation system with almost 4 decades of history. Almost all math papers are written in LaTeX thanks to its extensive support for whatever arcane-looking runes and symbols mathematicians manage to come up with. According to a study, approximately 26% of submissions to scientific scholarly journals are written in LaTeX .

At its core, however, LaTeX is a markup language. That means instead of having whatever you type immediately appear on the page like Microsoft Word ( WYSIWYG ), you write commands that then need to be compiled to display an output file. This may be a little intimidating at first, especially if you’ve never used markup or programming languages before, but with the right guidance and training, anyone can learn to use LaTeX like a pro!

Hence, I’ve compiled the best courses to learn LaTeX in this guide. Whether it’s for math, engineering, or science, or maybe you just like pretty documents, I’ve got you covered!

Click on the shortcuts for more details:

What is LaTeX?

Why you should trust us, courses overview, how we made our picks and tested them, here are our top picks.

Click to skip to the course details:

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LaTeX is a document preparation system that enables users to produce high-quality documents with a focus on content over appearance.

Its origins can be traced back to the 1970s, when the legendary computer scientist Donald Knuth created Tex, a new typesetting system whose purpose was “to make a system that’s so simple that you can’t possibly do anything ugly in it”.

He succeeded in one of his goals: you can’t do anything ugly in TeX. However, many people thought that TeX was too complex and difficult to use. So, a decade later, Leslie Lamport set out to create a new document preparation system that leverages the powerful TeX engine while simplifying its use. And thus, LaTeX (short for Lamport TeX) was born, consisting of macros and templates that make it easier to produce complex documents with consistent formatting and style.

Templating a document, structuring sections, generating complex mathematical equations and formulas—features once thought to only belong to experts—are now at the fingertips of anyone with the will to learn. You have precise control over all things. Additionally, LaTeX introduced new features like bibliographies, making it an attractive option for academics and researchers, particularly mathematicians. Even we here at Class Central have used LaTeX in our Udemy paper.

Thanks to the thriving LaTeX community, there are countless packages available to meet a wide range of needs including babel, TikZ, and Beamer. LaTeX is widely used worldwide for technical and scientific documents, from research papers and academic theses to books and even presentations! And despite the emergence of other document preparation systems, LaTeX still remains a popular choice for those who require precise and professional-looking output decades later.

Class Central , a Tripadvisor for online education, has helped 60 million learners find their next course. We’ve been combing through online education for more than a decade to aggregate a catalog of 200,000 online courses and 200,000 reviews written by our users. And we’re online learners ourselves: combined, the Class Central team has completed over 400 online courses, including online degrees.

• All of the courses are suitable for beginners
• All of the courses are free
• Three of the courses in this guide are made by mathematicians, for mathematicians
• The most represented provider is YouTube, followed by edX and then independent providers.

Best Free Course for Learning LaTeX Core Functions (learnlatex.org)

Built and led by the members of the LaTeX project themselves, learnlatex.org is a free course that is one of the most helpful and up-to-date introductory LaTeX courses available.

This course is designed for absolute beginners, covering the essential ideas behind core LaTeX packages and classes. Thus, while the course is limited in scope, sticking only to the base concepts, it nonetheless gives newbies a strong foundation in LaTeX to write mathematical equations, insert graphs and figures, and generate reports through bite-sized article lessons, interactive code examples, and exercises. Laying a solid foundation is crucial since you can’t use custom packages properly without knowing how to use the core ones.

The course is LaTeX distribution agnostic, and doesn’t use any specific LaTeX editor, though the code examples can be run with either Overleaf or TeXLive.net.

In this course, you’ll learn:

• Basics of LaTeX, including setup with a TeX system and text editor
• Document structure and essential commands for formatting content
• Techniques for inserting graphics, referencing figures, and generating tables
• Creating and formatting mathematical equations with the amsmath package
• Managing long documents by splitting sources into smaller files
• Understanding Unicode input and common LaTeX errors
• How to seek help from LaTeX documentation sources.

This course has been translated into 8 other different languages: Catalan, German, Spanish, French, Italian, Marathi, Portuguese, and Vietnamese. Native language speakers rejoice!

Also Great Course for Learning LaTex Core Functions (Andrew Roberts)

Getting to Grips with LaTeX is a free tutorial series written by Andrew Roberts. It covers the common questions and problems most beginners face when they start learning LaTeX.

You’ll get up to speed with everything you need to create polished and professional documents in no time.

No knowledge of LaTeX is assumed prior to starting this course. This course however does not teach you about LaTeX editors, so you’ll have to set that up yourself.

What you’ll learn:

• Basic structure of a LaTeX document through a “Hello World!” example
• Creating articles with structured content, lists, tables, and bibliographies
• Importing and formatting images, including adding captions and text wrapping
• Formatting document contents such as fonts, paragraphs, footnotes, orientation, margins, columns, and headers
• Writing mathematical equations and expressions, from basics to advanced topics like equation alignment
• Producing a table of contents and customizing PDF outputs with PDF-specific features.

Best Free Well-Rounded LaTeX Course for Mathematicians (freeCodeCamp)

Do you want to learn LaTeX for writing math papers? LaTeX – Full Tutorial for Beginners is for you.

Created by Michelle Krummel, an experienced teacher with multiple mathematics degrees, This free series teaches beginners the fundamentals of creating LaTeX documents for mathematics: formatting documents, writing equations, inserting figures, etc. You’ll even learn how to create a Beamer slide presentation!

This course recommends the Overleaf LaTeX editor for online use, though for working offline the course uses the TeXmaker editor which she uses throughout the course.

As for LaTeX distributions, MiKTeK is recommended for Windows users, whereas for Mac users it’s MacTeX.

• Basics of building and formatting LaTeX documents
• Writing mathematical equations and notation, including superscripts, subscripts, and Greek letters
• Creating and modifying tables, arrays, enumerated, and itemized lists
• Inserting and customizing graphics using various packages
• Document formatting, including fonts, text justification, and table of contents creation
• Finding and fixing compilation errors
• Advanced math formatting for calculus notation: limits, integrals, summations, and vectors
• Creating Beamer slide presentations for professional presentations.

Best Free Short Course for Mathematicians (The Math Repository)

Just Enough LaTeX to Survive is another free LaTeX course meant for math students, but much shorter than the previous one.

It tries to balance getting things onto the page with an understanding of the overall structure of LaTeX. Hence, it opts for a slideshow style to teach the basics of LaTeX piece by piece, so no LaTeX editor is shown in this course.

You’ll be introduced to some essential LaTeX packages for writing mathematical expressions (asm) and drawing graphs (TikZ). You’ll also learn how to make slideshows like the one he’s using with Beamer.

• Basics of formatting and manipulating text in LaTeX
• Using LaTeX environments for different typesetting effects
• Writing basic and advanced mathematical notations, including calculus
• Creating and customizing tables and arrays
• Utilizing TikZ for creating precise figures, graphs, and shapes
• Creating professional-looking presentations with Beamer.

Best Free Comprehensive Course for STEM Students (IIT Bombay)

LaTeX for Students, Engineers, and Scientists is a free course that introduces the basic concepts of LaTeX with videos and articles. You’ll start by creating a basic document using LaTeX and then moving on with formatting pages, text, creating tables, adding images, citing, cross-referencing, and more. Each topic starts with an already formatted PDF document and you’ll gradually learn enough LaTeX to replicate the document format on your own. The course concludes by creating presentations using Beamer.

Note that this edX course is archived, so some of the functionalities (e.g, quizzes and exercises) may not be available.

The course uses TeXstudio as its preferred editor.

There are no prerequisites for this course.

• Basics of creating and organizing LaTeX documents
• Formatting pages, including margins, headers, footers, orientation, and columns
• Writing and formatting mathematical equations and formulas
• Adding and modifying tables and images
• Using hyperlinks, cross-referencing, and creating an index and bibliography
• Creating presentations with Beamer.

Best Free Short Course to Learn the Bare Minimum to Get Started (Trefor Bazett)

Do you already know some LaTeX and want to quickly get started writing a thesis already?

Trefor Bazett’s free LaTeX tutorial does exactly that in under 30 minutes! You’ll start from a blank page and learn all the things needed to write a thesis, such as tightly controlling a consistent look over an entire thesis, keeping track of numbering, formatting equations, inserting figures, and referencing sources.

He uses Overleaf as his LaTeX editor to write a thesis.

Some experience with LaTeX is required to take this course.

• Understanding LaTeX’s project structure and document classes
• Writing and formatting title pages, abstracts, dedications, and acknowledgements
• Managing large documents by separating chapters into different source files
• Handling appendices and inserting multiple figures with a list of figures
• Creating a bibliography and citing references in various formats
• Adjusting document margins using the geometry package.

If you like this course, there’s more on Dr. Trefor Bazett’s LaTeX tutorials playlist on YouTube .

Best Simple LaTeX Guide for Engineers (Xiong Ying)

LaTeX-Tutorial provides free step-by-step tutorials on how to use LaTeX in no time. Aimed towards engineers, it covers LaTeX essentials such as creating and formatting documents and more advanced LaTeX features not found in other beginner courses including automatic table and plot generation, source code highlighting, and circuit diagrams.

By the end of this course, you’ll be able to typeset beautiful documents for your reports, books, and papers.

This course uses no particular LaTeX editor. Additionally, no prior knowledge of LaTeX is required.

• Installing and setting up LaTeX on your machine
• Creating and structuring basic LaTeX documents with sections and paragraphs
• Typesetting equations, matrices, and fractions using packages like amsmath
• Inserting and modifying lists, images, tables of contents, and tables
• Automating bibliographies and footnotes with Bibtex/Biblatex
• Generating tables and plots from .csv files using pgfplotstable/pgfplots
• Adding code snippets with syntax highlighting
• Creating circuit diagrams with circuitikz.

There’s also another course specifically for learning the ins and outs of LaTeX Beamer . Check that out if you’re interested!

Best Free Course with Practical Exercises (University of Amsterdam)

The biggest reason why University of Amsterdam’s LaTeX course is on this guide is because it’s very practical.

In this free course, you’ll learn the LaTeX basics (as well as some advanced features such as citations, bibliography, and images). An introduction to creating presentations with LaTeX Beamer is also included (with an optional guide on making posters). The course recommends the TeXworks LaTeX editor.

Note that though a majority of the lessons are in English, some are in Dutch.

The course assumes no prior knowledge of LaTeX.

• Basics of LaTeX document typesetting and mathematical formulas using mathtool packages
• Formatting text into sentences, lists, and paragraphs, and troubleshooting typesetting errors
• In-depth exploration of LaTeX file structure with groups, commands, and environments
• Advanced mathematics typesetting, including matrices and references
• Using the uvamath document class for structuring texts with chapters, paragraphs, and tables of contents
• Creating tables and figures
• Making presentations with LaTeX Beamer
• Referencing and citing sources with BibTex and drawing graphical objects with TikZ.

This site is part of the course Programmeren en Experimenteren (Programming and Experimenting) taught at the University of Amsterdam.

I built this guide following the now tried-and-tested methodology used in previous Best Courses Guides ( you can find them all here ). It involves a three-step process:

• Research: I started by leveraging Class Central’s database with 200K online courses and 200K+ reviews. Then, I made a preliminary selection of LaTeX courses by rating, reviews, and bookmarks.
• Evaluate: I read through reviews on Class Central, Reddit, and course providers to understand what other learners thought about each course and combined it with my own experience as a learner .
• Select: Well-made courses were picked if they presented valuable and engaging content and fit in a set of criteria: comprehensive curriculum, affordability, release date, ratings and enrollments.

Ultimately, I used a combination of data and my own judgment to make these picks. I’m confident these recommendations will be a reliable way to learn about LaTeX.

Fabio revised the latest version of this article.

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Fabio dantas.

Jim 7/10/2024 at 12:07pm

@Fabio What about Markdown?

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How to add bulleted relevant coursework to Jake's resume?

Want to achieve something like this:

Link to source code for Jake's resume: https://www.overleaf.com/latex/templates/jakes-resume/syzfjbzwjncs

• 1 The best solutions to problems like this often depend on things like what document class is being used, what packages are loaded, etc. A minimal working example of your code would help kickstart things for those offering solutions. –  frabjous Commented Sep 13, 2022 at 17:33
• @frabjous added the source code link –  learner Commented Sep 13, 2022 at 17:36
• Perhaps try a minipage environment? –  Revise Commented Sep 13, 2022 at 17:44

I think the easiest way to do this would be to load the multicol package in the preamble:

And then put a "resumeItemList" as defined by template inside a 3-column multicols environment, something like this:

I put in a negative \vspace* there because I think you get too much space between the section title and list otherwise, but adjust as desired.

The exact style in the image you posted doesn't match the hierarchy or bullet spacing in the template, so mine looks a little different.

Of course you might prefer to this inside a Sub-heading list and use the \resumeSubHeading command instead of \section depending on exactly how you wanted things arranged.

See also the multicol package documentation .

EDIT: The above solution uses the commands defined in the template. Those definitions look like this:

If you didn't want to keep these definitions, or were using a different template, you can achieve more or less the same result without using the command defined by the template (so within another document class, etc.) with:

• For some reason it doesn't render the bullets and correct spacing. I get the error "undefined control sequence" –  learner Commented Sep 13, 2022 at 18:59
• I did add the use{multicol} line in the imports –  learner Commented Sep 13, 2022 at 19:00
• Hard to tell what the problem is out of context. I did test my code before posting, so you must be doing something differently from what I'm doing. Can you post a minimal but complete document that generates the error (either by editing the original post/question or linking to it via a pastebin site)? –  frabjous Commented Sep 13, 2022 at 20:10
• And this was probably just a typo, but of course it's \usepackage{multicol} not simply \use{multicol} . –  frabjous Commented Sep 13, 2022 at 20:11
• pastecord.com/wejimigazy.tex –  learner Commented Sep 14, 2022 at 10:30

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Assignments

Assignments, also known as homework, are usually given to school or university students to reinforce their knowledge of a subject and aid in learning. They are typically structured in question and answer form to be completed by the student consecutively.

fphw Assignment

This template is for formatting assignments or homework in a clear and simple way. The title section at the top of the first page clearly displays the assignment, student and class information. This information also appears in the headers and footers of subsequent pages. Questions in the assignment are clearly demarcated and appear inside boxes to focus attention. The template features examples of including images, tables, equations and code listings for covering virtually all common assignment information. Multi-part questions and answers are shown for more complex questions.

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Wenneker Assignment

This template can be used by teachers or students for school or university assignments. It contains a clear title section at the start to specify the assignment class, title, date and teacher/student name. The template supports up to 4 levels of sections to structure the assignment into sections, questions, subquestions and bonus content. Examples of common assignment content are included: figure, equations, lists, table, code and paragraphs of text.

Lachaise Assignment

This template is for teachers/instructors/educators to create assignments/homework for their students. It includes a clear title on the first page for the course, assignment and teacher’s name, as well as the institution and date. Sets of questions can be grouped by headings and the template includes examples of unnumbered and numbered sections, and numbered subsections (for longer assignments). Amongst the description text for each question, examples are provided for virtually any subject matter, including: equations, algorithms, code and command line outputs.

Cleese Assignment

This template comes in two versions, one for teachers/instructors/educators to create assignments/homework for their students to fill out by hand, and another for students proficient in LaTeX to answer questions posed to them at school or university/college. Both versions contain simple environments for each question and subquestion within, and allow answer boxes to be created with either an answer or blank for space to write an answer. Sets of questions can be grouped by headings and the template includes examples of including an image, table, equation and code within questions.

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