Getting Started with LaTeX in 2026 - Beginner Guide

\documentclass{article}

\begin{document}

Hello, LaTeX! This is my first document.

\end{document}

\documentclass[12pt, a4paper]{article}

% Packages add extra functionality
\usepackage[utf8]{inputenc}    % Support for special characters
\usepackage[margin=1in]{geometry}  % Set page margins
\usepackage{amsmath}           % Better math support
\usepackage{graphicx}          % Include images
\usepackage{hyperref}          % Clickable links

\begin{document}

\end{document}

\documentclass[12pt, a4paper]{article}

\usepackage[utf8]{inputenc}
\usepackage[margin=1in]{geometry}
\usepackage{amsmath}
\usepackage{graphicx}
\usepackage{hyperref}

% Document information
\title{My First Research Paper}
\author{Your Name}
\date{\today}  % Automatically inserts today's date

\begin{document}

\maketitle  % Creates the title block

\end{document}

\documentclass[12pt, a4paper]{article}

\usepackage[utf8]{inputenc}
\usepackage[margin=1in]{geometry}
\usepackage{amsmath}
\usepackage{graphicx}
\usepackage{hyperref}

\title{My First Research Paper}
\author{Your Name}
\date{\today}

\begin{document}

\maketitle

\begin{abstract}
This paper demonstrates basic LaTeX formatting including sections,
lists, equations, and figures. We show how simple commands create
professional documents.
\end{abstract}

\section{Introduction}
LaTeX is a powerful document preparation system used by academics
and professionals worldwide. This document serves as both a tutorial
and a template for your own work.

\section{Methods}
Our approach involves three main steps:

\subsection{Data Collection}
We gathered information from multiple sources to ensure accuracy.

\subsection{Analysis}
The data was processed using standard statistical methods.

\section{Results}
Our findings demonstrate the effectiveness of LaTeX for document
preparation.

\section{Conclusion}
LaTeX provides an excellent foundation for professional documents.

\end{document}

\textbf{Bold text}
\textit{Italic text}
\underline{Underlined text}
\texttt{Monospace/code text}

% Combining styles
\textbf{\textit{Bold and italic}}

% Size changes
{\large Larger text}
{\Large Even larger}
{\LARGE Much larger}
{\small Smaller text}

\begin{itemize}
    \item First item
    \item Second item
    \item Third item with sub-items:
    \begin{itemize}
        \item Sub-item A
        \item Sub-item B
    \end{itemize}
\end{itemize}

\begin{enumerate}
    \item First step
    \item Second step
    \item Third step
\end{enumerate}

\begin{description}
    \item[LaTeX] A document preparation system
    \item[PDF] Portable Document Format
    \item[WYSIWYG] What You See Is What You Get
\end{description}

% New paragraph: leave a blank line
First paragraph text here.

Second paragraph starts after blank line.

% Line break within paragraph
Line one\\
Line two (same paragraph)

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\noindent This paragraph has no indent.

% Add vertical space
\vspace{1cm}  % 1 centimeter of space

The famous equation $E = mc^2$ changed physics forever.

The quadratic formula gives us $x = \frac{-b \pm \sqrt{b^2-4ac}}{2a}$.

% Unnumbered equation
\[
    \int_0^\infty e^{-x^2} dx = \frac{\sqrt{\pi}}{2}
\]

% Numbered equation
\begin{equation}
    F = ma
    \label{eq:newton}
\end{equation}

% Reference the equation
As shown in Equation~\ref{eq:newton}...

% Fractions
$\frac{a}{b}$

% Square root
$\sqrt{x}$, $\sqrt[3]{x}$

% Powers and subscripts
$x^2$, $x_i$, $x_i^2$

% Greek letters
$\alpha$, $\beta$, $\gamma$, $\delta$, $\epsilon$
$\pi$, $\sigma$, $\theta$, $\omega$, $\phi$

% Sums and products
$\sum_{i=1}^{n} x_i$
$\prod_{i=1}^{n} x_i$

% Integrals
$\int_a^b f(x) dx$

% Limits
$\lim_{x \to \infty} f(x)$

\begin{align}
    y &= mx + b \\
    y &= 2x + 3 \\
    y &= 2(4) + 3 \\
    y &= 11
\end{align}

\usepackage{graphicx}  % In preamble

% In document
\begin{figure}[htbp]
    \centering
    \includegraphics[width=0.8\textwidth]{image-filename}
    \caption{Description of your figure}
    \label{fig:myfigure}
\end{figure}

% Reference the figure
As shown in Figure~\ref{fig:myfigure}...

% Control size
\includegraphics[width=5cm]{image}
\includegraphics[height=3cm]{image}
\includegraphics[scale=0.5]{image}

% Rotation
\includegraphics[angle=90]{image}

% Combined options
\includegraphics[width=0.5\textwidth, angle=45]{image}

\begin{table}[htbp]
    \centering
    \begin{tabular}{|l|c|r|}
        \hline
        Left & Center & Right \\
        \hline
        Data 1 & Data 2 & Data 3 \\
        Data 4 & Data 5 & Data 6 \\
        \hline
    \end{tabular}
    \caption{A simple table}
    \label{tab:simple}
\end{table}

\usepackage{booktabs}  % In preamble

\begin{table}[htbp]
    \centering
    \begin{tabular}{lcc}
        \toprule
        Method & Accuracy & Time (s) \\
        \midrule
        Baseline & 78.3\% & 1.2 \\
        Proposed & 94.7\% & 0.8 \\
        \bottomrule
    \end{tabular}
    \caption{Comparison of methods}
    \label{tab:comparison}
\end{table}

% Create labels
\section{Introduction}
\label{sec:intro}

\begin{equation}
    E = mc^2
    \label{eq:einstein}
\end{equation}

\begin{figure}[htbp]
    \centering
    \includegraphics[width=0.5\textwidth]{diagram}
    \caption{System architecture}
    \label{fig:architecture}
\end{figure}

% Reference them
As discussed in Section~\ref{sec:intro}...
Equation~\ref{eq:einstein} shows that...
Figure~\ref{fig:architecture} illustrates...

\documentclass[12pt, a4paper]{article}

% Essential packages
\usepackage[utf8]{inputenc}
\usepackage[T1]{fontenc}
\usepackage[margin=1in]{geometry}
\usepackage{amsmath, amssymb}
\usepackage{graphicx}
\usepackage{booktabs}
\usepackage{hyperref}
\usepackage[style=authoryear]{biblatex}
\addbibresource{references.bib}

% Document info
\title{Your Document Title}
\author{Your Name\\
    \small Your Institution\\
    \small \texttt{[email protected]}}
\date{\today}

\begin{document}

\maketitle

\begin{abstract}
Your abstract goes here. Summarize your work in 150-250 words.
\end{abstract}

\tableofcontents
\newpage

\section{Introduction}
\label{sec:intro}

Introduce your topic here. You can cite sources like this \cite{example2024}.

\section{Background}
\label{sec:background}

Provide relevant background information.

\subsection{Related Work}
Discuss previous research in this area.

\section{Methods}
\label{sec:methods}

Describe your methodology. Include equations if relevant:

\begin{equation}
    y = mx + b
    \label{eq:linear}
\end{equation}

\section{Results}
\label{sec:results}

Present your findings. Add figures:

\begin{figure}[htbp]
    \centering
    % \includegraphics[width=0.8\textwidth]{your-figure}
    \caption{Description of your figure}
    \label{fig:results}
\end{figure}

And tables:

\begin{table}[htbp]
    \centering
    \begin{tabular}{lcc}
        \toprule
        Category & Value 1 & Value 2 \\
        \midrule
        A & 10 & 20 \\
        B & 15 & 25 \\
        \bottomrule
    \end{tabular}
    \caption{Your table caption}
    \label{tab:data}
\end{table}

\section{Discussion}
\label{sec:discussion}

Interpret your results. Refer back to Figure~\ref{fig:results} and Table~\ref{tab:data}.

\section{Conclusion}
\label{sec:conclusion}

Summarize your findings and suggest future work.

\printbibliography

\end{document}

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\textbf{bold text
\section{Title

% Correct
\textbf{bold text}
\section{Title}

% Wrong - special characters outside math mode
x^2 + y^2 = z^2

% Correct
$x^2 + y^2 = z^2$

% To print these literally, escape them:
\%  % Percent sign
\$  % Dollar sign
\&  % Ampersand
\#  % Hash
\_  % Underscore
\{  % Left brace
\}  % Right brace

% Don't include file extension (LaTeX finds it automatically)
% Wrong
\includegraphics{image.png}

% Correct
\includegraphics{image}