LaTeX Academic Writing Guide for Students & Researchers

% Standard article class - most versatile
\documentclass[12pt, a4paper]{article}

% For two-column journal format
\documentclass[twocolumn]{article}

% AMS article for mathematics
\documentclass{amsart}

% Report class - has chapters
\documentclass[12pt, a4paper]{report}

% Book class - for extensive dissertations
\documentclass[12pt, openright]{book}

% Check if your institution has a specific class
\documentclass{mythesis}  % Custom university class

\documentclass{letter}
\documentclass{scrlttr2}  % KOMA-Script letter

\documentclass[
    12pt,       % Font size (10pt, 11pt, 12pt)
    a4paper,    % Paper size (letterpaper, a4paper)
    twoside,    % Different margins for odd/even pages
    openright,  % Chapters start on right-hand pages
    draft       % Shows overfull boxes, doesn't load images
]{report}

\documentclass[12pt, a4paper]{report}

% === Encoding and Fonts ===
\usepackage[utf8]{inputenc}
\usepackage[T1]{fontenc}
\usepackage{lmodern}  % Modern font

% === Page Layout ===
\usepackage[
    margin=1in,
    bindingoffset=0.5cm  % Extra margin for binding
]{geometry}
\usepackage{setspace}
\doublespacing  % Or \onehalfspacing

% === Mathematics ===
\usepackage{amsmath, amssymb, amsthm}
\usepackage{mathtools}

% === Graphics and Figures ===
\usepackage{graphicx}
\usepackage{float}      % Better figure placement
\usepackage{subcaption} % Subfigures

% === Tables ===
\usepackage{booktabs}   % Professional tables
\usepackage{longtable}  % Multi-page tables
\usepackage{multirow}   % Multi-row cells

% === Bibliography ===
\usepackage[
    style=authoryear,  % Or: numeric, apa, ieee, chicago
    backend=biber,
    natbib=true
]{biblatex}
\addbibresource{references.bib}

% === Cross-references and Links ===
\usepackage{hyperref}
\hypersetup{
    colorlinks=true,
    linkcolor=blue,
    citecolor=blue,
    urlcolor=blue
}
\usepackage{cleveref}  % Smart references

% === Code Listings ===
\usepackage{listings}
\lstset{
    basicstyle=\ttfamily\small,
    breaklines=true,
    frame=single
}

% === Miscellaneous ===
\usepackage{appendix}
\usepackage{glossaries}  % For glossaries and acronyms

\documentclass[12pt, a4paper]{report}

% ... preamble packages ...

\begin{document}

% === Front Matter ===
\frontmatter  % Roman numerals, no chapter numbers
\include{frontmatter/titlepage}
\include{frontmatter/abstract}
\include{frontmatter/acknowledgments}
\include{frontmatter/dedication}

\tableofcontents
\listoffigures
\listoftables

% === Main Matter ===
\mainmatter  % Arabic numerals, chapter numbers
\include{chapters/introduction}
\include{chapters/literature-review}
\include{chapters/methodology}
\include{chapters/results}
\include{chapters/discussion}
\include{chapters/conclusion}

% === Back Matter ===
\backmatter
\printbibliography[heading=bibintoc]

\begin{appendices}
\include{appendices/appendix-a}
\include{appendices/appendix-b}
\end{appendices}

\end{document}

\documentclass[12pt]{article}

\begin{document}

\title{Your Paper Title: A Subtitle if Needed}
\author{
    First Author\thanks{Corresponding author: email@university.edu}\\
    \small Department, University\\
    \and
    Second Author\\
    \small Department, University
}
\date{\today}

\maketitle

\begin{abstract}
Your abstract goes here. 150-250 words summarizing the problem,
methods, key findings, and implications.

\textbf{Keywords:} keyword1, keyword2, keyword3
\end{abstract}

\section{Introduction}
\label{sec:intro}
% Background, problem statement, research questions, contributions

\section{Related Work}
\label{sec:related}
% Literature review and positioning

\section{Methodology}
\label{sec:methods}
% Your approach, data, methods

\section{Results}
\label{sec:results}
% Findings and analysis

\section{Discussion}
\label{sec:discussion}
% Interpretation, implications, limitations

\section{Conclusion}
\label{sec:conclusion}
% Summary and future work

\section*{Acknowledgments}
% Funding, support, contributions

\printbibliography

\end{document}

@article{smith2024,
    author  = {Smith, John and Johnson, Mary},
    title   = {A Study of Something Important},
    journal = {Journal of Important Studies},
    year    = {2024},
    volume  = {42},
    number  = {3},
    pages   = {123--145},
    doi     = {10.1234/example.2024.001}
}

@book{jones2023,
    author    = {Jones, Robert},
    title     = {The Comprehensive Guide},
    publisher = {Academic Press},
    year      = {2023},
    address   = {New York},
    edition   = {3rd}
}

@inproceedings{chen2024,
    author    = {Chen, Wei and Kumar, Anil},
    title     = {Conference Paper Title},
    booktitle = {Proceedings of the International Conference},
    year      = {2024},
    pages     = {100--110},
    publisher = {ACM}
}

@phdthesis{williams2023,
    author = {Williams, Sarah},
    title  = {Dissertation Title Here},
    school = {University Name},
    year   = {2023}
}

@misc{website2024,
    author       = {{Organization Name}},
    title        = {Web Page Title},
    howpublished = {\url{https://example.com/page}},
    year         = {2024},
    note         = {Accessed: 2024-01-15}
}

% With biblatex + natbib=true option:

% Parenthetical citation: (Smith, 2024)
\citep{smith2024}

% Textual citation: Smith (2024)
\citet{smith2024}

% Multiple citations: (Smith, 2024; Jones, 2023)
\citep{smith2024, jones2023}

% With page numbers: (Smith, 2024, p. 45)
\citep[p.~45]{smith2024}

% With prefix: (see Smith, 2024)
\citep[see][]{smith2024}

% Just the year: (2024)
\citeyear{smith2024}

% Just the author: Smith
\citeauthor{smith2024}

% APA style (Psychology, Education, Social Sciences)
\usepackage[style=apa, backend=biber]{biblatex}

% IEEE style (Engineering, Computer Science)
\usepackage[style=ieee, backend=biber]{biblatex}

% Chicago style (Humanities)
\usepackage[style=chicago-authordate, backend=biber]{biblatex}

% Numeric style (Sciences)
\usepackage[style=numeric-comp, backend=biber]{biblatex}

% Harvard style
\usepackage[style=authoryear, backend=biber]{biblatex}

\begin{figure}[htbp]
    \centering
    \includegraphics[width=0.8\textwidth]{figures/results-graph}
    \caption[Short caption for list]{
        Long caption with detailed description of what the figure shows.
        Data collected from \cite{smith2024}. Error bars represent 95\%
        confidence intervals.
    }
    \label{fig:results}
\end{figure}

% Reference it
As shown in Figure~\ref{fig:results}, the results demonstrate...

\usepackage{subcaption}

\begin{figure}[htbp]
    \centering
    \begin{subfigure}[b]{0.45\textwidth}
        \includegraphics[width=\textwidth]{figures/method-a}
        \caption{Method A results}
        \label{fig:method-a}
    \end{subfigure}
    \hfill
    \begin{subfigure}[b]{0.45\textwidth}
        \includegraphics[width=\textwidth]{figures/method-b}
        \caption{Method B results}
        \label{fig:method-b}
    \end{subfigure}
    \caption{Comparison of both methods showing (a) Method A and (b) Method B}
    \label{fig:comparison}
\end{figure}

\usepackage{booktabs}

\begin{table}[htbp]
    \centering
    \caption{Experimental results comparing methods across metrics}
    \label{tab:results}
    \begin{tabular}{lccc}
        \toprule
        \textbf{Method} & \textbf{Accuracy} & \textbf{Precision} & \textbf{Recall} \\
        \midrule
        Baseline        & 78.3\%            & 0.76               & 0.81 \\
        Method A        & 85.7\%            & 0.84               & 0.87 \\
        Method B        & 89.2\%            & 0.88               & 0.90 \\
        \textbf{Ours}   & \textbf{94.1\%}   & \textbf{0.93}      & \textbf{0.95} \\
        \bottomrule
    \end{tabular}

    \vspace{0.5em}
    \footnotesize
    \textit{Note:} Results averaged over 10 runs. Bold indicates best performance.
\end{table}

\usepackage{longtable}

\begin{longtable}{lp{8cm}c}
    \caption{Summary of Literature Review} \label{tab:literature} \\

    \toprule
    \textbf{Author} & \textbf{Contribution} & \textbf{Year} \\
    \midrule
    \endfirsthead

    \multicolumn{3}{c}{\textit{Continued from previous page}} \\
    \toprule
    \textbf{Author} & \textbf{Contribution} & \textbf{Year} \\
    \midrule
    \endhead

    \midrule
    \multicolumn{3}{r}{\textit{Continued on next page}} \\
    \endfoot

    \bottomrule
    \endlastfoot

    Smith & Description of their work & 2020 \\
    Jones & Another contribution & 2021 \\
    % ... more rows ...
\end{longtable}

\usepackage{amsthm}

% Define theorem environments
\newtheorem{theorem}{Theorem}[section]
\newtheorem{lemma}[theorem]{Lemma}
\newtheorem{corollary}[theorem]{Corollary}
\newtheorem{proposition}[theorem]{Proposition}

\theoremstyle{definition}
\newtheorem{definition}[theorem]{Definition}
\newtheorem{example}[theorem]{Example}

\theoremstyle{remark}
\newtheorem*{remark}{Remark}

% Usage
\begin{theorem}[Optional Name]
\label{thm:main}
For all $x \in \mathbb{R}$, we have $x^2 \geq 0$.
\end{theorem}

\begin{proof}
By definition of real numbers... [your proof here].
\end{proof}

\begin{corollary}
\label{cor:consequence}
As a consequence of Theorem~\ref{thm:main}, ...
\end{corollary}

\begin{align}
    f(x) &= ax^2 + bx + c \label{eq:quadratic} \\
    x &= \frac{-b \pm \sqrt{b^2 - 4ac}}{2a} \label{eq:solution}
\end{align}

Equation~\eqref{eq:quadratic} gives the general form,
and Equation~\eqref{eq:solution} provides the solutions.

% Matrix types
\begin{equation}
    A = \begin{pmatrix}  % parentheses
        a_{11} & a_{12} \\
        a_{21} & a_{22}
    \end{pmatrix}
    \quad
    B = \begin{bmatrix}  % brackets
        1 & 2 \\
        3 & 4
    \end{bmatrix}
    \quad
    C = \begin{vmatrix}  % determinant
        x & y \\
        z & w
    \end{vmatrix}
\end{equation}

\usepackage{cleveref}

% In your document
\begin{figure}
    ...
    \label{fig:results}
\end{figure}

\begin{table}
    ...
    \label{tab:data}
\end{table}

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

% Smart references - cleveref adds "Figure", "Table", etc.
\cref{fig:results}      % "Figure 1"
\cref{tab:data}         % "Table 1"
\cref{eq:einstein}      % "Equation 1"
\cref{sec:intro}        % "Section 1"

% Multiple references
\cref{fig:results,tab:data}  % "Figure 1 and Table 1"

% Range of references
\crefrange{eq:first}{eq:last}  % "Equations 1 to 5"

% Use prefixes for organization:
\label{sec:introduction}     % Sections
\label{subsec:background}    % Subsections
\label{ch:methodology}       % Chapters
\label{fig:architecture}     % Figures
\label{tab:results}          % Tables
\label{eq:model}             % Equations
\label{thm:convergence}      % Theorems
\label{alg:algorithm1}       % Algorithms
\label{lst:code}             % Listings
\label{app:proofs}           % Appendix

\begin{titlepage}
    \centering

    \vspace*{1cm}
    {\LARGE\textbf{University Name}}\\[0.5cm]
    {\large Department of Subject}

    \vspace{2cm}
    {\huge\bfseries Your Thesis Title:\\[0.3cm]
    A Subtitle If Needed}

    \vspace{2cm}
    {\Large A thesis submitted in partial fulfillment\\
    of the requirements for the degree of\\[0.5cm]
    \textbf{Doctor of Philosophy}}

    \vspace{2cm}
    {\large by\\[0.3cm]
    \textbf{Your Full Name}}

    \vfill

    {\large Supervisor: Prof. Supervisor Name}\\[1cm]
    {\large Month Year}

\end{titlepage}

\chapter*{Abstract}
\addcontentsline{toc}{chapter}{Abstract}

\begin{center}
    \textbf{Title of Your Thesis}\\[0.5cm]
    Your Name\\
    University Name, Year
\end{center}

\vspace{1cm}

Your abstract text goes here. This should be a concise summary
of your research including:
\begin{itemize}
    \item The problem or research question
    \item Your methodology
    \item Key findings
    \item Main conclusions and contributions
\end{itemize}

\vspace{1cm}
\noindent\textbf{Keywords:} keyword1, keyword2, keyword3, keyword4, keyword5

# Initialize git in your LaTeX project
git init
git add .
git commit -m "Initial thesis draft"

# Create branch for revisions
git checkout -b chapter-2-revision

# After making changes
git add chapters/chapter2.tex
git commit -m "Address reviewer comments on methodology section"

# Merge back
git checkout main
git merge chapter-2-revision

# Generate a diff between versions
latexdiff old-version.tex new-version.tex > diff.tex
pdflatex diff.tex

% For personal notes (won't appear in output)
% TODO: Add more references here

% For visible notes during drafting
\usepackage{todonotes}
\todo{Expand this section}
\todo[inline]{Need to verify these numbers}
\missingfigure{Add results graph here}

% For collaborative comments
\usepackage{changes}
\added[id=JD]{This text was added by John}
\deleted[id=MS]{This text was deleted by Mary}
\replaced[id=JD]{new text}{old text}

% IEEE
\documentclass[journal]{IEEEtran}

% ACM
\documentclass[sigconf]{acmart}

% Elsevier
\documentclass[preprint,12pt]{elsarticle}

% Springer
\documentclass{svjour3}

% Nature
\documentclass{nature}

% Switch to final mode
\documentclass[final]{article}  % Remove 'draft' option

% For double-blind review
\author{Anonymous}
\affiliation{Anonymous Institution}

% Line numbers for review
\usepackage{lineno}
\linenumbers

% Word count
% Run: texcount yourfile.tex

% academic-paper-template.tex
\documentclass[12pt, a4paper]{article}

% === Packages ===
\usepackage[utf8]{inputenc}
\usepackage[T1]{fontenc}
\usepackage{lmodern}
\usepackage[margin=1in]{geometry}
\usepackage{setspace}
\usepackage{amsmath, amssymb, amsthm}
\usepackage{graphicx}
\usepackage{booktabs}
\usepackage{subcaption}
\usepackage[style=authoryear, backend=biber, natbib=true]{biblatex}
\usepackage{hyperref}
\usepackage{cleveref}

% === Configuration ===
\addbibresource{references.bib}
\onehalfspacing

\hypersetup{
    colorlinks=true,
    linkcolor=blue,
    citecolor=blue,
    urlcolor=blue,
    pdftitle={Your Paper Title},
    pdfauthor={Your Name}
}

% === Theorem Environments ===
\newtheorem{theorem}{Theorem}[section]
\newtheorem{lemma}[theorem]{Lemma}
\theoremstyle{definition}
\newtheorem{definition}[theorem]{Definition}

% === Document ===
\begin{document}

\title{Your Paper Title: With an Informative Subtitle}
\author{
    First Author\thanks{Corresponding author: first@university.edu}\\
    \small Department, University, Country
    \and
    Second Author\\
    \small Department, University, Country
}
\date{\today}

\maketitle

\begin{abstract}
Your abstract here (150-250 words). Summarize the problem, methods,
key findings, and implications.

\noindent\textbf{Keywords:} keyword1, keyword2, keyword3
\end{abstract}

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

Introduction text with citation \citep{smith2024}.

\section{Related Work}
\label{sec:related}

Literature review content.

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

Methods description with equation:
\begin{equation}
    y = f(x) + \epsilon
    \label{eq:model}
\end{equation}

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

Results with figure reference (\cref{fig:results}).

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

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

Discussion of findings.

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

Conclusions and future work.

\section*{Acknowledgments}
Funding acknowledgments here.

\printbibliography

\end{document}