LaTeX for Dissertations

LaTeX Basics¶

Introduction¶

LaTeX is a typesetting system that allows you to focus on your content instead of formatting - formatting is done separately from entry.

You tell LaTeX “what it is” not “how it looks.”

LaTeX using Overleaf¶

Create documents via a cloud based account
Source code or rich text format
Collaborating and sharing documents
Versioning and track changes
Templates for a variety of documents and publishers
Sync with other tools in your research workflow
Pro account with your berkeley.edu address

Example template¶

Look at the template below to get a sense of how Overleaf works. On the left side, the content is written in LaTeX. On the right side, the rendered document.

Structure of a document¶

Term	Description	Example
Command	Control sequence which performs an action	`\newpage`
Preamble	Block of commands that define the type of document you are writing, the language you are writing in, the packages you would like to use. Comes before `\begin{document}`	`\documentclass{article}`
Package	Enable you to create bibliographies, insert images and figures, and write formulas.	`\usepackage{amsmath}`
Environment	Block of code with specific behavior depending on its type	`\begin{}` & `\end{}`
Body	Content of document enclosed inside an environment	`\begin{document}`

Document Metadata¶

Generic Document Metadata + Titles¶

The simplest option for making a title is to use the \maketitle command which draws from the following metadata declarations within the preamble:
\author
\date
\thanks
\title

Thesis and Dissertation Document Metadata¶

The UC Berkeley Accessible Thesis Template also includes a section for metadata under the \hypersetup block in the preamble listed as:
pdftitle = {Thesis Title},
pdfauthor = {Bear, Oski},
pdflang=en-US

Basic Commands¶

Bold: \textbf{example}
Italics : \textit{example}

Lists¶

Use the \begin{itemize}...\end{itemize} environment to create unnumbered lists.

List syntax

\begin{itemize}
\item Apples
\item Cherries
\item Oranges
\item Peaches
\item Watermelon
\end{itemize}

Formatted List

Apples
Cherries
Oranges
Peaches
Watermelon

Use the \begin{enumerate}...\end{enumerate} environment to create numbered lists.

Accessible PDFs¶

Take steps to create an accessible PDF when you initiate any new project.

Enable basic tagging essential for an accessible PDF in the document’s metadata with the syntax below. Tagging assists screen readers, differentiating elements like headers, body text, figures, and equations.

PDF tagging syntax for general documents

\DocumentMetadata{tagging=on,
    tagging-setup={math/setup=mathml-SE},
    pdfstandard=ua-2,
    lang=en-US
}

PDF tagging syntax for Dissertation Template

\DocumentMetadata{
  lang         = en-US,
  pdfstandard  = ua-2,
  pdfstandard  = a-4,
  tagging-setup = {
    modules = {phase-III, title, table, firstaid, names, toc, sec},
    table/tagging       = presentation,
    table/header-rows   = {1},
  }
}

Descriptions or alternative text are required for particular content elements:

Images: provide alternative or alt-text for images and figures.
Tables: add \tagpdfsetup to describe table structure before the \tabular environment.

Artifacts for decorative content: Mark purely decorative or duplicative graphics so assistive technology skips them.
Following the export and download of your PDF, verify the tag structure in Adobe Acrobat.

Structuring your dissertation chapters¶

You may choose to compose your thesis or dissertation in one file (main.tex), but it can be advantageous to split your chapters into separate files to better organize your project, particularly if your chapters will act as standalone articles. Find instructions below for creating individual chapter files in the template.

Instructions for creating chapters

Copy the template: Click “Open as a Template” to create your own copy of the UC Berkeley Accessible Thesis Template
Create a Chapters Folder: In the left-hand file pane of your Overleaf project, click the New Folder icon and name this folder Chapters.
Create individual files for each chapter: Select your new Chapters folder, then click the New File icon to create a .tex file for each chapter.
Tip: Number chapters so they sort logically in the file tree (ex. 01_introduction.tex, 02_lit_review.tex, 03_methods.tex).
Write content: Add content to a new chapter file, but do not add document preambles. Begin with:

\chapter{Introduction}
\label{ch:introduction}

Link the Chapters in main.tex: Open main.tex in the file directory. Scroll down to the line right after \end{frontmatter}. Replace the template’s placeholder chapters (starting at \chapter{About This Template}) with \include{} commands pointing to your new files:

%% ===========================================================================
%% DISSERTATION CHAPTERS
%% ===========================================================================
\include{Chapters/01_introduction}
\include{Chapters/02_lit_review}
\include{Chapters/03_methods}

Tip for Faster Compiling: Compiling the whole PDF can take a long time as the dissertation lengthens. Using the \include{} command, you can compile just the chapter you are currently writing while keeping all your page numbers, table of contents, and references intact. To do this, add the \includeonly{} command to the preamble of main.tex (anywhere before \begin{document})

\includeonly{Chapters/01_introduction} % Only this file will compile
\begin{document}

Exercise 1¶

Exercise 1: Basic LaTeX Commands

Objective: Practice several basic LaTeX commands in a new project.

Open a new project in Overleaf.
Add syntax required to create an accessible PDF on line 1 of the main.tex file
Create Title

After \title, add “VOLT LaTeX Basics Assignment”
After \author, add your name
Confirm that the date is correct or edit if needed
Display Title using command \maketitle inserted after \begin{document}

Add a new section labeled “Practice” using the \section* command.
Add a new section labeled “California Road Trip Destinations”
Make a numbered list of four items, for example:
Yosemite
Big Sur
Lake Tahoe
Death Valley

Questions?

Compare your LaTeX code to the solutions document at https://www.overleaf.com/read/hfbmjwstnbwh#f2e2e9 to troubleshoot.

Mathematics and Equations¶

To render simple equations, you also need to know syntax and commands for operators, relations, subscripts, superscripts, and fractions.

Operators & Relations¶

+, -, =, >, < work as expected. Here are some other commands:

Command	Display	Command	Display
`\times`	$\times$	`\leq`	$\leq$
`\div`	$\div$	`\pm`	±
`\geq`	$\geq$	`\approx`	$\approx$
`\neq`	$\neq$	`\cdot`	$\cdot$

Math Modes¶

Inline Mode: Enclose math in $...$ to display equation or formula inline with text:

$x + y = z$ renders inline: $x + y = z$

Display mode: \[ x + y = z \] or $$ x + y = z $$ will center the equation on its own line:
$x + y = z$
(1)

Math Syntax¶

Subscripts/Superscripts¶

Subscript: use the underscore ( _ )
Superscript: use the carret (^)
If the subscript or superscript includes more than one character, enclose it in curly brackets--otherwise the command applies only to the first character.
Example: $x^n+1$ gives $x^n+1$ but $x^{n+1}$ gives $x^{n+1}$

Fractions¶

To display a fraction, use the command \frac followed by the numerator and denominator in curly brackets.

Example: \frac{1}{x} gives $\frac{1}{x}$

More Advanced: Math Packages¶

amsmath & amssymb Packages¶

The amsmath and amssymb packages provide you with additional symbols and commands for structuring equations.

To include them, add these commands to the preamble of your LaTeX document: \usepackage{amsmath}
\usepackage{amssymb}

amsmath: Equations Environment¶

Use the \begin{equation}...\end{equation} command to include a numbered equation in display mode. Use \begin{equation*} for unnumbered equations.

\begin{equation*}
\frac{\partial Q}{\partial t} = \frac{\partial s}{\partial t}
\end{equation}

results in

\frac{\partial Q}{\partial t} = \frac{\partial s}{\partial t}

Exercise 2¶

Exercise 2: Mathematical Equations

Objective: Experiment with mathematical notations in LaTeX.

Add the following paragraph under that section using “inline” math commands:

“We know the initial pressure $P_0 = 7.00 \times 10^5 Pa$ , the initial temperature $T_0 = 18.0 ^{\circ}C$ , and the final temperature $T_f = 35.0 ^{\circ}C$ .”

Recreate this text in your document:
A quadratic equation is an equation of the form $ax^2 + bx + c = 0$ and such equations can be solved using the quadratic formula:

x = \frac{-b \pm \sqrt{b^2 - 4ac}}{2a}

Additional challenges

Recreate this equation in your document:

i\hbar\frac{\partial}{\partial t}\psi = \hat{H}\psi

Recreate this equation in your document:

\frac{d\sigma}{d\lambda}= \left|\frac{2\mu}{\hbar^2}\int_{0}^{\infty}\frac{sin(\Delta kr)}{\Delta kr}V(r)r^2dr\right|^2

Tables¶

Tables use the table environment for positioning and captions. The table environment is wrapped around the tabular environment to layout the actual data/cell grid. We will also introduce the package booktabs in the preamble to enable more formatting options.

Basic Commands	Description
`l, r, c`	column alignment
`&`	ampersand separates columns
`\\`	double backslash begins new row
`\hline` or `\toprule` `\bottomrule`	horizontal line
`\|`	vertical line

Example: Two column table¶

Table syntax

\usepackage{booktabs}
....
\begin{table}
\caption{Inventory}
\tagpdfsetup{table/header-rows={1}} 
\begin{tabular}{lc}
Item & Quantity 
\midrule
Widget & 1 \\
Gadget & 2 \\
Cable & 3 \\
\end{tabular}
\end{table}

Table example

Table 1:Inventory

Item	Quantity
Widget	1
Gadget	2
Cable	3

Exercise 3¶

Exercise 3: Create a table

Objective: Create a two column table.

Using the 2026 Golden State Valkyries roster create a two-column table listing the top 5 regular season scorers.
Designation the headers: player and total points.
Include a caption for the table

Player	Total Points
Williams	560
Burton	536
Salaun	509

Figures and Images¶

Uploading a figure or images¶

Incorporating images and figures into your project is best accomplished by creating your figures, particularly graphs and plots, outside of Overleaf and then importing them into Overleaf.

Add \usepackage{graphicx} in the preamble of your document.
Upload images using the “upload” icon and navigate to the location of your figure.

Within the text, place the image using the command \includegraphics{filename.jpg}
Or use the the figure environment for proper positioning, alt text, and captioning.

Example syntax¶

\begin{figure}[ ]
\centering
\includegraphics[width=0.5\linewidth,
  alt={photo of cat from above with left paw near keyboard}]{keyboard_cat.png}
\caption{Cat sitting at keyboard}
\label{fig:keyboard_cat}
\end{figure}

Figure Placement

Designate figure position with specifiers Pass position arguments to control floating behavior: [h] (here), [t] (top), [b] (bottom), or [p] (separate page).

\begin{figure}[b]
\centering
\includegraphics[width=0.5\linewidth,
  alt={photo of cat from above with left paw near keyboard.}]{keyboard_cat.png}
\caption{Cat sitting at keyboard.}
\label{fig:keyboard_cat}
\end{figure}

Exercise 4¶

Creating Bibliographies in LaTeX¶

Objective: Learn the basic commands to create and edit in-text citations and bibliographies

Step 1: Getting started with a `.bib` file¶

In order to include in-text citations and a bibliography, the document needs to reference a .bib file. There are three ways to include a .bib file in a project in Overleaf.

Upload your own .bib file that you create or export from a citation manager.
Link to a URL (.bib).
Sync your Overleaf account with Zotero.

We will follow the first option.

Step 2: Populate the .bib file, following the example code below¶

@article{drachen2016sharing,
  title = {Sharing data increases citations},
  author={Drachen, Thean and Ellegaard, Ole and Larsen,
  Asger and Dorch, S{\o}ren},
  journal={Liber Quarterly},
  volume={26},
  number={2},
  year={2016},
  url={https://doi.org/10.18352/lq.10149},
}

@misc{fsci2021,
  author={Teplitzky, Samantha, and Tranfield, Wynn},
  title={Introduction to Open and Reproducible Practices in 
  {Earth Sciences}},
  maintitle={Case Studies in the {Earth Sciences: Current} 
  Approaches to publishing, data and computation},
  eventtitle={{Force 11 Scholary Communication Institute (FSCI)}},
  venue={Virtual},
  eventdate={2021-07-27/2021-08-03},
}

Step 3: Configure the preamble & body¶

Bibliography Packages¶

We will use the biblatex package to generate in-text citations and bibliographies. Biblatex is a flexible package for generating citations.

Commands required for the preamble	Explanation
`\usepackage[backend=biber,style=apa]{biblatex}`	calls in the biblatex package
--> `backend=biber`	defines Biber as the interface between the .bib data file and the LaTeX document
--> `style=apa`	sets your citation rules to APA style (this can be swapped for `ieee`, `mla`, `nature`, etc.)
`\addbibresource{example.bib}`	calls in the .bib file, which has the citation information for in-text citations and the bibliography

Commands required for the body	Explanation
`\printbibliography`	inserts the bibliography, which will contain citations referenced in the text
`\nocite{*}`	prints all publications in bibliography without a citation

Find more information visit the Overleaf page on bibliography management.

In-text citations¶

Key: The citation key is the internal label inside the \cite{} command used to call in a citation or reference a source.

Example: To cite Drachen 2016 within your text, type \cite{drachen2016sharing}

Command	Description	Example
`\cite{}`	bare citation command (according to style)	Knyazeva and Pohl 2013
`\parencite{}`	parenthetical citation	(Singh et al. 2013)
`\citeauthor{}`	prints author name(s)	Campbell and Cabrera
`\textcite{}`	prints authors followed by a citation label enclosed in ()	Elsabbagh, Hamouda, and Taha (2014)

Exercise 5¶

Exercise 5: Adding a Bibliography

Objective: Learn to create, edit or upload a .bib file, use basic citation commands, and display a bibliography.

Step 1: Create a .bib file and add references

Create a new file within your Overleaf project (click on the New file paper icon in the upper left) and name it references.bib

Search for these three articles and books in Google Scholar and locate their BibTeX formatted citations by clicking on the quotations marks and then selecting BibTeX.
- 10.1126/science.1214319
- Hydraulic power system analysis
- 10.1103/PhysRevB.100.094418

Paste each citation completely within your .bib file. (No preamble code is needed).

Step 2: Displaying the bibliography

To display bibliography in author-year style convention, add package and style command to preamble:

\usepackage[backend=biber,style=authoryear]{biblatex}
\addbibresource{references.bib}

And use these commands within document:

\printbibliography
\nocite{*}

Step 3: Practicing citation commands

Use citation commands to recreate the sentence below:

“In the example provided, Weber et al. 2012 describes the experiment, but Akers, Gassman, and Smith contradict these conclusions.”

Commands needed: \cite{}, \citeauthor{}

For additional examples and more information, please visit Overleaf’s page on bibliography management in LaTeX

Compare your LaTeX code to the solutions at: https://www.overleaf.com/read/hfbmjwstnbwh#f2e2e9 to troubleshoot.

Link to this workshop: https://ucblib.link/volt-latex-dissertation

LaTeX for Dissertations

LaTeX Basics¶

Introduction¶

LaTeX using Overleaf¶

Example template¶

Structure of a document¶

Document Metadata¶

Generic Document Metadata + Titles¶

Thesis and Dissertation Document Metadata¶

Basic Commands¶

Lists¶

Accessible PDFs¶

Structuring your dissertation chapters¶

Exercise 1¶

Mathematics and Equations¶

Operators & Relations¶

Math Modes¶

Math Syntax¶

Subscripts/Superscripts¶

Fractions¶

More Advanced: Math Packages¶

amsmath & amssymb Packages¶

amsmath: Equations Environment¶

Exercise 2¶

Tables¶

Example: Two column table¶

Exercise 3¶

Figures and Images¶

Uploading a figure or images¶

Example syntax¶

Exercise 4¶

Creating Bibliographies in LaTeX¶

Step 1: Getting started with a .bib file¶

Step 2: Populate the .bib file, following the example code below¶

Step 3: Configure the preamble & body¶

Bibliography Packages¶

In-text citations¶

Exercise 5¶

Step 1: Getting started with a `.bib` file¶