Introduction to LaTeX

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A professional typesetting system for scientific and technical documents. LaTeX handles equations, large documents, figures, tables, and references automatically. Created by Donald Knuth, used by academics and researchers worldwide. Focus on CONTENT, not formatting—LaTeX handles the rest.

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At-a-glance checklist

• [ ] Understand LaTeX is a markup language (like HTML) that compiles to PDF
• [ ] Access Overleaf with Southampton credentials (free university license)
• [ ] Learn document classes: article, report, book, letter
• [ ] Master packages (like imports in Java) for extended functionality
• [ ] Use environments (abstract, itemize, enumerate, figure, table, equation)
• [ ] Write equations easily: inline ($...$) or display (\begin{equation})
• [ ] Automatic numbering for sections, figures, tables, equations
• [ ] Label and reference items - numbers update automatically when reordering
• [ ] Create professional tables and include images with proper captions
• [ ] Essential for coursework reports and scientific writing

Key takeaways

The power: Focus on CONTENT, not formatting. LaTeX handles layout, numbering, references automatically.

Why it's better: Equations that would take 10 minutes in Word take 30 seconds in LaTeX. Large documents (150+ pages) that crash Word run smoothly.

Learning curve: Steeper initially than Word, but pays off massively for technical writing, reports, and academic papers.

Southampton: Use Overleaf with university SSO - no installation needed, auto-completion, real-time preview, easy collaboration.