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Latex system and typsetting


A key part of research is research tools. These are often categorized into reference management software, typesetting software, analytical systems, programming tools, etc. In all project types, reference management and typesetting software are common tools in writing up the research and a key to productivity. They also often go hand in hand. For example if you are using EndNote, which is a commercial reference management software, it is much more productive to use MS Word. EndNote integrates well in MS Word making referencing, formatting references and managing changes easy.

In scientific research, Latex system is often used for typesetting. It provides rich tools to deal with mathematical annotations, algorithms pseudo-code and graphs. To setup a Latex system, you need to have the system itself which acts as a compiler or interpreter. Latex files are text files, ordinary text files, with the text tagged in similar way to HTML pages. The Latex system interprets these tags into a typesetting format. You can use any text editor but there are several dedicated Latex editors that make using Latex as easy as it could be. Latex also provides support for BibTex which is the reference management system. Again, there are several interfaces for BibTex that enable working with references within a graphical interface. So for a research typesetting system using Latex you will need:
<ol>
<li>Latex system, e.g. MikTex on Windows</li>
<li>Latex editor, e.g. LED or TexMaker</li>
<li>BibTex editor, e.g. JabRef</li>
</ol>
These are all free software available for download that will make writing up research papers and theses a more manageable task and lead to higher productivity.

Here are some useful links to start on Latex:

<a href="http://www.ctan.org/tex-archive/info/lshort/english/">The Not So Short Introduction to LATEX2ε</a>

General page to the Latex project from which you get links to various resources: <a title="http://www.latex-project.org/" href="http://www.latex-project.org/">http://www.latex-project.org/ </a>

A resource page at Cambridge University: <a title="http://www.eng.cam.ac.uk/help/tpl/textprocessing/" href="http://www.eng.cam.ac.uk/help/tpl/textprocessing/">http://www.eng.cam.ac.uk/help/tpl/textprocessing/</a>

Latex on Mac: <a title="http://www.tug.org/mactex/2011/" href="http://www.tug.org/mactex/2011/">http://www.tug.org/mactex/2011/</a>

Latex on Windows: <a title="http://miktex.org/" href="http://miktex.org/">http://miktex.org/</a>

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