This lesson covers creating scientific papers in LaTeX and Reference Lists in BibTeX, using the online Overleaf platform. Specific skills demonstrated include linking to graphics created in R; citing references in bibliographic management tools such as Mendeley; and synchronizing an online writing project with GitHub

Hammersley, John

Caltech Authors - Main

Collaborative Writing and Publishing with LaTeX
(or ‘How to lay out your manuscripts, theses and reports like a pro’)
www.overleaf.com | @DrHammersley
Workshop Overview
• An Introduction to Overleaf and LaTeX
• Getting started with LaTeX templates
• Getting more out of LaTeX & Overleaf - features 
including Mendeley, Git and Plot.ly integrations, and 
easy table creation and symbol lookup.
The internet is transforming research…
…but writing up is still painful
Some of the problems…
• Long email chains passing files around;
• Dealing with multiple versions of the same document;
• Hours spent formatting & typesetting;
Overleaf – an online collaborative writing platform

Online collaborative editing tools provide… 
• No need to email files – simply send the link;
• One version of the document, accessible by all 
collaborators;
• Typesetting is done automatically in the background 
whilst you type (via LaTeX);
https://www.overleaf.com/tutorial
• It makes beautiful documents
– It’s easy to spot a LaTeX document in a pile of Word docs
• It was created by scientists, for scientists
– A large and active community
• It is powerful | you can extend it
– Packages for papers, presentations, spreadsheets, . . .
Why LaTeX?
How does it work?

But it can start to get complicated….
https://www.overleaf.com/latex/learn/free-online-introduction-to-latex-part-1
• Cloud-based tools provides LaTeX in your browser
• There’s nothing to download or install
• Access your projects from anywhere, any device
Making it easier…
Choose from over 2000 different templates
www.overleaf.com/latex/templates
Edit on the left, preview on the right
Edit the underlying LaTeX code directly
In-line comments & track changes for review
Commenting and feedback
Connect your existing bibliography database
Work offline and sync changes with Git
Publish your work directly to journals & repositories…
• One version of the document, accessible by all
• No need to email files – simply share the link
• Typesetting done automatically in the background while you type
• Automatic reference styles & citation links
• Review tools allow others real-time
commenting directly on the document
• No software installation required
Summary
If you’re new to LaTeX, try Part 1 of our online course: 
https://www.overleaf.com/latex/learn/free-online-
introduction-to-latex-part-1
If you’re familiar with LaTeX, try writing up part of a 
paper or project you’re working on using a template 
from www.overleaf.com/latex/templates
Getting more out of Overleaf 
Reference management
Reference management
• Tools such as ReadCube, Zotero and Mendeley make 
it easy to keep a central database of references.
1. Click the ‘Add Bibliography’ option in the Project menu
2. Choose where to import your bibliography from
3. The first time you do this you’ll need to connect your accounts
4. Authorize the connection if required
5. Choose a name for the .bib file in your project
6. The .bib file can be used as normal. Click refresh to sync.
7. To cite a reference, use the \cite{} command
Offline sync with Git
1. Create (or open) a project on Overleaf
2. Find the Git link for your project
In this case, the project link is https://www.overleaf.com/2029559gkypzx, so its 
git link is https://git.overleaf.com/2029559gkypzx.
3. Clone your project with Git
4. Edit your project and commit your changes
5. Push your changes to Overleaf
6. See the results online
Option: Use graphical Git clients
Adding, replying-to, and closing comments
Adding comments and feedback
• It’s often necessary 
to get feedback 
from colleagues 
• Many online tools 
now offer 
integrated 
commenting
• Simply click the "Add comment" button on the editor 
toolbar, and type your comment in the box that 
appears.
• It'll then be inserted into the document:
Adding comments and feedback
• You can reply to comments left by your collaborators 
by clicking on the "reply" option at the foot of their 
comment:
Adding comments and feedback
• It appears as a nested comment, and you can close 
the comments when you're done. To re-open any 
closed comments, simply click the comment icon in 
the document.
Adding comments and feedback
Other: Tables, Plots and Symbols
Table generator - http://www.tablesgenerator.com/
• An easy way to generate LaTeX tables:
Adding Plots from plot.ly
• Import your plots 
from plot.ly directly 
into Overleaf
• Choose the ‘Add 
plot from plot.ly’
in the Project menu
• Enter your plot.ly
username, and
search your plots.
Find symbols:
• Just draw
the symbol
you’d like
to use in your
document
• Detexify finds
it for you
• Free Introduction to LaTeX View
• Reference Management: Linking your Mendeley Account View
• Working Offline with GIT View
• How to create plots and figures with Plot.ly and import them into 
your Overleaf projects View
• How to publish your projects on Figshare to get an instant DOI View
• How to import your references from Zotero and CiteULike View
• How to setup an auto-backup using Overleaf → Dropbox → 
BitBucket (external) View
Links to Additional Resources
Thank you!
www.overleaf.com | john@overleaf.com


Collaborative Writing and Publishing with LaTeX: An AuthorCarpentry Lesson

https://authors.library.caltech.edu/70575/1/20160808%20Overleaf%20Hammersley.pdf

Collaborative Writing and Publishing with LaTeX: An AuthorCarpentry Lesson

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Caltech Authors - Main