For Starters – How to write a paper with Latex

Software Installation

• First install LaTeX compiler, MiKTeX;

  http://miktex.org/download

• Then install LaTeX editor, TeXstudio:

  http://texstudio.sourceforge.net/

• Finally install reference manager,JabRef:

  http://jabref.sourceforge.net/

To Start With…

• Start with a template (see below for more ACM/IEEE templates)

• Download IEEE templates fromhttp://www.ctan.org/tex-archive/macros/latex/contrib/IEEEtran/

• Start a conference or journal paper withbare_conf.texorbare_jrnl.texprovided.

• Familiarize yourself with the following essential structures

• Title:\title, \author, \thanks…

• Section:\section, \subsection, \subsubsection…

• Lists:\begin{enumerate} \item … \item … \end{enumerate};or useitemizeinstead ofenumberate.

• Figures & Tables:\begin{figure[*]) …\end{figure[*]}, \begin{table[*]) …\end{table[*]}, etc. (Use * to spread the figure across two columns)

• Include EPS figures:\includegraphics{}, \epsfig{}, etc. (see below for how to create an EPS figure)

• Labels:use\labelto label ALL section headings, figures, and tables, and use\reffor ALL cross-references.

• Bibliography:BibTex is recommended. All bibliography entries could be compiled in a separate file such that it could be used for multiple papers.

Frequently Used Templates

• ACM Proceedings Templates

• http://www.acm.org/sigs/publications/proceedings-templates

• IEEE Transactions

• IEEETran Home page:http://www.michaelshell.org/tex/ieeetran/

• Official IEEETran Readme&HOWTO

• IEEE Computer Society Conferences

• http://www.ctan.org/tex-archive/macros/latex/contrib/IEEEconf/

Useful Tips

• How to convert Word (.doc) documents to Latex:

• wsW2LTXdeveloped by Ingo H. de Boer and distributed by CTAN.org.

• How to convert OLE (Visio, Excel, PowerPoint…) figures to EPS

• I recommend theOLETeX Utility.

• You can always use a PS printer (e.g., HP ColorJet 5 PS) to print any document into a .ps file, then open it using GSview to convert it to .eps (don't forget to calculate the bounding box!!).

• Hyphenation

• To avoid frequent broken words, use \hyphenpenalty, and\tolerance.For example:

• \hyphenpenalty=5000
  \tolerance=1000

• To avoid incorrect hyphenation for a particular word, use \hyphenation. For example:

• \hyphenation{op-tical net-works semi-conduc-tor}

Additional Reading Materials

• Latex Help from U. Florida:http://web.image.ufl.edu/help/latex/

• A web basedLaTeX help, based on George D. Greenwade's LaTeX help for VMS machines.

• LaTeXcookbook: tricks and methods, LaTeX construct and their results.

• Essentials of LaTeXby Jon Warbrik; a LaTeX file which can be downloaded, processed and printed out. Requires thehndout.stystyle file.

• A gentle introduction to TeXby Michael Doob; a plain tex file, process it by TeX.

• symbols.texis a LaTeX file which lists all (i.e. most of) available symbols in LaTeX with their names.

• An introduction to TeX and friendsby Gavin Maltby, a LaTeX file which was also used as a course handout.

• Making double spacing in your document

• www.dante.dea German web site with a use collection of TeX related material.

• www.tex.ac.ukis a TeX archive in English, with almost anything you might want in connection with TeX.