Next, I have to figure out how to install the suthesis.sty file. TexShop works too, but it doesn’t have a nice layout and features like auto-code completion.
What I like about Texpad is the fact that I can see the pdf and text side by side as opposed to Latexian‘s top and bottom layout. After looking around and testing TexShop (free and comes with the Mactex distribution), Latexian (9.99), and Texpad (19.99), I decided to go with Texpad. I figured it would get easier as I adapt to it, so what the heck, I’m diving into the Latex sea. The flipside is that changing words into italic or bold will take some lines of code. The good thing with this Latex workflow is that it allows you to really focus on the writing. This is unlike word processors such as MS Word, which directly formats the text as you type. Latex is primarily a typesetting tool, so it takes text and formats it after the text has been written. Next, install the distribution and decide on a text editor to use. I am using a Mac right now, so I first find the Mac distribution of Latex to install here. Now, I have to figure out how to get my computing environment setup for it. However, making the decision to go with Latex is perhaps the easiest part. The fact that I can easily add cross-references with links in the thesis also helped tipped the scale towards using Latex. I decided this would be a good time to really learn it and make use of the Latex template that looks reasonably updated (to 2010). I have dabbled on and off with Latex, but never enough to do my homework in it or write journal articles in it. On the other hand, there is already a latex template file ( suthesis.sty) modified over the years primary by Emma Pease. Word tends to slow down considerably for long documents and I cannot find a good Word template for the Stanford thesis that I can use. I am very familiar with Word, but writing a 100+ pages long document is a different beast altogether. Afterall, I am going to spend at least two to three months on the thesis it is better I take my time to decide what writing tools I want to use. After looking at the two contenders for writing my thesis: Latex and Word, I decided to go with Latex.
There is a checklist in the guidelines that I think it wise to print and put it somewhere you can see it everyday. 2012-2013 version here and read through it. Next, download the latest version of the thesis guidelines. The most important thing to take note is the deadline for submission of the thesis. This page will chronicle how I started to write my thesis, and includes tips for the brave souls coming after me.įirst, I went to the Stanford student affairs website and read it carefully.