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Writing a Thesis in LaTeX

Note

This template uses expl features in LaTeX3 and requires at least a 2024 distribution of LaTeX. Tested working on Overleaf and TeXLive 2024 as of 06-November-2024.

Here you will find a template for writing a thesis in LaTeX. This template is designed to be a starting point for writing. It should not require changes to the document class, and should be able to be used as is.

\(\LaTeX3\) Thesis Template

Usage

To use this template locally, download the zip file and extract it to a location on your computer. You can then open the thesis-main.tex file in your LaTeX editor and start writing your thesis from there.

To use this template in Overleaf, download the zip file and start a new project in Overleaf by uploading the zip file. This should make a new project setup with the template files.

Structure

The structure of the template is as follows:

├─ guidethesis.cls                      # Class file for the thesis. This defines how the document should be formatted.
├─ thesis-main.tex                      # Main document. This is the main file where the document is organised.
├─ chp1/                                # Subfolder for chapter 1. For simplicity each chapter is in its own folder.
│   └─ doc1.tex                         # Subfile for chapter 1
├─ chp2/                                # Subfolder for chapter 2
│   └─ doc2.tex                         # Subfile for chapter 2
├─ preamble.tex                         # Preamble for the document. This is where packages are loaded and settings are set.
├─ refs.bib                             # Bibliography file
├─ abstract.tex                         # Abstract for the thesis
├─ acknowledgements.tex                 # Acknowledgements for the thesis
├─ dedication.tex                       # Dedication for the thesis
├─ appendix1.tex                        # First appendix for the thesis
└─ appendix2.tex                        # Second appendix for the thesis

The structure inside the main document is as follows:

├─ Engine Declaration
├─ Document Metadata Declaration
├─ Document Class Declaration
├─ Preamble
├─ Bibliography Resources
├─ Title Page Declarations
├─ Document Start/
│   ├─ Make Title Command
│   ├─ Dedication
│   ├─ Acknowledgements
│   ├─ Abstract
│   ├─ Table of Contents
│   ├─ List of Figures
│   ├─ List of Tables
│   ├─ Chapter 1/
│   │   └─ Chapter 1
│   ├─ Chapter 2/
│   │   └─ Chapter 2
│   ├─ Appendix 1
│   ├─ Appendix 2
│   └─ Bibliography

For more information on structuring the thesis please refer to Multi-file Projects.

Features

The template has a number of features that are designed to make writing a thesis easier. These include:

  • Allowance for multiple logos on the title page, predefined using the setcustomlogo command.
  • Supervisor declaration, which switches between plural and singular depending on the number of supervisors.
  • Predefined fix for subfix and bibliography autocompletion.
  • etc

Note

If you find any issues with the template, please raise an issue on the repository or contact the author.