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LaTeX and Overleaf

A guide to LaTeX, a document preparation system.

What is LaTeX?

LaTeX is a document preparation system. It is based on the typesetting system TeX. LaTeX is a popular tool for mathematical documents as it provide exceptional support for mathematical notation.  This guide is meant as an introduction to the tool and to provide useful information and links to LaTeX resources.

Overleaf Pro at the University of Chicago

Overleaf is a collaborative cloud based LaTeX tool. It is an all-in-one tool which makes writing, editing and publishing scientific papers easier than with some other editors available.

More Overleaf resources are listed in the Overleaf Resources tab on the left. Below is a short introductory video to using Overleaf.

All University of Chicago students, faculty, and staff have access to a free Overleaf Pro account. You can sign in on the University of Chicago home page for Overleaf to access your account:

LaTeX Resources & Tutorials

Other LaTeX Editors

LaTeX Distribution Systems

If you are using TeXStudio, TeXMaker, or TeXworks you also need to download a distribution system. Below are the most commonly used systems and what operating systems work with each.