You can insert any LaTeX markup in org mode as well as just using their syntax..
Writing a Ph.D. thesis with Org Mode
11–20 of 30 posts
Re: Writing a Ph.D. thesis with Org Mode
#12Could be be done, but does not feel like the appropriate tool. Org mode translates to a basic latex only, that is a huge waste of TeX power. I did my thesis entirely in LaTeX, so I have some experience in the theme, and it was a rollercoaster. There is always some really special table, graph, arrangement, extra space needs, that you can do only programming with the real stuff. Doing the same with org mode would have…
You can insert any LaTeX markup in org mode as well as just using their syntax.
And you can inline display latex fragments. Not the prettiest display but it does the job!
Re: Writing a Ph.D. thesis with Org Mode
#13Could be be done, but does not feel like the appropriate tool. Org mode translates to a basic latex only, that is a huge waste of TeX power. I did my thesis entirely in LaTeX, so I have some experience in the theme, and it was a rollercoaster. There is always some really special table, graph, arrangement, extra space needs, that you can do only programming with the real stuff. Doing the same with org mode would have…
When I was doing my thesis I was a big fan of Mathematica's right click -> copy as LaTeX feature. It saved a lot of time entering formulas and copying tables from the notebooks I was using for analysis.
+1 for this, it really helped me.
Also, Mathpix is neat - especially if you're citing results and need to include some equations from those papers.
Re: Writing a Ph.D. thesis with Org Mode
#14I have been writing my thesis as an org-mode file in git that is automatically published [0] as a pdf every time I commit using a bash script tangled as a commit hook. Figures are (or can be) computed from live data, and org-ref can automatically manage and format all my references as I go without the insanity inducing workflows that one usually has to resort to. Another amazing thing about org-mode is that I can write a code block to hit a remote api (e.g. google docs) and fill and format entire chapters from a collaborative editing source that my advisor is comfortable using, C-c C-c and it is embedded in the document. Perfect for stitching papers together from a variety of sources.
While there is a learning curve, the peace of mind of having a single tool that enables me to use any tool I need to use was such a relief after years of other painful writing and publishing workflows.
If you are starting a PhD today and are going to do anything at all with code, I seriously suggest you learn org-mode. By the time you finish, not only will you have a PhD, but even if you don't you will have the power of one of the most amazing authoring tools under your command! (I would say, "Learn org-mode, simplify your life!" but emacs tends to lead to other complications).
Re: Writing a Ph.D. thesis with Org Mode
#15Earlier quoted context omitted.
What's the benefit of Latex over LyX? With LyX you can insert latex if you need it, but otherwise you are in a very nice Wysiwym environment
Essentially, Emacs + makefiles :) Lyx is great for shorter things. I use it for presentations, where being able to see the images, colors, etc really helps. For longer stuff, with a lot of text, a nice editor has its advantages. And you can split of chapters in extra files easily and all that.
You can see the images in emacs with org previews. http://kitchingroup.cheme.cmu.edu/blog/2016/11/06/Justifying...
Re: Writing a Ph.D. thesis with Org Mode
#16I'm not sure about other fields, but most theses in computer science these days are usually a stitch-up of your papers + some glue text/backstory. I.e. 80% of your thesis is already in LaTeX format. Org Mode only adds complexity to your workflow.
I doubt that anyone can be familiar with "most theses in computer science these days".
Re: Writing a Ph.D. thesis with Org Mode
#17I'm not sure about other fields, but most theses in computer science these days are usually a stitch-up of your papers + some glue text/backstory. I.e. 80% of your thesis is already in LaTeX format. Org Mode only adds complexity to your workflow.
Unless (like me) you write your papers in org-mode too!
Re: Writing a Ph.D. thesis with Org Mode
#18I'm not sure about other fields, but most theses in computer science these days are usually a stitch-up of your papers + some glue text/backstory. I.e. 80% of your thesis is already in LaTeX format. Org Mode only adds complexity to your workflow.
That is very much dependent on department.
Re: Writing a Ph.D. thesis with Org Mode
#19I have been writing my thesis as an org-mode file in git that is automatically published [0] as a pdf every time I commit using a bash script tangled as a commit hook. Figures are (or can be) computed from live data, and org-ref can automatically manage and format all my references as I go without the insanity inducing workflows that one usually has to resort to. Another amazing thing about org-mode is that I can wri…
Back in the stone age when I did mine, my approach was more local, but similar.
I wrote all the text in LaTeX using AucTeX package, but had a makefile and a commit hook (to CVS, later SVN, this was pre-git). All figures & tables etc. were generated from other make targets, which chained back to a mix of (usually) lisp code, matlab, or maple/mathematica. Oh, and figures generated by things like MetaPost. Structuring things at the chapter level .tex files made it all pretty manageable.
I had figure dependencies on both input data and executable targets/scripts, so changing either would trigger a recompute, with the exception of some long running stuff - of course had global rebuild rules. I wrote many papers this way too, it was nice to know everything was synchronized properly.
I did use org-mode to organize my work though.
These days it would be on github and I probably wouldn't have lost it in a move.
Re: Writing a Ph.D. thesis with Org Mode
#20I'm not sure about other fields, but most theses in computer science these days are usually a stitch-up of your papers + some glue text/backstory. I.e. 80% of your thesis is already in LaTeX format. Org Mode only adds complexity to your workflow.
This was common in the hard sciences way back when. I remember fellow students saying things like: "I have my three papers, that's three chapters, now I just need my intro and conclusions." In psychology, they had a phrase, which was: "Published and outa here."
Some advantages: It meant your work was demonstrably publishable, you got 3 pubs out of it. Disadvantages: You were basically a hostage until your advisor agreed to let you publish 3 papers. It probably tended to flood the literature with papers of lesser quality.