Get started

When you need this page: Start here

No LaTeX experience needed. By the end of this page you will compile the sample thesis (turn its files into a PDF) with your own name on its title page. Pick one of two setups; both work the same way: edit, save, see the PDF.

• An editor on your computer (suggested): an editor with a LaTeX extension rebuilds the PDF each time you save and shows it beside your text. The one-time install takes an hour or more, mostly waiting for a download.
• Overleaf (no install): the same in your browser, ready in minutes.

Have a draft? Do these steps first, then bring your draft. Not sure LaTeX suits you? Read why LaTeX.

Step 1: Choose your LaTeX workspace

With the same files, engine, packages, and fonts, both make the same PDF; choose the one that fits you.

Your own computer suits a full thesis: no compile limit, and the files stay with you. Overleaf suits you if you would rather install nothing or co-edit in real time. It is your choice, not an OGE requirement, and you can switch later.

Step 2: Get the files

Download the starter (ZIP)

1. What's inside: the thesis files, this guide for offline reading (open START-HERE.html), and a cheat sheet. A ZIP is one compressed file that holds a folder. No account needed. Reading this in START-HERE.html? You already have the files: continue to your route below.
2. Your computer: extract (unzip) it and move the folder that contains main.tex somewhere normal, such as Documents.
   • Windows: right-click the ZIP and choose Extract All. Opening it by double-click only previews the files. Use the inner folder if you get a folder inside a folder.
   • macOS: double-click the ZIP (Safari may have done it already).
   • OneDrive, iCloud Drive, or Dropbox: set the folder to "Always keep on this device" (why).
3. Overleaf: keep the ZIP as it is. (Safari unzipped it? Right-click the folder and choose Compress.)

Next: set up your computer or open the starter on Overleaf.

Step 3a: Your-computer route

On Overleaf? Skip to Step 3b.

You need LaTeX (the programs that make the PDF) and an editor with a LaTeX extension (an add-on that compiles when you save and shows the PDF beside your text). This guide walks through VS Code with the LaTeX Workshop extension, a popular free editor the starter's settings are made for. Already happy with TeXstudio or another LaTeX editor? Keep it (other editors).

1. Install a current, full LaTeX distribution. Allow an hour or more.

   • Windows: TeX Live for Windows (opens in a new tab). Keep the default install folder. Choose TeX Live rather than MiKTeX: it includes everything this starter needs.
   • macOS: MacTeX (opens in a new tab). When it finishes, open TeX Live Utility (in Applications → TeX) and choose Update all packages once. This fixes known problems, such as the bibliography step failing on newer macOS.
   • Linux: the install needs a terminal (a text window for commands); see the Linux steps below, or use Overleaf.

   Check: Windows shows a TeX Live folder in the Start menu; macOS has a TeX folder in Applications.

2. Install VS Code (opens in a new tab), a free editor. Already open? Quit it completely and reopen it, so it finds LaTeX.

3. Open the folder: File → Open Folder, then pick the folder that contains main.tex (not a single file, and not the ZIP). If VS Code asks whether you trust the authors, choose Yes.

4. Install LaTeX Workshop: VS Code offers the extension this starter recommends; choose Install. No offer? Open the Extensions view (the squares icon on the left) and search for "LaTeX Workshop" by James Yu.

5. Save to compile: open main.tex and save it (Ctrl+S, or Cmd+S on macOS). LaTeX Workshop compiles the whole thesis, bibliography included, every time you save. The first compile can take a minute.

6. See the PDF: click View LaTeX PDF file (the icon at the top right of the editor) once. The PDF opens in a tab beside your text, refreshes each time you save, and scrolls to the spot you are editing. Ctrl+click (Cmd+click on macOS) in the PDF jumps to that line in your text.

Compile failed? View → Problems lists the errors with their file and line; start with the first. "latexmk not found" or spawn latexmk ENOENT right after installing means VS Code can't see LaTeX yet: quit it completely and reopen it (on Windows, restart the computer). For anything else, paste the error into Explain my error, or see fixing problems.

sudo apt update

sudo apt install texlive-full

sudo dnf install texlive-scheme-full latexmk biber

Then go to Step 4.

Step 3b: Overleaf route

1. Sign in to Overleaf (opens in a new tab); the free plan is enough to start.
2. Open the starter in Overleaf (opens in a new tab).
   • Or download the Overleaf ZIP and upload it yourself: New project → Upload project (Overleaf's steps (opens in a new tab)). If your files end up inside a folder, re-zip the items inside it.
3. Check the file list: main.tex should be at the top level.
4. Open Settings (the gear icon) and, under Compiler, check that the main document is main.tex, the compiler is pdfLaTeX, and the TeX Live version is the newest (Overleaf: the main document (opens in a new tab)).
5. Click Recompile. The sample PDF appears beside the editor. Overleaf runs the bibliography step for you.

Compile failed or timed out? Overleaf's log, the Logs and output files button beside Recompile, lists the errors; start with the first. Paste it into Explain my error, or see fixing problems.

Step 4: Check your first PDF

Your first compile uses the unchanged sample, so any problem comes from the installation, not from your edits. You should see a title page reading "YOUR THESIS TITLE" with a seal placeholder, the contents, and three short chapters. Can't find the PDF? See where the PDF ends up.

Add the RPI seal (one minute)

The seal belongs to RPI, so this unofficial starter doesn't include it.

1. Download the current seal from RPI ITS's Thesis Preparation page (opens in a new tab).
2. Save it in your project's assets folder as rpi-seal.jpg (or rpi-seal.png if it is a PNG). On Overleaf, upload it into assets.
3. Compile again. The seal replaces the placeholder.

Step 5: Make it yours

Put your name on it

Open metadata.tex and replace the value after each =. Keep the setting names, braces, and commas. Check degree: write masters for a master's thesis. Prefer a form? The Settings builder writes the whole block for you and shows a sketch of the title page as you type.

View larger

Close the full-size picture

Scroll sideways to see the whole picture.

In words: each setting fills one place on the title page; the class adds the fixed wording and the seal.

Then list every approved committee member, one per line, with [Chair] (or [Co-Chair]) on your chair's line:

\committeemember[Chair]{Professor Ada Example}
\committeemember{Professor Grace Sample}

Save (or click Recompile on Overleaf) and check the title page. For an & in your title, type \&. Different degree name? See the degree-name setting.

Write, cite, and back up

1. Write: replace a paragraph in chapters/01-introduction.tex and compile (writing basics).
2. Cite: try the citation already in the starter, then add your own sources.
3. Back up off your computer: keep the folder in a cloud-synced folder (OneDrive, Google Drive, Dropbox, or iCloud) or a private GitHub repository. On Overleaf, download the source ZIP now and then (backups).

Stuck on something technical?

Paste the error into Explain my error, or ask an AI chat for technical help only, never for writing your thesis (how to ask well).

Next step: writing basics, for chapters, figures, tables, and equations. Have a draft? Bring one small section in first. Curious what just happened? See how it works.

Writing an undergraduate thesis or a poster? The writing and citation help works for you too, but the title page and layout follow RPI's graduate rules. For a proposal or qualifying exam, the starter makes a good model (how).

Something wrong or unclear on this page? Tell the maintainer (opens in a new tab), no account needed.