Even with good content, format also matters. Proper use of adequate typesetting allows for a scientific contribution to reach its full potential and to fit in to the expectations of the community. In computational (and mathematical) sciences, some people stick to Microsoft Word, while some fora will have none of that and requires the use of a typesetting ecosystem known as LaTeX. Either way, author guidelines or even strict templates often apply. In this module, we learn to respect those.
This module will help you do the following:
Any online resource for LaTeX is fine. The McGill Library contains various ebooks that may be helpful:
You can either install LaTeX on your computer by downloading a software such as TeX Live or use LaTeX in Overleaf. Either option works just as well and the former does not require you to create any online accounts.
Submission deadline: by Session 10.
Submitted material: a single PDF file containing the manuscript suffices for basic and in-depth when a LaTeX manuscript is accomodated into a journal template; if a Word template is used for in-depth, then the submitted PDF should be a combination of two manuscripts (the LaTeX-typeset version of the basic stage, if applicable, and the Word-templated version of the in-depth stage); for participants combining the conceptual basic stage with the in-depth stage, combine two documents into a single PDF (the report of your findings first and the template-accommodated manuscript second).
If you do not have time to figure out how to concatenate two PDF files into one with tools available in your operating system, Adobe offers a free cloud service to merge PDF files.
Hands-on branch: accommodate a draft of your report into LaTeX article. Systematic, appropriate application of the following elements gives one point (per type, not by use), up to a maximum of 5 pts:
Conceptual branch: browse online discussions regarding the suitability of Microsoft Word for formatting of mathematical or computational scientific publications, then summarize your findings in writing (1 pt per summarized thread up to a maximum of 5 pts).
Choose a journal template and accommodate your draft into that. Please clearly indicate in the comment box for the submission which journal's template it is.
Rubric: full points unless one or more of the following elements are incomplete or incompliant of the journal's indications, each of which results in a penalty
This is a single-branch stage; those who chose hands-on for the basic stage are encouraged to work with a LaTeX template.