Abstract:

This video is a presentation by Hans Schülein on the nuances of correct typesetting in LaTeX, focusing on mathematical formulas and general document typography. The talk addresses common mistakes, such as using incorrect multiplication symbols, improperly formatting operators and units, and misusing typographic elements like dashes and quotation marks. Schülein advocates for adhering to established style guides (like DIN and ISO standards) and emphasizes the separation of content from presentation. He provides a series of "right vs. wrong" examples and strongly recommends specific packages like siunitx for units, booktabs for professional tables, and cleveref for intelligent cross-referencing to produce clean, professional, and typographically sound documents.

Mastering LaTeX Typesetting: A Guide to Norms, Style, and Best Practices

• 0:55 Adherence to Style Guides: The talk is based on rules from various style guides, including DIN 1338 and ISO 80000-2, to help create typographically correct scientific and technical documents.
• 2:16 Correct Multiplication Symbol: Use \cdot for the centered multiplication dot in formulas, not an asterisk *.
• 3:28 Standardize Mathematical Operators: Functions like "log" and "sin" should be set with their dedicated commands (\log, \sin) to ensure they are upright (not italic) and correctly spaced. You can define custom operators with \DeclareMathOperator.
• 4:27 Italic vs. Upright Text in Formulas: A key principle is that variables (symbols representing a value, like m for mass) must be italic. In contrast, identifiers, words, and constants (like "max" in an index or Euler's number e) should be set in an upright (Roman) font using \mathrm{...}.
• 7:50 Vector and Matrix Notation: Follow conventions for vectors (bold \mathbf{v} or with an arrow \vec{v}) and matrices. Defining custom commands allows for easy style changes later.
• 10:20 Proper Formatting of Units: The siunitx package is strongly recommended for typesetting numbers and units. It automatically handles correct spacing, upright unit symbols, and decimal markers (e.g., \quantity{43}{m/s}).
• 12:02 Labeling Graph Axes: Instead of "V [m/s]", the mathematically correct notation is "V / (m/s)", which clarifies that the plotted values are dimensionless quantities resulting from dividing the physical quantity by its unit.
• 17:52 Multi-line Equations: Use the split environment inside an equation environment to number a multi-line equation only once while aligning the parts correctly (e.g., at the equals sign).
• 18:28 Use Proper Display Math Environments: Avoid the plain TeX syntax $$...$$. Instead, use LaTeX's \[ ... \] or the equation environment for correct vertical spacing and compatibility with other packages.
• 20:20 Treat Formulas as Sentences: Integrate equations into the text by adding appropriate punctuation (commas or periods) after them. This makes the document flow like a coherent narrative rather than a disjointed collection of formulas.
• 22:56 Use Unicode and Modern Compilers: Switch from pdflatex to xelatex or lualatex for native Unicode support. This allows you to type special characters like umlauts and typographic quotation marks directly into your source file.
• 23:02 Typographically Correct Punctuation: Use LaTeX commands (`` and '') or direct Unicode characters for proper quotation marks. Use -- for an en-dash (for ranges like 4–8 years) and --- for an em-dash (for parenthetical thoughts).
• 28:27 Create Professional Tables: Avoid vertical lines, which disrupt the reading flow. Use the booktabs package (\toprule, \midrule, \bottomrule) to create clean, aesthetically pleasing, and highly readable tables.
• 29:35 Strategic Figure Placement: Allow LaTeX to float figures to the top or bottom of a page. This prevents breaking the flow of text and gives the typesetting engine more flexibility to create a well-balanced page layout.
• 30:34 Avoid Widows and Orphans: Use packages like nowidows or set high penalties (\widowpenalty=10000) to prevent single lines of a paragraph from being left alone at the top or bottom of a page.
• 32:22 Package Recommendation: tikzplotlib: Convert Matplotlib plots directly into TikZ code. This embeds them as scalable vector graphics that use the same font as the main document, making them searchable and visually consistent.
• 33:47 Package Recommendation: cleveref: Use \cref{...} for intelligent cross-referencing. The package automatically adds the correct label type (e.g., "Figure 1," "Equation 12," or "Sections 1.1 to 1.3") and makes the entire reference a clickable link.
• 36:24 Code Formatting Tool: latexindent: Use this external tool to automatically indent and format your LaTeX source code, making it more readable and maintainable, especially for complex structures like tables.