Dissertation LaTeX Template

A clean, modular LaTeX template for PhD dissertations. Designed for compatibility with both Overleaf (web-based, no installation) and local toolchains like VimTeX.

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Quick Start

Overleaf (Recommended for Beginners)

1. Download this repository as a ZIP file.
2. In Overleaf, click New Project → Upload Project and select the ZIP.
3. Open definitions.tex and fill in your metadata (name, title, committee, etc.).
4. Write your chapters in chapter/<name>/main.tex files.
5. Add bibliography entries to bibliography.bib.
6. Click Recompile to build.

Note: Overleaf automatically detects .latexmkrc and uses the correct build settings. No manual compiler configuration needed.

Local Build (VimTeX / CLI)

Prerequisites: A working TeX distribution (TeX Live, MiKTeX, or MacTeX) with latexmk and biber installed.

Build:

latexmk main.tex

Clean auxiliary files:

latexmk -c main.tex

Clean everything (including PDF):

latexmk -C main.tex

Continuous preview (auto-rebuild on save):

latexmk -pvc main.tex

Or use the Makefile:

make          # Build
make clean    # Clean aux files
make distclean # Clean everything
make watch    # Continuous preview

VimTeX users: The included .latexmkrc is automatically picked up by VimTeX. Just open main.tex in Neovim/Vim and use your usual VimTeX mappings (e.g., <localleader>ll to compile, <localleader>lv to view).

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Project Structure

.
├── main.tex                      # Root document (do not edit structure lightly)
├── definitions.tex               # Your metadata: name, title, committee, etc.
├── definitions-extra.tex         # Extra preamble: custom commands, theorem styles
├── bibliography.bib              # BibLaTeX bibliography database
├── .latexmkrc                    # Build configuration (Overleaf + local)
├── Makefile                      # CLI shortcuts
├── README.md                     # This file
│
├── dissertation-style/           # Internal style files (rarely need editing)
│   ├── preamble.tex              # Package imports and setup
│   ├── front-matter.tex          # Title page, abstract, TOC, etc.
│   └── back-matter.tex           # Appendix setup
│
├── front-matter/                 # Content for roman-numeraled pages
│   ├── abstract.tex              # Dissertation abstract
│   ├── dedication.tex            # Optional dedication page
│   └── acknowledgements.tex      # Optional acknowledgements
│
└── chapter/                      # Your chapters
    ├── introduction/
    │   └── main.tex              # Introduction chapter
    └── conclusion/
        └── main.tex              # Conclusion chapter
    # Add more: chapter/<name>/main.tex, then \input in main.tex

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Customization Guide

1. Set Your Metadata

Edit definitions.tex:

\def\dissertationtitle{Your Actual Title}
\def\fullname{Your Full Name}
\def\defenseyear{2027}
\def\defensemonth{May}
\def\defenseday{15}
\def\advisor{Dr. Advisor Name}

Also update:

• \university, \department, \degree (defaults to Duke Math PhD)
• Committee members in \committeelist

2. Enable/Disable Optional Pages

In definitions.tex, toggle these flags:

\dedicationtrue        % Dedication page
\tablestrue            % List of Tables
\figurestrue           % List of Figures
\symbolstrue           % List of Symbols (requires makeglossaries)
\acknowledgementstrue  % Acknowledgements
\appendixtrue          % Appendices

Comment out or set \...false to disable.

3. Add a New Chapter

1. Create the directory: chapter/my_chapter/
2. Create chapter/my_chapter/main.tex:

   \chapter{My Chapter Title}
   \section{First Section}
   Your content here.
   

3. Add to main.tex:

   \input{chapter/my_chapter/main.tex}
   

4. Add Bibliography Entries

Edit bibliography.bib:

@article{smith2024,
  author  = {Smith, Alice and Jones, Bob},
  title   = {A Great Paper},
  journal = {Journal of Examples},
  year    = {2024},
  volume  = {42},
  pages   = {1--20}
}

Cite in your text: \cite{smith2024}.

5. Define Symbols (Optional)

If \symbolstrue is enabled, add symbols in definitions.tex:

\glsxtrnewsymbol[description={the special linear group}]{SL2}{\ensuremath{\mathrm{SL}(2, \mathbb{R})}}

They will appear in the List of Symbols.

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Troubleshooting

Problem	Solution
"Missing bibliography" error	Ensure bibliography.bib exists and has at least one entry. Run latexmk twice.
"Missing glossary" error	The .latexmkrc runs makeglossaries automatically. If building manually, run makeglossaries main between pdflatex passes.
Overleaf won't compile	Check that definitions.tex has no unfilled %% FILL IN %% comments left in active macro definitions.
VimTeX not detecting .latexmkrc	Ensure your VimTeX config does not override g:vimtex_compiler_latexmk. The defaults work.

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License

MIT License — see LICENSE for details.

You are free to use, modify, and distribute this template for personal or departmental use.