- #1
plasmon
- 36
- 1
I am about to write a thesis. I was just wondering whether Scientific workplace is the best software to write a thesis or MS Word. Any advice wouuld be welcome.
plasmon said:I am about to write a thesis. I was just wondering whether Scientific workplace is the best software to write a thesis or MS Word. Any advice wouuld be welcome.
Dick said:LaTex is likely to outlive any MSWord format. It's the technically superior option.
vociferous said:Maybe it is because Microsoft Word switches formats every three to five years, and conversion is less-than-ideal.
OOF, WordPerfect, LaTex are a lot more consistent in comparison. Even PDF is mostly backwards compatible with earlier versions (minus some newer features). Try opening an Office 2007 document in 2003 or Office XP.
To be honest when I wrote the previous post, I didn't consider the possible motives for doing so, I just thought that it was a neat feature. However, I would say that Latex produces nicer looking mathematical formulae than Open Office. Perhaps it would also be useful if you were writing a report as part of a collaboration, in which the final report was to be outputted as Latex.ks_physicist said:Hoot, why would you export from OOo to LaTeX? I mean, I can see doing so if you're comfortable in LaTeX and you want to convert a file, but I don't see why you would do that just so you can compile the document. Why wouldn't you just print to PDF or print the document outright from OOo?
Mororvia said:Just to throw another option on the table...
When I wrote my thesis I used MS Word and bought an addon called Ribbit which allows you to write things in LaTeX and input into Word as an image. Worked pretty well for me and it was a lot easier than trying to figure out one of the free LaTeX programs available. Well worth the money to me at the time.
plasmon said:the best software to write a thesis...MS Word.
Andy Resnick said:The only recommendation I have for writing a thesis is to use EndNote or something similar- keeping track of 250+ references (including the format) required me to set aside a whole month.
Dick said:LaTex is likely to outlive any MSWord format.
cristo said:I don't really understand how so many people are scared of latex
ZapperZ said:Your question here is a bit vague because you did not really give further details on what and where. Note that for most schools here in the US, there is a certain requirement on the format and typesetting that every thesis produced at that school must follow. This includes the width of all the margins (left, right,top, bottom), the font size, the spacing, the formatting of formulas, the numbering of equations, etc. In fact, a lot of schools have a ready-made template for students to use, be it a Word template or a LaTex template. So unless you are indicating that your school does not have such a requirement, then your question can't really be answered because you actually have no choice in what you can use.
I would use Scientific Word or Scientific Workplace to format complicate LaTex equations or tables that I then insert into a LaTex document. If you do not have a specific formatting or typesetting requirement for your thesis, then I suppose you can use anything you like.
Zz.
ks_physicist said:Is there any sort of command or "database frontend" for bibtex that would let you organize, sort, and modify the bibtex file in a little more user-friendly way?
ks_physicist said:Is there any sort of command or "database frontend" for bibtex that would let you organize, sort, and modify the bibtex file in a little more user-friendly way?
mrandersdk said:I think most people would recommend that you learned LaTeX, it has the most posibilities and it always looks good. It can be a bit difficult in the start, but as you learn it (as you clearly will writing a whole thesis) it will become very fast.
Michael1 said:I don't know more about "Scientific workplace" but MS Word is fine for writing. One more thing before start the writing need to collect materials about your topic.
dsb5092 said:LaTex is the most accepted and once learned the easiest.
Some important features to consider are: compatibility with your operating system, ability to handle large documents, support for citations and references, ease of use, and availability of templates for different types of theses.
No, there are many free or affordable options available that can meet the needs of writing a thesis. It is important to consider the features and compatibility rather than just the price when making a decision.
Yes, you can use multiple software programs for different aspects of your thesis such as writing, formatting, and managing references. It is important to ensure compatibility between the programs and to have a system for organizing your work.
Some popular software options include Microsoft Word, Google Docs, LaTeX, Scrivener, and Evernote. Each has its own unique features and benefits, so it is important to research and find the one that best suits your needs.
Many software programs have built-in formatting tools and templates specifically designed for academic writing. It is important to familiarize yourself with these tools and follow formatting guidelines provided by your university or department to ensure your thesis is properly formatted.