7 ms·

I do all of my academic writing in pandoc. As compared to LaTeX this means no boilerplate (yet you can still use full LaTeX syntax for equations and the like) a

I do all of my academic writing in pandoc. As compared to LaTeX this means no boilerplate (yet you can still use full LaTeX syntax for equations and the like) and, if the publisher 'needs' a Word file, you are one click away from providing it. All with plain text files that you can put under version control, get meaningful diffs, etc. It's just great.

dr_coffee 8y ago
What's your workflow for inserting and managing references
- deleted 8y ago
  [deleted]
- tekknolagi 8y ago
  Not OP, but I used `+citations` and `pandoc-citeproc` along with a bibtex file that I managed by hand for https://bernsteinbear.com/dat-paper/ https://bernsteinbear.com/dat-paper/ (a small senior project paper). It worked pretty well for me.
- ryanmarsh 8y ago
  I use pandoc-crossref.
- meanmrmustard92 8y ago
  Add bibliography=path/to/library.bib (and optionally specify a csl for bibliography formatting; I like econometrica) in frontmatter yaml. Insert citations with @bibcitekey. compile with --pandoc-citeproc filter.
- sevensor 8y ago
  It was a couple of years ago that I wrote my dissertation using Pandoc, so things may have changed. At the time, I started out using pandoc-citeproc with my BibTeX database, but eventually I needed more control over formatting and I switched to writing \cite everywhere. Even with hundreds of references, it only took an afternoon, so I'm happy I did it the way I did. My approach with Pandoc is to use it until you have to invest LaTeX-level effort into making it do what you want. At that point, swapping in LaTeX is rarely painful. Often you can get away with editing Pandoc's generated LaTeX and pasting it back in to your source.
  - mb2100 8y ago
    You can control the formatting pandoc-citeproc (which is now built in to pandoc) produces with a CSL file. That's great if your institution provides one, otherwise... you'll have to learn CSL ;-/
icc97 8y ago
Sorry to be pedantic - but I didn't think that 'pandoc' was an actual document format purely a tool for converting between formats. Do you mean that you do your writing in kind of a 'pandoc flavoured' markdown? [0] [0]: https://pandoc.org/MANUAL.html#pandocs-markdown https://pandoc.org/MANUAL.html#pandocs-markdown
- mort96 8y ago
  Well, between Pandoc's markdown flavor and how it has its own way of letting you insert latex code anywhere, you're not going to be able to process your document using anything that's not trying to be compatible with pandoc documents.
uvtc 8y ago
Yes! It's great to be able to put LaTeX-formatted equations directly into your pandoc-flavored markdown source file. Incidentally, I really like the thoughtful syntax additions Pandoc makes over olde Markdown (eg., tables, definition lists, and span & div syntax as well). Such a great all-around doc tool.
smohare 8y ago
I’ve never understood the impetus for not using full LaTeX in an academic contex, given that the boiler plate is so minimal and presumably one has a built up a personal template over time. For blog posts and notes I see the appeal, since the boilerplate can be a hindrance to spontaneous writing.
- hatmatrix 8y ago
  I agree - while pandoc is great it's usually not 'one click' to any format, especially when have html or latex-specific markups. It's not for everyone, but emacs+auctex really reduces the latex boilerplate (at least writing it) that I don't really feel it's a hindrance.
- susam 8y ago
  I agree. If one is going to use LaTeX directly or indirectly via Pandoc, eventually one would have to build up a personal template to fine-tune the look and feel of the documents. If one is going to write LaTeX code anyway, it seems easier and cleaner to use LaTeX all the way, move all the boilerplate along with the personal template to say, a file named preamble.tex, and \input{preamble.tex} in the documents. However, there are situations where Pandoc can be convenient. For example, I wanted a document[1] to be written primarily as README.md (CommonMark format), so that GitHub could render it as the project README. At the same time I wanted to render a PDF output from a customized form of the content. Pandoc is convenient for cases like this although it takes a bit of work to fine-tune the formatting and customize the content for each output format. [1]: https://github.com/susam/gitpr https://github.com/susam/gitpr [2]: https://github.com/susam/gitpr/blob/master/Makefile https://github.com/susam/gitpr/blob/master/Makefile
  - BeetleB 8y ago
    >If one is going to write LaTeX code anyway, it seems easier and cleaner to use LaTeX all the way, move all the boilerplate along with the personal template to say, a file named preamble.tex, and \input{preamble.tex} in the documents. Not sure why you think it has to be that way. I author LaTeX documents using org mode. Org mode handles most of the boilerplate, and I can still put pretty much any custom LaTeX within the org document, wherever I want it (this includes \newcommand, etc). I lose nothing by going to org mode, and I gain much in terms of reduced boilerplate.
deleted 8y ago
[deleted]
jonathanstrange 8y ago
I tried and it didn't work for me. Pandoc's conversion functionality is good but unfortunately also fails very often, at least in my experience. I suppose with custom templates and a lot of trickery I could get it working for the kind of papers I write, but I've found it easier to convert LaTeX to Word manually when needed - which is a pain in the ass, too, of course.
- nanna 8y ago
  In my experience it works so long as you keep to very vanilla LaTeX code. Pandoc's support for LaTeX packages tends to be very patchy.
criddell 8y ago
> if the publisher 'needs' a Word file, you are one click away from providing it Once the work has moved into a Word file, isn't that where it stays? Editors and publishers often make heavy use of features like track changes and notes. Doesn't pandoc lose that information?
- aquova 8y ago
  It does. I think the assumption here is that the author is the only contributor to the document. Exporting into a Word doc would serve the same function as exporting to a .pdf, others could read it and even mark it up, but the author would have to make the noted changes in their original plain text document themselves.
- mb2100 8y ago
  pandoc has a --track-changes option, so you can convert a docx file with its proposed changes back to, say, markdown.
baldfat 8y ago
I have to put in a word for Racket's Scribble. Programmiclly creating documents is powerful, and this system makes it simple. You can also basically use it as a "Markup-less" system. Scribble Code Example: #lang scribble/base @title{On the Cookie-Eating Habits of Mice} If you give a mouse a cookie, he's going to ask for a glass of milk. @section{The Consequences of Milk} That ``squeak'' was the mouse asking for milk. Let's suppose that you give him some in a big glass. He's a small mouse. The glass is too big---way too big. So, he'll probably ask you for a straw. You might as well give it to him. @section{Not the Last Straw} For now, to handle the milk moustache, it's enough to give him a napkin. But it doesn't end there... oh, no. Scribble - Scribble is a collection of tools for creating prose documents—papers, books, library documentation, etc.—in HTML or PDF (via Latex) form. More generally, Scribble helps you write programs that are rich in textual content, whether the content is prose to be typeset or any other form of text to be generated programmatically. - https://docs.racket-lang.org/scribble/ https://docs.racket-lang.org/scribble/ Some languages based on Scribble Skribilo - Skribilo is a free document production tool that takes a structured document representation as its input and renders that document in a variety of output formats: HTML and Info for on-line browsing, and Lout and LaTeX for high-quality hard copies. The input document can use Skribilo's markup language to provide information about the document's structure, which is similar to HTML or LaTeX and does not require expertise. Alternatively, it can use a simpler, “markup-less” format that borrows from Emacs' outline mode and from other conventions used in emails, Usenet and text. https://www.nongnu.org/skribilo/ https://www.nongnu.org/skribilo/ Pollen - Pollen is a publishing system built on top of Scribble and Racket. So far, I’ve optimized Pollen for web-based books, because that’s mainly what I use it for. But it can be used for small projects too, and non-webby things like PDF. As a publishing system, Pollen includes: A programming language. The Pollen language is a variant of Scribble, with specific dialects tailored to different kinds of source files. You don’t need to use the programming features to do useful work, but they’re available when you need them. A set of tools & libraries. Pollen can produce output in any format, but it’s especially useful for markup-style formats like XML and HTML. A development environment. Pollen works with the DrRacket IDE. It also includes a project web server so you can dynamically preview and revise your publication. http://docs.racket-lang.org/pollen/Backstory.html They are Domain Specific languages that excel at outputting awesome HTML and PDF. They really aren't markup but really they are a Macro system that is built on top of a full Lisp (Racket) It is easier and much more powerful then anything I have seen on Pandoc and Latex (I use Latex still for specific targets but not for general papers anymore). Racket has the best documentation period and it is because the documentation

dr_coffee 8y ago

What's your workflow for inserting and managing references

deleted 8y ago
[deleted]
tekknolagi 8y ago
Not OP, but I used `+citations` and `pandoc-citeproc` along with a bibtex file that I managed by hand for https://bernsteinbear.com/dat-paper/ https://bernsteinbear.com/dat-paper/ (a small senior project paper). It worked pretty well for me.
ryanmarsh 8y ago
I use pandoc-crossref.
meanmrmustard92 8y ago
Add bibliography=path/to/library.bib (and optionally specify a csl for bibliography formatting; I like econometrica) in frontmatter yaml. Insert citations with @bibcitekey. compile with --pandoc-citeproc filter.
sevensor 8y ago
It was a couple of years ago that I wrote my dissertation using Pandoc, so things may have changed. At the time, I started out using pandoc-citeproc with my BibTeX database, but eventually I needed more control over formatting and I switched to writing \cite everywhere. Even with hundreds of references, it only took an afternoon, so I'm happy I did it the way I did. My approach with Pandoc is to use it until you have to invest LaTeX-level effort into making it do what you want. At that point, swapping in LaTeX is rarely painful. Often you can get away with editing Pandoc's generated LaTeX and pasting it back in to your source.
- mb2100 8y ago
  You can control the formatting pandoc-citeproc (which is now built in to pandoc) produces with a CSL file. That's great if your institution provides one, otherwise... you'll have to learn CSL ;-/

icc97 8y ago

Sorry to be pedantic - but I didn't think that 'pandoc' was an actual document format purely a tool for converting between formats. Do you mean that you do your writing in kind of a 'pandoc flavoured' markdown? [0] [0]: https://pandoc.org/MANUAL.html#pandocs-markdown https://pandoc.org/MANUAL.html#pandocs-markdown

mort96 8y ago
Well, between Pandoc's markdown flavor and how it has its own way of letting you insert latex code anywhere, you're not going to be able to process your document using anything that's not trying to be compatible with pandoc documents.

uvtc 8y ago

Yes! It's great to be able to put LaTeX-formatted equations directly into your pandoc-flavored markdown source file. Incidentally, I really like the thoughtful syntax additions Pandoc makes over olde Markdown (eg., tables, definition lists, and span & div syntax as well). Such a great all-around doc tool.

smohare 8y ago

I’ve never understood the impetus for not using full LaTeX in an academic contex, given that the boiler plate is so minimal and presumably one has a built up a personal template over time. For blog posts and notes I see the appeal, since the boilerplate can be a hindrance to spontaneous writing.

hatmatrix 8y ago
I agree - while pandoc is great it's usually not 'one click' to any format, especially when have html or latex-specific markups. It's not for everyone, but emacs+auctex really reduces the latex boilerplate (at least writing it) that I don't really feel it's a hindrance.
susam 8y ago
I agree. If one is going to use LaTeX directly or indirectly via Pandoc, eventually one would have to build up a personal template to fine-tune the look and feel of the documents. If one is going to write LaTeX code anyway, it seems easier and cleaner to use LaTeX all the way, move all the boilerplate along with the personal template to say, a file named preamble.tex, and \input{preamble.tex} in the documents. However, there are situations where Pandoc can be convenient. For example, I wanted a document[1] to be written primarily as README.md (CommonMark format), so that GitHub could render it as the project README. At the same time I wanted to render a PDF output from a customized form of the content. Pandoc is convenient for cases like this although it takes a bit of work to fine-tune the formatting and customize the content for each output format. [1]: https://github.com/susam/gitpr https://github.com/susam/gitpr [2]: https://github.com/susam/gitpr/blob/master/Makefile https://github.com/susam/gitpr/blob/master/Makefile
- BeetleB 8y ago
  >If one is going to write LaTeX code anyway, it seems easier and cleaner to use LaTeX all the way, move all the boilerplate along with the personal template to say, a file named preamble.tex, and \input{preamble.tex} in the documents. Not sure why you think it has to be that way. I author LaTeX documents using org mode. Org mode handles most of the boilerplate, and I can still put pretty much any custom LaTeX within the org document, wherever I want it (this includes \newcommand, etc). I lose nothing by going to org mode, and I gain much in terms of reduced boilerplate.

deleted 8y ago

[deleted]

jonathanstrange 8y ago

I tried and it didn't work for me. Pandoc's conversion functionality is good but unfortunately also fails very often, at least in my experience. I suppose with custom templates and a lot of trickery I could get it working for the kind of papers I write, but I've found it easier to convert LaTeX to Word manually when needed - which is a pain in the ass, too, of course.

nanna 8y ago
In my experience it works so long as you keep to very vanilla LaTeX code. Pandoc's support for LaTeX packages tends to be very patchy.

criddell 8y ago

> if the publisher 'needs' a Word file, you are one click away from providing it Once the work has moved into a Word file, isn't that where it stays? Editors and publishers often make heavy use of features like track changes and notes. Doesn't pandoc lose that information?

aquova 8y ago
It does. I think the assumption here is that the author is the only contributor to the document. Exporting into a Word doc would serve the same function as exporting to a .pdf, others could read it and even mark it up, but the author would have to make the noted changes in their original plain text document themselves.
mb2100 8y ago
pandoc has a --track-changes option, so you can convert a docx file with its proposed changes back to, say, markdown.

baldfat 8y ago

I have to put in a word for Racket's Scribble. Programmiclly creating documents is powerful, and this system makes it simple. You can also basically use it as a "Markup-less" system. Scribble Code Example: #lang scribble/base @title{On the Cookie-Eating Habits of Mice} If you give a mouse a cookie, he's going to ask for a glass of milk. @section{The Consequences of Milk} That ``squeak'' was the mouse asking for milk. Let's suppose that you give him some in a big glass. He's a small mouse. The glass is too big---way too big. So, he'll probably ask you for a straw. You might as well give it to him. @section{Not the Last Straw} For now, to handle the milk moustache, it's enough to give him a napkin. But it doesn't end there... oh, no. Scribble - Scribble is a collection of tools for creating prose documents—papers, books, library documentation, etc.—in HTML or PDF (via Latex) form. More generally, Scribble helps you write programs that are rich in textual content, whether the content is prose to be typeset or any other form of text to be generated programmatically. - https://docs.racket-lang.org/scribble/ https://docs.racket-lang.org/scribble/ Some languages based on Scribble Skribilo - Skribilo is a free document production tool that takes a structured document representation as its input and renders that document in a variety of output formats: HTML and Info for on-line browsing, and Lout and LaTeX for high-quality hard copies. The input document can use Skribilo's markup language to provide information about the document's structure, which is similar to HTML or LaTeX and does not require expertise. Alternatively, it can use a simpler, “markup-less” format that borrows from Emacs' outline mode and from other conventions used in emails, Usenet and text. https://www.nongnu.org/skribilo/ https://www.nongnu.org/skribilo/ Pollen - Pollen is a publishing system built on top of Scribble and Racket. So far, I’ve optimized Pollen for web-based books, because that’s mainly what I use it for. But it can be used for small projects too, and non-webby things like PDF. As a publishing system, Pollen includes: A programming language. The Pollen language is a variant of Scribble, with specific dialects tailored to different kinds of source files. You don’t need to use the programming features to do useful work, but they’re available when you need them. A set of tools & libraries. Pollen can produce output in any format, but it’s especially useful for markup-style formats like XML and HTML. A development environment. Pollen works with the DrRacket IDE. It also includes a project web server so you can dynamically preview and revise your publication. http://docs.racket-lang.org/pollen/Backstory.html They are Domain Specific languages that excel at outputting awesome HTML and PDF. They really aren't markup but really they are a Macro system that is built on top of a full Lisp (Racket) It is easier and much more powerful then anything I have seen on Pandoc and Latex (I use Latex still for specific targets but not for general papers anymore). Racket has the best documentation period and it is because the documentation