General ⇒ Help with formatting dissertation

[mikey]

Hi everyone,

I really hope you can help me out. I'm using Latex for the first time in my dissertation submission. I'm close to the deadline and I've still got some outstanding issues that need to be fixed, that I'm sure wouldn't be too hard for those with Latex experience.

In par due to not wanting to post my whole dissertation I've made this sample file that has the exact same latex coding just with some of the content cut out and the rest replaced with some silly place-holders.

The problems that I still have are that the layout has an extremely wide margin around everything that combined with the requirement from my course for 1.5 spacing means that my tiny 4000 word dissertation has been pushed to 35+ pages. I'm having problems getting my tables and figures to appear as I'd like in a Tables and figures section. They have to appear centered on the page with the text stopping before this section then picking up again after. I also can't get one of my figures that is too large to show aligned normally to turn sideways in the same manner as I can achieve with sidewaystable. Also the URLs in my references are jutting out into my margin rather than breaking. I tried using \slash rather than "/" but I didn't know how to stop it running into the URL. The second figure also doesn't seem to be centered. Finally it would be nice if it were possible to get the caption on my sideways table to be the right way round above or below it.

Thanks for your help.

Here's the example:

Code: Select all

\documentclass[12 pt]{article}
\usepackage{amssymb}
\usepackage{color}
\usepackage{ctable}
\usepackage{colortbl}
\usepackage{multirow}
\usepackage{rotating}
\usepackage[round]{natbib}
%\usepackage{url}
\newcommand{\otoprule}{\midrule[\heavyrulewidth]}
%Line and a half spacing \renewcommand{\baselinestretch}{1.5}
\renewcommand{\baselinestretch}{1.5}
\begin{document}

\title{Mentats and the Understanding of Prosesses and Knowing}

\author{Mikey M}
\maketitle
\begin{abstract}
A beginning is the time for taking the most delicate care that the balances are correct. This every sister of the Bene Gesserit knows. To begin your study of the life of Muad'Dib, then take care that you first place him in his time: born in the 57th year of the Padishah Emperor, Shaddam IV. And take the most special care that you locate Muad'Dib in his place: the planet Arrakis. Do not be deceived by the fact that he was born on Caladan and lived his first fifteen years there. Arrakis, the planet known as Dune, is forever his place.
\end{abstract}

\section{Introduction}

\paragraph{"A process cannot be understood by stopping it. Understanding must move with the flow of the process, must join it and flow with it."}

\paragraph{Above all else, the mentat must be a generalist, not a specialist. It is wise to have decisions of great moment monitored by generalists. Experts and specialists lead you quickly into chaos. They are a source of useless nit-picking, the ferocious quibble over a comma. The mentat-generalist, on the other hand, should bring to decision-making a healthy common sense. He must not cut himself off from the broad sweep of what is happening in his universe. He must remain capable of saying: "There's no real mystery about this at the moment. This is what we want now. It may prove wrong later, but we'll correct that when we come to it." The mentat-generalist must understand that anything which we can identify as our universe is merely a part of larger phenomena. But the expert looks backward; he looks into the narrow standards of his own specialty. The generalist looks outward; he looks for living principles, knowing full well that such principles change, that they develop. It is to the characteristics of change itself that the mentat-generalist must look. There can be no permanent catalogue of such change, no handbook or manual. You must look at it with as few preconceptions as possible, asking yourself: "Now what is this thing doing?"}

\subsection{Conclusion}

\paragraph{You will learn the integrated communication methods as you complete the next step in your mental education. This is a gestalten function which will overlay data paths in your awareness, resolving complexities and masses of input from the mentat index-catalogue techniques which you have already mastered. Your initial problem will be the breaking tensions arising from the divergent assembly of minutiae/data on specialized subjects. Be warned. Without mentat overlay integration, you can be immersed in the Babel Problem, which is the label we give to the omnipresent dangers of achieving wrong combinations from accurate information.}

\paragraph{Education is no substitute for intelligence. That elusive quality is defined only in part by puzzle-solving ability. It is in the creation of new puzzles reflecting what your senses report that you round out the definitions.}

\section{Tables and Figures}

\paragraph{In appearance order.}
% only succeeds in adusting baseling for tables (should do references to)
\renewcommand{\baselinestretch}{1.0}
% Table 1: should appear directly after In appearance order
\begin{table}[h]%
\caption{Comparison of Trained and Untrained Mentats}
\label{tablepreinfandchange}\centering%
\begin{tabular}{lccccccc}
\toprule %
Group & Size & \multicolumn{3}{c}{Untrained}     & \multicolumn{3}{c}{Change}  \\
      & n & $\mu$ & $\sigma$  & p-value          & $\mu$ & $\sigma$ & p-value  \\ %
\otoprule
Spice & 103  & 33 & 22 & \multirow{2}*{\bf{0.005}} & 18 & 6 & \multirow{2}*{\bf{0.980}}    \\
No Spice & 97 & 27 & 18 &                      & 9 & 5 &             \\ %
\midrule
Atreides & 134  & 60 & 34 & \multirow{2}*{\bf{0.001}} & 14 & 7 & \multirow{2}*{\bf{0.651}}    \\
Harkonnen & 58 & 84 & 31 &                      & 19 & 51 &             \\ %
\midrule
5-10 & 75 & 64 & 41 & \multirow{4}*{\bf{0.021}} & 98 & 97 & \multirow{4}*{\bf{0.782}}    \\
11-15 & 57 & 88 & 51 &                      & 94 & 80 &             \\ 
16-20 & 5  & 47 & 36 &                      & 38 & 0 &             \\ 
21-25 & 42 & 79 & 88 &                      & 69 & 96 &             \\ %
\midrule
Bene Gesserit & 46 & 44 & 54 & \multirow{3}*{\bf{0.027}} & 47 & 62 & \multirow{3}*{\bf{0.012}}    \\
Fremen & 55 & 42 & 79 &                      & 37 & 83 &             \\ 
Other     & 45 & 60 & 31 &                      & 83 & 4 &             \\ %
\bottomrule
\end{tabular}
\end{table}
% Table 2: Should appear sideways after table 1, or on a new page after table 1 with no text appearing between.
\begin{sidewaystable}[h]%
\caption{Comparison of Mentat Skills}
\label{tablepreinfnormbelifs}\centering%
\begin{tabular}{lccccccccccccc}
\toprule %
Group & Size & \multicolumn{3}{c}{Analysis} & \multicolumn{3}{c}{Perception}  & \multicolumn{3}{c}{Abstraction} & \multicolumn{3}{c}{Calculation} \\
      & n & $\mu$ & $\sigma$  & p-value & $\mu$ & $\sigma$  & p-value & $\mu$ & $\sigma$  & p-value & $\mu$ & $\sigma$  & p-value \\ %
\otoprule
Spice & 16 & 41 & 78 & \multirow{2}*{\bf{0.143}} & 8 & 12 & \multirow{2}*{\bf{0.523}} & 14 & 96 & \multirow{2}*{\bf{0.634}} & 47 & 37 & \multirow{2}*{\bf{0.003}}   \\
No Spice & 79 & 35 & 48 &  & 75 & 41 &  & 10 & 6 &  & 43 & 59 &                           \\ %
\midrule
Atreides & 83 & 69 & 32 & \multirow{2}*{\bf{0.724}} & 95 & 14 & \multirow{2}*{\bf{0.843}} & 51 & 25 & \multirow{2}*{\bf{0.884}} & 85 & 33 & \multirow{2}*{\bf{0.652}}   \\
Harkonnen & 93 & 2 & 67 &  & 81 & 20 &  & 54 & 9 &  & 76 & 20 &                           \\ %
\midrule
5-10 & 82  & 75 & 11 & \multirow{4}*{\bf{0.382}} & 45 & 79 & \multirow{4}*{\bf{0.736}} & 37 & 41 & \multirow{4}*{\bf{0.581}} & 7 & 21 & \multirow{4}*{\bf{0.865}}   \\
11-15 & 21  & 0 & 8 &  & 11 & 2 &  & 63 & 50 &  & 16 & 84 &                           \\ 
16-20 & 87 & 18 & 60 &  & 47 & 84 &  & 86 & 81 &  & 85 & 57 &                           \\ 
21-25 & 29 & 96 & 95 &  & 55 & 0 &  & 97 & 30 &  & 67 & 24 &                            \\ %
\midrule
Bene Gesserit & 18 & 37 & 9 & \multirow{3}*{\bf{0.472}} & 27 & 94 & \multirow{3}*{\bf{0.406}} & 19 & 4 & \multirow{3}*{\bf{0.409}} & 47 & 90 & \multirow{3}*{\bf{0.872}}   \\
Fremen & 43  & 26 & 88 &  & 40 & 66 &  & 83 & 23 &  & 20 & 49 &                           \\ 
Other  & 12 & 54 & 71 &  & 30 & 43 &  & 21 & 75 &  & 88 & 73 &                           \\ %
\bottomrule
\end{tabular}
\end{sidewaystable}

% I need to include a sheet that is actually a Latex document as an embeded item
\begin{figure}[h]
\label{infosheet}
\caption{Mantra}
\paragraph{
I must not fear. Fear is the mind-killer. Fear is the little-death that brings total obliteration. I will face my fear. I will permit it to pass over me and through me. And when it has gone past I will turn the inner eye to see its path. Where the fear has gone there will be nothing. Only I will remain.}
\end{figure}

% This is too big to fit the page so should apear sideways on a new page after the last figure
%\begin{sideways}
\begin{figure}[h]
\includegraphics[width = 9.5 in, height = 6.5 in]{/home/mikey/Pictures/penguine-shield-small.png}
\caption{Icon of knowing} 
\end{figure}
%\end{sideways}

% This is another figue and should appear centered on the page after the last figure
\begin{figure}[h]
\includegraphics[width = 4 in, height = 6 in]{/home/mikey/Pictures/penguine-shield-small.png}
\caption{Icon of doing}
\end{figure}

% These references should begin after the tables and figures they should be single spaced 
\section{References}

\paragraph{Ahmes, A. 1650, \emph{Directions for Knowing All Dark Things}, 1st edn, Ahmes, Egypt.}
% Ignoring the fact that my university has us putting the publication date twice in our references you can see that the URL is not breaking so jutting out of the text area. This should wrap down, and should be underlined.
\paragraph{Portal Puzzle Wiki 2010, \emph{"File:03997821.398-06656556.646.png."} [internet]. London, Portal Puzzle Wiki (Published 2010). Available at: \underline{http://portalwiki.net/index.php/File:03997821.398-06656556.646.png} [Accessed 5th August 2010].}
\paragraph{Ahmes, A. 1650, \emph{Directions for Knowing All Dark Things}, 1st edn, Ahmes, Egypt.}
\paragraph{Portal Puzzle Wiki 2010, \emph{"File:03997821.398-06656556.646.png."} [internet]. London, Portal Puzzle Wiki (Published 2010). Available at: \underline{http://portalwiki.net/index.php/File:03997821.398-06656556.646.png} [Accessed 5th August 2010].}
\paragraph{Ahmes, A. 1650, \emph{Directions for Knowing All Dark Things}, 1st edn, Ahmes, Egypt.}
\paragraph{Portal Puzzle Wiki 2010, \emph{"File:03997821.398-06656556.646.png."} [internet]. London, Portal Puzzle Wiki (Published 2010). Available at: \underline{http://portalwiki.net/index.php/File:03997821.398-06656556.646.png} [Accessed 5th August 2010].}
\end{document}

[torbjorn t.]

I do not know if can help with all your problems, but I can give some assistance. There are several things to mention, so I'll just make a list:

• The \paragraph{..} command is for creating a paragraph heading, you're not supposed to put entire paragraphs within it, as you appear to have done. To start a new paragraph, insert two linebreaks (that is, just hit the enter key twice).
• You can use the setspace package to change line height, rather than fiddling with \baselinestretch.
• The geometry package lets you set the margins of the document easily.
• To center figures within the figure environment, add a \centering command after \begin{figure}.
• Quotation marks should be written ``...'', not "...".
• Obviously you know about url package, as it is included in your preamble, but commented out. Why not use it, as it will break URLs across lines.
• The \clearpage command will print all remaining floats, and then start a new page. Add this before your references.
• To create a bibliography you can use the thebibliography environment. (See section 4.2 of lshort or the LaTeX wikibook. More basic reading can be found here: http://www.latex-community.org/forum/vi ... f=5&t=2177)
• Last, a note about the code you provided: The keyword when creating examples is minimal. Packages that aren't used in the example code can be removed, placeholder text (if needed) can be added with the lipsum or blindtext packages, and repeating elements in the bibliography is just unnecessary. (See Avoidable mistakes.)

Best of luck with your dissertation!

Code: Select all

\documentclass[12 pt]{article}

\usepackage{graphicx}
\usepackage{url}

\newcommand{\otoprule}{\midrule[\heavyrulewidth]}
\usepackage{ctable}
\usepackage{multirow}

\usepackage{setspace}
\onehalfspacing

\usepackage[%
top=1in,
bottom=1in,
left=1in,
right=1in]{geometry}

\begin{document}

\title{Mentats and the Understanding of Prosesses and Knowing}

\author{Mikey M}
\maketitle
\begin{abstract}
A beginning is the time for taking the most delicate care that the balances are correct. This every sister of the Bene Gesserit knows. To begin your study of the life of Muad'Dib, then take care that you first place him in his time: born in the 57th year of the Padishah Emperor, Shaddam IV. And take the most special care that you locate Muad'Dib in his place: the planet Arrakis. Do not be deceived by the fact that he was born on Caladan and lived his first fifteen years there. Arrakis, the planet known as Dune, is forever his place.
\end{abstract}

\section{Introduction}

``A process cannot be understood by stopping it. Understanding must move with the flow of the process, must join it and flow with it."

Above all else, the mentat must be a generalist, not a specialist. It is wise to have decisions of great moment monitored by generalists. Experts and specialists lead you quickly into chaos. They are a source of useless nit-picking, the ferocious quibble over a comma. The mentat-generalist, on the other hand, should bring to decision-making a healthy common sense. He must not cut himself off from the broad sweep of what is happening in his universe. He must remain capable of saying: ``There's no real mystery about this at the moment. This is what we want now. It may prove wrong later, but we'll correct that when we come to it." The mentat-generalist must understand that anything which we can identify as our universe is merely a part of larger phenomena. But the expert looks backward; he looks into the narrow standards of his own specialty. The generalist looks outward; he looks for living principles, knowing full well that such principles change, that they develop. It is to the characteristics of change itself that the mentat-generalist must look. There can be no permanent catalogue of such change, no handbook or manual. You must look at it with as few preconceptions as possible, asking yourself: ``Now what is this thing doing?"

\section{Conclusion}

You will learn the integrated communication methods as you complete the next step in your mental education. This is a gestalten function which will overlay data paths in your awareness, resolving complexities and masses of input from the mentat index-catalogue techniques which you have already mastered. Your initial problem will be the breaking tensions arising from the divergent assembly of minutiae/data on specialized subjects. Be warned. Without mentat overlay integration, you can be immersed in the Babel Problem, which is the label we give to the omnipresent dangers of achieving wrong combinations from accurate information.

Education is no substitute for intelligence. That elusive quality is defined only in part by puzzle-solving ability. It is in the creation of new puzzles reflecting what your senses report that you round out the definitions.

\section{Tables and Figures}

In appearance order.
% only succeeds in adusting baseling for tables (should do references to)
\renewcommand{\baselinestretch}{1.0}
% Table 1: should appear directly after In appearance order
\begin{table}[h]%
\centering
\caption{Comparison of Trained and Untrained Mentats}
\label{tablepreinfandchange}\centering%
\begin{tabular}{lccccccc}
\toprule %
Group & Size & \multicolumn{3}{c}{Untrained}     & \multicolumn{3}{c}{Change}  \\
      & n & $\mu$ & $\sigma$  & p-value          & $\mu$ & $\sigma$ & p-value  \\ %
\otoprule
Spice & 103  & 33 & 22 & \multirow{2}*{\bf{0.005}} & 18 & 6 & \multirow{2}*{\bf{0.980}}    \\
No Spice & 97 & 27 & 18 &                      & 9 & 5 &             \\ %
\midrule
Atreides & 134  & 60 & 34 & \multirow{2}*{\bf{0.001}} & 14 & 7 & \multirow{2}*{\bf{0.651}}    \\
Harkonnen & 58 & 84 & 31 &                      & 19 & 51 &             \\ %
\midrule
5-10 & 75 & 64 & 41 & \multirow{4}*{\bf{0.021}} & 98 & 97 & \multirow{4}*{\bf{0.782}}    \\
11-15 & 57 & 88 & 51 &                      & 94 & 80 &             \\ 
16-20 & 5  & 47 & 36 &                      & 38 & 0 &             \\ 
21-25 & 42 & 79 & 88 &                      & 69 & 96 &             \\ %
\midrule
Bene Gesserit & 46 & 44 & 54 & \multirow{3}*{\bf{0.027}} & 47 & 62 & \multirow{3}*{\bf{0.012}}    \\
Fremen & 55 & 42 & 79 &                      & 37 & 83 &             \\ 
Other     & 45 & 60 & 31 &                      & 83 & 4 &             \\ %
\bottomrule
\end{tabular}
\end{table}
% Table 2: Should appear sideways after table 1, or on a new page after table 1 with no text appearing between.
\begin{sidewaystable}[h]%
\caption{Comparison of Mentat Skills}
\label{tablepreinfnormbelifs}\centering%
\begin{tabular}{lccccccccccccc}
\toprule %
Group & Size & \multicolumn{3}{c}{Analysis} & \multicolumn{3}{c}{Perception}  & \multicolumn{3}{c}{Abstraction} & \multicolumn{3}{c}{Calculation} \\
      & n & $\mu$ & $\sigma$  & p-value & $\mu$ & $\sigma$  & p-value & $\mu$ & $\sigma$  & p-value & $\mu$ & $\sigma$  & p-value \\ %
\otoprule
Spice & 16 & 41 & 78 & \multirow{2}*{\bf{0.143}} & 8 & 12 & \multirow{2}*{\bf{0.523}} & 14 & 96 & \multirow{2}*{\bf{0.634}} & 47 & 37 & \multirow{2}*{\bf{0.003}}   \\
No Spice & 79 & 35 & 48 &  & 75 & 41 &  & 10 & 6 &  & 43 & 59 &                           \\ %
\midrule
Atreides & 83 & 69 & 32 & \multirow{2}*{\bf{0.724}} & 95 & 14 & \multirow{2}*{\bf{0.843}} & 51 & 25 & \multirow{2}*{\bf{0.884}} & 85 & 33 & \multirow{2}*{\bf{0.652}}   \\
Harkonnen & 93 & 2 & 67 &  & 81 & 20 &  & 54 & 9 &  & 76 & 20 &                           \\ %
\midrule
5-10 & 82  & 75 & 11 & \multirow{4}*{\bf{0.382}} & 45 & 79 & \multirow{4}*{\bf{0.736}} & 37 & 41 & \multirow{4}*{\bf{0.581}} & 7 & 21 & \multirow{4}*{\bf{0.865}}   \\
11-15 & 21  & 0 & 8 &  & 11 & 2 &  & 63 & 50 &  & 16 & 84 &                           \\ 
16-20 & 87 & 18 & 60 &  & 47 & 84 &  & 86 & 81 &  & 85 & 57 &                           \\ 
21-25 & 29 & 96 & 95 &  & 55 & 0 &  & 97 & 30 &  & 67 & 24 &                            \\ %
\midrule
Bene Gesserit & 18 & 37 & 9 & \multirow{3}*{\bf{0.472}} & 27 & 94 & \multirow{3}*{\bf{0.406}} & 19 & 4 & \multirow{3}*{\bf{0.409}} & 47 & 90 & \multirow{3}*{\bf{0.872}}   \\
Fremen & 43  & 26 & 88 &  & 40 & 66 &  & 83 & 23 &  & 20 & 49 &                           \\ 
Other  & 12 & 54 & 71 &  & 30 & 43 &  & 21 & 75 &  & 88 & 73 &                           \\ %
\bottomrule
\end{tabular}
\end{sidewaystable}

% I need to include a sheet that is actually a Latex document as an embeded item
\begin{figure}[h]
\label{infosheet}
\caption{Mantra}
I must not fear. Fear is the mind-killer. Fear is the little-death that brings total obliteration. I will face my fear. I will permit it to pass over me and through me. And when it has gone past I will turn the inner eye to see its path. Where the fear has gone there will be nothing. Only I will remain.
\end{figure}

% This is too big to fit the page so should appear sideways on a new page after the last figure
%\begin{sideways}
\begin{figure}[h]
\centering
\includegraphics[width=0.8\textheight,angle=90]{/home/mikey/Pictures/penguine-shield-small.png}
\caption{Icon of knowing} 
\end{figure}
%\end{sideways}

% This is another figue and should appear centered on the page after the last figure
\begin{figure}[h]
\centering
\includegraphics[width = 4 in, height = 6 in]{/home/mikey/Pictures/penguine-shield-small.png}
\caption{Icon of doing}
\end{figure}

\clearpage
% These references should begin after the tables and figures they should be single spaced 
%\section{References}
\begin{thebibliography}{99}

\bibitem{ahmes1650}
Ahmes, A. 1650,
\emph{Directions for Knowing All Dark Things},
1st edn, Ahmes, Egypt.
% Ignoring the fact that my university has us putting the publication date twice in our references you can see that the URL is not breaking so jutting out of the text area. This should wrap down, and should be underlined.

\bibitem{PPWiki2010}
Portal Puzzle Wiki 2010,
\emph{"File:03997821.398-06656556.646.png."} [internet]. 
London, Portal Puzzle Wiki (Published 2010).
Available at: \url{http://portalwiki.net/index.php/File:03997821.398-06656556.646.png}
[Accessed 5th August 2010].

\end{thebibliography}
\end{document}

Edit: I removed a bracket that wasn't supposed to be there, and changed the wording of a sentence a little.

[localghost]

For your dissertation you should use a class that supports chapters (»report«, »book« or an according alternative class). You will need this document structure for such a comprehensive project.


Best regards and welcome to the board
Thorsten