LaTeX Cheatsheet - LaTeX Academic Typesetting Reference
LaTeX rewards sticking to a few reliable snippets and punishes improvising at the last minute. Grouped by document structure, text formatting, math, lists, tables and references, each command shows its purpose and common companion packages. Use it to scaffold a paper skeleton, typeset math correctly, and wire up citations without re-opening the boring user guide. After reading you can draft an article that compiles on the first pass.
Document Structure 8
\documentclass{article}\usepackage[utf8]{inputenc}\usepackage{amsmath}\title{Title} \author{Author} \date{\today}\begin{document} ... \end{document}\maketitle\tableofcontents\section{} \subsection{} \subsubsection{}Text Formats 8
\textbf{bold}\textit{italic}\underline{underline}\emph{emphasis}\texttt{monospace}\footnote{footnote text}\label{sec:intro} \ref{sec:intro}\cite{key}Math Formulas 10
$E = mc^2$\[ E = mc^2 \]\begin{equation} ... \end{equation}\begin{align} ... \end{align}\frac{a}{b}\sqrt{x}\sum_{i=1}^{n} x_i\int_{a}^{b} f(x) dx\alpha \beta \gamma \delta\infty \partial \nablaList Environments 3
\begin{itemize} \item ... \end{itemize}\begin{enumerate} \item ... \end{enumerate}\begin{description} \item[term] desc \end{description}Tables 6
\begin{tabular}{|c|c|c|} ... \end{tabular}\hlinea & b & c \\\multicolumn{2}{|c|}{text}\begin{table}[htbp] ... \end{table}\caption{Caption} \label{tab:1}Charts 5
\usepackage{graphicx}\includegraphics[width=0.5\textwidth]{image.png}\begin{figure}[htbp] ... \end{figure}\caption{Caption} \label{fig:1}\begin{subfigure} ... \end{subfigure}References 5
\bibliographystyle{plain}\bibliography{references}\begin{thebibliography}{99} ... \end{thebibliography}\cite{key}\citep{key} \citet{key}Tips
- Use \left( and \right) in math to auto-size parentheses.
- Float placement [htbp]: h here, t top, b bottom, p separate page.
- Use \label and \ref for cross-references instead of hardcoding numbers.
FAQ
What are the essential LaTeX commands?
By purpose: structure uses \documentclass, \begin{document}/\end{document} and \section; text uses \textbf, \emph and \verb; math uses $...$ inline and $$...$$ display, \frac, \sum; lists use itemize/enumerate; tables use tabular; references use \cite with BibTeX/biblatex. This page groups copy-ready snippets.
How do I insert math formulas in LaTeX?
Inline math uses a single dollar pair like $E=mc^2$; display math uses double dollars $$...$$ or the equation environment. Use equation when you want a number, double dollars when you do not.
How do I add references in LaTeX?
Cite with \cite{key} in the body and print the list at the end with \bibliography{filename} or biblatex’s \printbibliography; entries live in a .bib file. Compile with BibTeX or biblatex to generate the list.
How do I quickly locate a LaTeX compile error?
Read the first error line in the compiler log — most issues (missing package, unclosed environment, unescaped special char) point at a specific line. Build a minimal compilable skeleton first, then add content, rather than editing heavily right before the deadline.
Official References
Each command links to its official documentation below, so you can verify the latest usage and read deeper.
Maintained by LaoHand
Publicly updated on Jul 21, 2026, continuously proofread against official docs.
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