{
 "schemaVersion": 1,
 "generated": "2026-10-30",
 "dataLicense": "CC BY-SA 4.0",
 "license": "CC BY-SA 4.0",
 "notice": "Data from Open Source Everything (https://opensourceeverything.org), licensed CC BY-SA 4.0: use it freely, credit the site, link to the page, and share changes under the same license. Listings were drafted with AI assistance and are managed by the r/TrueOpenSource moderators; check a project's own page before relying on a fact.",
 "id": "academic-writing",
 "name": "Writing scientific papers",
 "page": "https://opensourceeverything.org/g/academic-writing/",
 "category": "office",
 "categoryName": "Office & productivity",
 "job": "Writing papers and theses with LaTeX or Typst",
 "closedApps": [
  "Overleaf"
 ],
 "coverage": "one-full",
 "alternatives": [
  {
   "id": "typst",
   "name": "Typst",
   "page": "https://opensourceeverything.org/p/typst/",
   "summary": "Typst is a writing system for making formatted documents such as papers, reports and books, using plain text commands instead of a visual editor. It is aimed at people who write technical documents and want something easier to learn than LaTeX.",
   "kind": "developer_tool",
   "setup": "advanced",
   "setupWhy": "Made for developers: you use it from code or the command line.",
   "platforms": [
    "windows",
    "mac",
    "linux"
   ],
   "license": "Apache-2.0",
   "licenseClass": "open",
   "licenseNeedsCheck": false,
   "stars": 56855,
   "forks": null,
   "status": "active",
   "verified": false,
   "latestRelease": null,
   "code": "https://github.com/typst/typst",
   "website": "https://typst.app",
   "download": null,
   "release": null,
   "family": null,
   "familyChildren": [],
   "howToHelp": null,
   "project": "typst",
   "rank": 1,
   "fit": "full",
   "note": null,
   "why": "Does the whole job · Advanced setup",
   "score": 62.3
  },
  {
   "id": "texstudio",
   "name": "TeXstudio",
   "page": "https://opensourceeverything.org/p/texstudio/",
   "summary": "TeXstudio is a free desktop program for writing documents with LaTeX, a markup system often used for scientific papers. It is aimed at people who write technical or academic documents and want an easier editing environment.",
   "kind": "app",
   "setup": "easy",
   "setupWhy": "Install it like a normal app, or use it in your browser.",
   "platforms": [
    "windows",
    "mac",
    "linux"
   ],
   "license": "GPL-3.0",
   "licenseClass": "open",
   "licenseNeedsCheck": false,
   "stars": 3680,
   "forks": null,
   "status": "active",
   "verified": false,
   "latestRelease": null,
   "code": "https://github.com/texstudio-org/texstudio",
   "website": "https://www.texstudio.org",
   "download": null,
   "release": null,
   "family": null,
   "familyChildren": [],
   "howToHelp": null,
   "project": "texstudio",
   "rank": 2,
   "fit": "partial",
   "note": "Covers LaTeX papers only; Typst is not mentioned in the README.",
   "why": "Does part of the job · Easy setup",
   "score": 41.7
  },
  {
   "id": "overleaf-community-edition",
   "name": "Overleaf Community Edition",
   "page": "https://opensourceeverything.org/p/overleaf-community-edition/",
   "summary": "Overleaf Community Edition is free software for writing documents in LaTeX, a formatting system often used for scientific papers, in a web browser with others in real time. It is meant for people who run their own server, such as a lab or workplace, where all users are trusted.",
   "kind": "self_hosted",
   "setup": "advanced",
   "setupWhy": "You run it on your own server (a computer you set up and keep running), or from the command line.",
   "platforms": [
    "server"
   ],
   "license": "AGPL-3.0",
   "licenseClass": "open",
   "licenseNeedsCheck": false,
   "stars": 18286,
   "forks": null,
   "status": "active",
   "verified": false,
   "latestRelease": null,
   "code": "https://github.com/overleaf/overleaf",
   "website": null,
   "download": null,
   "release": null,
   "family": null,
   "familyChildren": [],
   "howToHelp": null,
   "project": "overleaf-community-edition",
   "rank": 3,
   "fit": "partial",
   "note": "Covers LaTeX only; Typst is not mentioned in the material.",
   "why": "Does part of the job · Advanced setup",
   "score": 38.8
  },
  {
   "id": "lyx",
   "name": "LyX",
   "page": "https://opensourceeverything.org/p/lyx/",
   "summary": "LyX is a document editor that looks like a word processor but produces professionally typeset documents using the LaTeX typesetting engine. It is for people who write papers, theses, and books and want them to look polished without manual formatting work.",
   "kind": "app",
   "setup": "easy",
   "setupWhy": "Install it like a normal app, or use it in your browser.",
   "platforms": [
    "windows",
    "mac",
    "linux"
   ],
   "license": "GPL-2.0-or-later",
   "licenseClass": "open",
   "licenseNeedsCheck": true,
   "stars": 44,
   "forks": null,
   "status": "inactive",
   "verified": false,
   "latestRelease": null,
   "code": "https://github.com/cburschka/lyx",
   "website": "https://www.lyx.org",
   "download": null,
   "release": null,
   "family": null,
   "familyChildren": [],
   "howToHelp": null,
   "project": "lyx",
   "rank": 4,
   "fit": "partial",
   "note": "Writes LaTeX documents but does not mention Typst; needs a LaTeX install.",
   "why": "Does part of the job · Easy setup · No recent activity",
   "score": 9
  }
 ],
 "source": "https://opensourceeverything.org/g/academic-writing/",
 "group": "Writing scientific papers",
 "replaces": [
  "Overleaf"
 ]
}