Overleaf (Optional Project Writing)

Overleaf is a website for editing LaTeX source files and building them into a PDF with collaborators. Use it only for a project whose owner has approved the service and the material placed there.

Goal: edit an assigned writing project, verify that it compiles, and keep authorized source and PDF copies in the project’s durable handover location.

Prerequisites: an assigned project or template, an approved account, named collaborators, and an information-owner decision about material that may be uploaded.

Execution context: use Overleaf in your browser. Store milestone and handover exports in the supervisor-approved durable project location.

Use Overleaf only when your supervisor or project assigns it. It is not a Passport prerequisite. The project owner decides which service, template, collaborators, and information classification are approved.

1. Confirm The Project Before Uploading Anything#

Ask your supervisor for:

the approved Overleaf project or template;
the account you should use;
who may receive access;
whether the manuscript, figures, and data may be stored there;
where the source and final PDF must be archived.

Do not upload unpublished, personal, confidential, export-controlled, or partner material until its owner has approved this exact service and project.

2. Open The Assigned Project#

Sign in at https://www.overleaf.com/ with the account approved for the project.
Open the link provided by your supervisor.
If instructed to create your own copy, use Overleaf's Copy Project action once.
Rename the copy so its owner and purpose are clear.

A copy is a new project. Collaborators, comments, tracked changes, and history from the original are not automatically transferred. Re-add only authorized collaborators.

3. Compile The Unchanged Baseline#

Before editing:

identify the project's main .tex document;
select Recompile;
wait for the PDF or the first reported error;
record whether the unchanged project compiled.

Expected: the assigned template produces a PDF before your changes.

If it fails unchanged, stop and report the first meaningful error, project link, and template version to the project owner. Do not add packages at random or change the compiler until the owner confirms the intended setup.

4. Make And Verify One Small Edit#

Edit the named source file, not a generated file.
Recompile.
Confirm the intended text appears in the PDF.
Open Logs and output files and resolve the first meaningful error before later errors.

Use LaTeX source for structure rather than manual visual formatting. A minimal example is:

\section{Method}
\label{sec:method}

The test procedure is described here.

The project template owns its bibliography, acronym, figure, and package conventions. Inspect existing examples before adding a new package or file layout.

Use the project's Share control to add authorized collaborators through their own accounts. Do not create a public link unless the information owner explicitly approves public access. Confirm access with the collaborator rather than sharing your own account.

6. Export For Review And Handover#

Download both artifacts when the project requires a milestone or handover:

the compiled PDF;
the source .zip.

Overleaf exports these separately. Store them in the supervisor-approved durable project location and record the date or project revision. A browser download folder is not the authoritative archive.

Verification#

The unchanged assigned project compiled or its baseline failure was reported.
The edited source produces the intended PDF change.
The log has no unexplained fatal error.
Only authorized accounts can access the project.
The required source and PDF copies exist in approved durable storage.

If Blocked#

Wrong template or no access: ask the project owner; do not make an unrelated replacement project.
Copy compiles differently: a copied project can use a newer TeX Live version. Compare project compiler settings with the owner before editing.
Compilation fails: inspect the first meaningful error and its source line. Restore a known project revision if your last edit caused it.
Confidentiality is unclear: stop uploading and obtain an owner decision.
Handover location is unclear: keep the project unchanged until the owner names the durable destination.

Official Help#

Ask For Help When#

The assigned project or owner is unclear, baseline compilation fails, a collaborator cannot be authorized safely, protected material may have been uploaded, or no durable handover location has been assigned. Do not include protected manuscript content in a public support request.

Verified: 2026-09-05. Review by: 2027-03-05. Owner: project supervisor.