Top LaTeX Questions This Month: Community Answers

This Month's Top Questions

Every month, we scour LaTeX communities to find the questions that come up most often. Here are December 2025's most popular, with clear answers.

Q1: How do I make my bibliography appear correctly?

Asked: r/LaTeX, multiple times

The Problem:

\cite{smith2024}  % Shows [?]

The Answer:

You need to run BibTeX/Biber after LaTeX. The correct sequence:

pdflatex main.tex
biber main        # or: bibtex main
pdflatex main.tex
pdflatex main.tex

Most editors do this automatically. If using Thetapad, just hit compile—we handle the sequence.

Common issues:

• Citation key doesn't exist in .bib file
• .bib file path is wrong
• Using biber with natbib (need biblatex package)

Q2: Why is my figure on the wrong page?

Asked: TeX StackExchange, recurring

The Problem:

\begin{figure}
  \includegraphics{fig.png}
  \caption{My figure}
\end{figure}
% Figure appears pages later!

The Answer:

LaTeX floats figures for optimal layout. To control placement:

\usepackage{float}
\begin{figure}[H]  % H = exactly here
  \includegraphics{fig.png}
  \caption{My figure}
\end{figure}

Other options:

• [t] = top of page
• [b] = bottom of page
• [p] = on its own page

Q3: How do I number equations/figures/tables in a specific format?

Asked: r/LaTeX

The Problem: Equations show as "(1)" but you want "(1.1)" (chapter.number).

The Answer:

% Number by chapter
\numberwithin{equation}{chapter}
\numberwithin{figure}{chapter}
\numberwithin{table}{chapter}
 
% Or custom format
\renewcommand{\theequation}{\thesection.\arabic{equation}}

Q4: My table is too wide for the page. Help!

Asked: TeX StackExchange

The Problem: Table extends past margins.

The Answer:

Option 1: Scale it down

\resizebox{\textwidth}{!}{%
  \begin{tabular}{...}
  ...
  \end{tabular}
}

Option 2: Use tabularx for flexible columns

\usepackage{tabularx}
\begin{tabularx}{\textwidth}{|X|X|X|}
...
\end{tabularx}

Option 3: Use smaller font

\begin{table}
\small  % or \footnotesize
\begin{tabular}{...}
...
\end{tabular}
\end{table}

Q5: How do I add code with syntax highlighting?

Asked: r/LaTeX, multiple posts

The Answer:

For simple code:

\usepackage{listings}
\begin{lstlisting}[language=Python]
def hello():
    print("Hello, World!")
\end{lstlisting}

For prettier output:

\usepackage{minted}
\begin{minted}{python}
def hello():
    print("Hello, World!")
\end{minted}

Note: minted requires Python and Pygments. Use -shell-escape flag.

Q6: Why does $ $ give an error in my text?

Asked: Beginners, frequently

The Problem:

The price is $50.  % Error!

The Answer:

$ enters math mode in LaTeX. To print a dollar sign:

The price is \$50.  % Correct

Same for other special characters:

• \% for %
• \& for &
• \_ for _
• \# for #

Q7: How do I make a clickable table of contents?

Asked: TeX StackExchange

The Answer:

\usepackage{hyperref}
\hypersetup{
    colorlinks=true,
    linkcolor=blue,
    filecolor=magenta,
    urlcolor=cyan,
}

Now your ToC, references, and URLs are clickable.

Q8: Why do my PDFs have weird fonts?

Asked: r/LaTeX

The Problem: PDF looks different on different computers.

The Answer:

Embed fonts in your PDF:

\usepackage[T1]{fontenc}

Or use fonts that embed fully:

\usepackage{lmodern}  % Latin Modern
% or
\usepackage{newtxtext,newtxmath}  % Times-like

Q9: How do I add line numbers to my document?

Asked: r/LaTeX (for journal submission)

The Answer:

\usepackage{lineno}
\linenumbers  % In preamble
 
% To number every 5th line:
\modulolinenumbers[5]

Q10: My document compiles forever. What's wrong?

Asked: All platforms

The Problem: Compilation takes minutes or never finishes.

The Answer:

Common causes:

1. Infinite loop: Check for recursive \input or bad \loop
2. Huge images: Resize before importing
3. Complex TikZ: Use \tikzexternalize
4. Package conflicts: Isolate with binary search

Quick fix:

\documentclass[draft]{article}  % Skip image processing

Bonus: Quick Tips from the Community

From u/LaTeX_enjoyer:

"Always put one sentence per line. Makes version control diffs readable."

From @texpert:

"Use latexmk -pvc for continuous compilation while writing."

From StackExchange:

"The cleveref package is amazing. \cref{fig:x} automatically writes 'Figure 1' or 'Figures 1 and 2'."

Have a Question?

We'll feature top questions in next month's roundup.

• Ask on Reddit: r/LaTeX
• Ask on StackExchange: tex.stackexchange.com
• Or ask us directly via email

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