Advanced LaTeX

University thesis typesetting requirements are notoriously absurd. The University of Utah is no exception (try Googling "inverted pyramid thesis" and you'll find several Utah people searching for a solution to this bizarre puzzle). As part of writing my thesis, I ended up rewriting the thesis class for my university, and during this process learned more than I wanted to about several advanced features of LaTeX. I'm documenting these here in case anyone writing a thesis needs them.

A list of some tricky standards I was required to meet, that are (will be?) documented on this page:

• applying an inverted pyramid heading and subheading style
• numbering subsubsections
• no subheading listings for appendix (and only appendix) in table of contents
• preventing line breaks from occurring in section headers
• changing bibliography heading/TOC listing (how to do in LyX too)
• create/eliminate standalone "Appendices" page
• appendix numbering for sections, etc.
• page numbering for one-sided vs. two-sided printing

• consistent equation spacing (or, controlling equation spacing in general)
• triple spacing between title heading and section heading, and section heading and "quotes"
• 2 or more lines required beneath subheading listings if they are at the bottom of the page
• abstract title N inches from the top
• chapter title N inches from the top
• no page number for chapter pages
• making block quotes single-spaced (quotation environment)

• list of figures
• list of tables
• copyright page
• signature pages
• title page
• page number not on first abstract page, but on all subsequent abstract pages

• all of the ridiculous image crap I ended up dealing with, and what package[s] w{as,ere} used to fix the problems