http://www.nature.com/naturejobs/science/articles/10.1038/nj7090-252b
Author: Georgia Chenevix-Trench

Some tips for PhD students.

Doing a PhD should be fun and rewarding, because you can spend all your working time discovering things and pursuing ideas — and getting paid for it, without any administrative responsibilities. Those who stick with a career in science do so because, despite the relatively poor pay, long hours and lack of security, it is all we want to do.

Unfortunately most new PhD students are ill-prepared, and as a consequence very few will fulfil their aspirations to be independent scientists. The main reasons for this are the 'grade creep' inherent at most universities, making it difficult to identify the really talented first-class graduates from the rest, and the pressure on universities to graduate as many PhD students as possible. The consequence is that we enrol far too many of them without telling them clearly what doing a doctorate should entail. We therefore set ourselves, and the students, on a path of frustration and disappointment.

So what should we be telling prospective PhD students?

\begin{subequations}\label{*}
\begin{align}
 & x+y = 3, \\
 & z = 4,
\end{align}
\end{subequations}

x+y = 3,   (1a)
z = 4.       (1b)

转自：http://hubl82.blog.163.com/blog/static/1267694852013459412617/

在导言区通过定义命令\documentclass的可选参数，可以对页面进行一些控制，比如可以设置显示为单栏还是两栏，每页页码如何显示，以及文中行间公式编号如何显示。

A．分栏

导言区\documentclass的可选参数可以用来分栏，可选参数有onecolumn(不分栏，默认值)和twocolumn(两栏)。

如果选用twocolumn，则全文分为两栏，并且两栏间间距及分割线粗细都有默认值，也可以在导言区自行修改。

设置两栏间距的命令为：
       \setlength{\columnsep}{宽度}
设置两栏间分隔线宽度的命令为：
       \setlength{\columnseprule}{宽度}
两栏间分割线宽度的默认值是0，表示不显示分割线。

A very good paper that teaches me a lot on how to read a research paper.

转自: http://blog.renren.com/GetEntry.do?id=861561401&owner=254997247 

为方便利用LaTeX的命令，需要在把Matlab图形中title、xlabel、ylabel、zlabel、textbox和legend等的Interpreter属性设定为latex。首先，在Matlab中使用LaTeX语言的格式有三种：
1、\( LaTeX命令\)
2、$ LaTeX命令$
3、$$ LaTeX命令$$

When you want to realize paragraph indents in latex, you can use the following commands:

\usepackage{changepage} % add this to the head section

\begin{adjustwidth}{x cm}{y cm} %the paragraph indention on the left is x cm and the
                                                           one on the right is y cm.
  the paragraph you want to indent.....
\end{adjustwidth} 

From http://www.chinatex.org/bbs/forum.php?mod=viewthread&tid=7423

In latex, you may find that the bold command for text or math may not work for roman alphabet such as $\alpha$, $\lambda$.

In this case, you can use the command $\pmb$. This command can achieve the bold through print the character three times. 

所需头文件

\usepackage{graphicx}   % 图片宏包
\usepackage{caption2}   % 为了去掉系统默认的图标题及编号

代码内容

\begin{figure*}[!htbp]
\centering
\begin{minipage}[t]{0.4\textwidth}
\centering
\makeatletter
\def\fnum@figure{}
\makeatother
\renewcommand{\captionlabeldelim}{}
\includegraphics[scale=.4]{fig1.eps} %适当改变scale改变重叠问题， fig1.eps为图像源文件
\caption{Fig.1. }
\label{fig:fig1}
\end{minipage}
\begin{minipage}[t]{0.4\textwidth}
\centering
\makeatletter
\def\fnum@figure{}
\makeatother
\renewcommand{\captionlabeldelim}{}
\includegraphics[scale=.4]{fig1.eps} %同上
\caption{Fig.2}
\label{fig:fig2}
\end{minipage}
\end{figure*}

引用格式如下:

\ref{fig:fig1}

此方法同样适用于table命令

注：此文转自：http://xinjieforever.blog.hexun.com/62807409_d.html

Several days ago, during our discussion, my supervisor talked how to do research as a PhD student with me. He told me that I should try to create a new research topic instead of  following the research of others’. Only in this way, can I make a great contribution during my research.

 In addition, “creative thinking would play a vital role if I want to make a big contribution”, he said. To think creatively means that I should jump out of my normal thought patterns and try to activate the brain cells that are not used normally (Scientific experiments showed that only 3% of our brain cells are used frequently in our daily life). To make me more clearly, he gave a mathematical example:

The equation 25-1=31 seems incorrect on the surface. But it may be correct if you see it from another perspective, which is 2^5 -1=31.

From that talk, I learned that when we meet a problem, we should try to think it from multiple points of view and never fall in the normal thinking model. Besides, just put the unsolved problem in the mind and think it in your spare time, e.g., on the train, washing the dishes and before falling asleep, etc.