Overleaf
{{short description|Cloud-based LaTeX editor}}
{{Infobox software
| title = Overleaf
| screenshot = Screenshot of Overleaf.png
| logo = Overleaf Logo.svg
| logo size = 86
| screenshot size = 270
| caption = Overleaf running as a PWA on Windows 11
| author = John Hammersley and John Lees-Miller
| repo = {{URL|https://github.com/overleaf/}}
| programming language = JavaScript
| platform = Web platform
| genre = Web application
| license = AGPLv3
| website = {{URL|https://www.overleaf.com/}}
}}
Overleaf is software for running a collaborative cloud-based LaTeX editor used for writing, editing and publishing scientific documents. More precisely, the term "Overleaf" may refer to the free-licensed software itself, to the main website running a proprietary version of the software, or to the organisation hosting the website running the proprietary software version.{{cite Q|Q133891194|url-status=live}}
The Overleaf organisation works with several scientific publishers to provide official journal LaTeX templates and direct submission links.
The Overleaf software was conceived by John Hammersley and John Lees-Miller, who started developing it in 2011 as WriteLaTeX, through their company WriteLaTeX Limited. Both are mathematicians and were inspired by their own experiences in academia to create a better solution for collaborative scientific writing. They launched a beta version of Overleaf on 16 January 2014, at the first #FuturePub event, held at the British Library in London.
After merging with ShareLaTeX in 2017, the developers released Overleaf v2, combining original features from both into a single cloud-based platform.
History
Overleaf was selected as one of the ten teams who participated to the 2013 Summer's Bethnal Green Ventures (BGV) accelerator programme. That program started on the July 1, 2013, and lasted for 3 months. The Demo Day of that BGV 2013 Summer program was held on the September 19, 2013.
The Overleaf organisation received strategic investment from Digital Science in 2014. Overleaf won Innovative Internet Business at the 2014 Nominet Internet Awards, and featured 99th in SyndicateRoom's 2018 list of Britain's top 100 fastest-growing business.
Overleaf was described as a tool for writing scientific publications in Nature,{{Cite journal|last=Perkel|first=Jeffrey M.|date=2020-03-31|title=Synchronized editing: the future of collaborative writing|journal=Nature|language=en|volume=580|issue=7801|pages=154–155|doi=10.1038/d41586-020-00916-6|pmid=32235940|bibcode=2020Natur.580..154P|url-access=subscription|url=https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-020-00916-6}} Science,{{Cite web|last1=Pain|first1=Elisabeth|date=2018-04-30|title=How to write your Ph.D. thesis|url=https://www.science.org/content/article/how-write-your-phd-thesis|access-date=2020-06-11|website=Science {{!}} AAAS|language=en}} Red Hat's opensource.com{{Cite web|date=3 November 2015 |first=Lois |last=Donnelly|title=A breakdown of FOSS for students and researchers in academia|url=https://opensource.com/education/15/11/foss-academic-research|access-date=2020-06-11|website=Opensource.com|language=en}} and the German IT magazine Heise Online.{{Cite web|title=LaTeX im Browser: Overleaf und ShareLaTeX fusionieren|url=https://www.heise.de/ix/meldung/LaTeX-im-Browser-Overleaf-und-ShareLaTeX-fusionieren-3779700.html|access-date=2020-06-11|website=iX Magazin|language=de}} In 2017, CERN, Europe's particle-physics laboratory near Geneva, provided the proprietary, hosted version of Overleaf to its members. A survey found that Overleaf was more popular than Authorea and doDoc.{{Cite journal |last1=Kasioumis |first1=Nikos |last2=Brancolini |first2=Valeria |year=2019 |editor-last=Forti |editor-first=A. |editor2-last=Betev |editor2-first=L. |editor3-last=Litmaath |editor3-first=M. |editor4-last=Smirnova |editor4-first=O. |editor5-last=Hristov |editor5-first=P. |title=Collaborative Scientific Authoring at CERN: A user-centered approach |journal=EPJ Web of Conferences |volume=214 |pages=07003 |doi=10.1051/epjconf/201921407003 |s2cid=203696999 |issn=2100-014X|doi-access=free }}
Overleaf provides templates for submission to scientific journals and conferences. For example, the IEEE{{Cite web|title=What is Overleaf?|url=https://supportcenter.ieee.org/app/answers/detail/a_id/1300/~/what-is-overleaf?|access-date=2020-06-11|website=IEEE}} and Springer{{Cite web|title=Write your article using Overleaf {{!}} Springer|url=https://www.springer.com/gp/authors-editors/journal-author/overleaf|access-date=2020-06-11|website=www.springer.com|language=en}} (including Nature{{Cite web|title=Submit a LaTeX manuscript to a Springer journal using Overleaf|url=https://support.nature.com/en/support/solutions/articles/6000127538-submit-a-latex-manuscript-to-a-springer-journal-using-overleaf|access-date=2020-06-11|website=Springer Nature Support|language=en}}) mention the possibility for submission using Overleaf.
= Merge with ShareLaTeX =
On 20 July 2017, Overleaf acquired ShareLaTeX to create a combined community of over two million users. This led to the creation of Overleaf v2, combining original features from both into a single cloud-based platform hosted at overleaf.com.
In May 2021, Lees-Miller (Overleaf), Paulo Reis (Overleaf), and Sven Laqua (Digital Science) were awarded the SIGCHI Best Case Study Award at the ACM CHI2021 Conference for their case study "Merging SaaS Products In A User-Centered Way: A Case Study of Overleaf and ShareLaTeX".{{Cite web |title=Merging SaaS Products In A User-Centered Way: A Case Study of Overleaf and ShareLaTeX (Conference entry) |url=https://programs.sigchi.org/chi/2021/program/content/56988 |access-date=2021-06-01 |website=SIGCHI |language=en}}{{Cite book |publisher=Association for Computing Machinery | location=New York | year=2021 |doi=10.1145/3411763.3443455 |language=en |last1=Reis |first1=Paulo |last2=Lees-Miller |first2=John D. |last3=Laqua |first3=Sven |title=Extended Abstracts of the 2021 CHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems |chapter=Merging SaaS Products in a User-Centered Way — A Case Study of Overleaf and ShareLaTeX |pages=1–8 |isbn=9781450380959 |s2cid=233987710}}
See also
{{Portal|Free and open-source software}}
- Collaborative real-time editor
- Comparison of TeX editors
- {{annotated link|TeX}}
References
{{Reflist|refs=
{{cite web |title=ScholarOne Partner Program |url=https://clarivate.com/webofsciencegroup/solutions/scholarone-partner-program/ |website=Web of Science Group |access-date=18 November 2019}}
{{cite web |title=New partnership between AIP Publishing and Overleaf provides an enhanced authoring experience |date=22 October 2018 |publisher=AIP Publishing |url=https://publishing.aip.org/about/news/new-partnership-between-aip-publishing-and-overleaf-provides-an-enhanced-authoring-experience}}
{{cite web |last1=King |first1=George |title=The Overleaf Founder Story |url=https://www.digital-science.com/blog/news/the-overleaf-founder-story |website=Digital Science News Blog |date=2 July 2015 |access-date=18 November 2019}}
{{cite web |title=Nominet Internet Award winners 2014 revealed |url=https://www.nominet.uk/nominet-internet-award-winners-2014-revealed |website=Nominet |date=3 July 2014 |access-date=8 January 2020 |language=en}}
{{cite web |title=Britain's Top 100 fastest-growing businesses 2018 |url=https://www.syndicateroom.com/guides-and-reports/100-fastest-growing-companies-uk-2018 |website=SyndicateRoom |access-date=8 January 2020 |language=en}}
{{cite web |last1=Shepherd |first1=Cameron |title=Digital Science Invests in London start-up WriteLaTeX |url=https://www.digital-science.com/blog/news/digital-science-invests-in-london-start-up-writelatex |website=Digital Science News Blog |date=23 July 2014 |access-date=9 March 2020 |language=en}}
}}
{{TeX editors}}
Category:Free software programmed in JavaScript
Category:Software using the GNU Affero General Public License