HFU LaTeX Template for Academic Theses

This LaTeX template complies with the guidelines of Furtwangen University, Faculty of Computer Science for academic theses (March 2023).

File Structure

project/
├── preamble.tex                           # Main LaTeX file
├── bibtex.bib                             # Bibliography and references
├── framework/                             # Framework files
│   ├── titlepage.tex                      # Title page
│   ├── abstract.tex                       # Abstract (English/German)
│   ├── abbreviations.tex                  # List of abbreviations
│   └── declaration_of_authorship.tex      # Declaration of authorship
├── chapters/                              # Folder for chapters
│   ├── 01_introduction.tex                # Chapter 1: Example chapter with basic LaTeX structure
│   ├── 02_fundamentals.tex                # Chapter 2: Example chapter with basic LaTeX structure
│   └── Other chapters...                  # Additional chapters
└── images/                                # Folder for images
    └── hfu_logo.png                       # HFU logo

LaTeX Setup

1. Install Strawberry Perl.
2. Install MiKTeX as LaTeX distribution.
3. Update MiKTeX by opening the MiKTeX Console, navigating to the Update tab, and clicking on Update now.
4. Start your favorite LaTeX editor (I recommend VS Code or IntelliJ IDEA with the LaTeX plugin).

Customization

1. Adjust Metadata (preamble.tex)

\newcommand{\thesistype}{Projektarbeit/Praxissemesterbericht/Bachelorarbeit/Masterarbeit}
\newcommand{\studyProgram}{Informatik}
\newcommand{\thesistitle}{Title of the Thesis}
\newcommand{\thesissubtitle}{Subtitle of the Thesis}
\newcommand{\supervisorname}{Prof. Dr. Supervisor Name}
\newcommand{\cosupervisorname}{Prof. Dr. Co-Supervisor Name}
\newcommand{\deadline}{\today}

\newcommand{\authorname}{Your Name}
\newcommand{\matriculationNumber}{xxxxxx}
\newcommand{\streetName}{Street Name, House Number}
\newcommand{\postalCode}{12345}
\newcommand{\city}{City Name}
\newcommand{\mail}{user-name@stud.hs-furtwangen.de}

2. Choose Citation Style

IEEE:

\usepackage[backend=biber,style=ieee,sorting=none]{biblatex}

APA:

\usepackage[backend=biber,style=apa]{biblatex}

3. Create Chapters

Create separate .tex files for each chapter in the chapters/ folder and include them in main.tex:

\input{chapters/01_introduction}

Custom Commands

The template provides several custom commands for consistency:

Reference Commands

\figureref{fig:label}      % Abbildung 1
\tableref{tab:label}       % Tabelle 1.2
\chapterref{chap:label}    % Kapitel 1
\sectionref{sec:label}     % Absatz 1.2
\equationref{eq:label}     % Gleichung 1.2

Page Commands

\newchapterpage            % New page for chapters, continues at the next page on the top left
\newsectionpage            % New page for sections, continues at the next page
\blankpage                 % Insert blank page

Text Formatting

\emphtext{important}      % Bold emphasis
\codetext{variable}       % Monospace for code

Formatting Guidelines

Font Sizes (HFU compliant)

• Title: 22pt, bold
• Main chapters: 14pt, bold
• Subchapters: 12pt, bold
• Body text: 12pt
• Footnotes: 10pt

Layout

• Margins: Inner 4cm (incl. binding), Outer 2.5cm, Top 3cm, Bottom 2cm
• Line spacing: 1.5 for body text
• Text alignment: Justified
• Main chapters: Start on right page

Headers

• Left/Inner: Chapter title
• Right/Outer: Page number
• Horizontal line separator

Language Settings

• Primary language: German (for HFU requirements)
• Secondary language: English
• Declaration: Both English and German versions included
• Abstract: Both languages as per HFU guidelines

Language Commands

\selectlanguage{english}   % Switch to English
\selectlanguage{ngerman}   % Switch to German, default

Special Features

Page Numbering

• Title page: No page number
• Front matter: Roman numerals (I, II, III, ...)
• Main matter: Arabic numerals (1, 2, 3, ...)

Lists and Tables

• Table of contents: Maximum 3 hierarchy levels
• List of figures: Only if figures present
• List of tables: Only if tables present
• List of abbreviations: Always required

Citations

• Direct quotes: Use sparingly, in quotation marks
• Indirect quotes: Preferred in technical work
• Source references: After each cited thought, not at end of paragraphs

Helpful Features

Bibliography Management

Add sources to bibtext.bib and cite with:

\cite{key}                 % Normal citation
\textcite{key}             % Author as part of sentence

Code Listings

\begin{lstlisting}[language=Python, caption=My Code, label=lst:example]
def hello_world():
    print("Hello, World!")
\end{lstlisting}

Figures and Tables

% Figure
\begin{figure}[htbp]
    \centering
    \includegraphics[width=0.8\textwidth]{images/example.png}
    \caption{Example figure}
    \label{fig:example}
\end{figure}

% Table
\begin{table}[htbp]
    \centering
    \caption{Example table}
    \label{tab:example}
    \begin{tabular}{@{}lcc@{}}
        \toprule
        Item & Value 1 & Value 2 \\
        \midrule
        A & 1 & 2 \\
        B & 3 & 4 \\
        \bottomrule
    \end{tabular}
\end{table}

Quick Start

1. Adjust metadata in main.tex
2. Create chapters in chapters/ folder
3. Add literature to bibtext.bib
4. Compile using the build.ps1 script or manually in your LaTeX editor