Comparison of Word and LaTeX in Convenience and Efficiency
At the Department of Psychology, Experimental Psychology and Cognitive Sciences of the University of Giessen (Germany) conducted a comparative study of text editors LaTeX and Microsoft Word on the convenience and efficiency in the preparation of documents (scientific articles).
As part of the study, 40 scientists from various scientific disciplines prepared articles in Microsoft Word or LaTeX. The test article included blocks of continuous text, text with tables and subtitles, as well as complex text with mathematical expressions.
The study revealed that LaTeX users are slower than Microsoft Word users, typing less text in the same time, make more typos, spelling and grammatical errors, as well as formatting errors. For most of the parameters, even LaTeX experts show worse performance than novices in Word.
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On the other hand, LaTeX users more often reported using the software than Word users. In addition, LaTeX showed the best result in typing with formulas.
Relative efficiency by the average amount of plain text entered per 30 minutes (blue) and the total number of errors (red) for four groups
Relative efficiency by the average amount of entered text with tables in 30 minutes (blue) and the total number of errors (red) for four groups
Relative efficiency by the average amount of entered text with formulas in 30 minutes (blue) and the total number of errors in the formulas (red) for four groups
The authors urge individual researchers, as well as scientific institutions to be more careful in their choice of software. They also deny any connection with Microsoft.
Choosing the right software affects the effectiveness of scientific research and, therefore, saves taxpayers money. In 2010, 27 EU countries allocated 247 billion euros for research, which is 1.9% of GDP. Much of this money comes from the salaries of scientists.
In general, around 5.8 million scientists and research engineers are working around the world (information from the American Association for the Advancement of Science). Unfortunately, there is no statistics on how many of them use LaTeX. A rough estimate, according to the analysis of articles submitted for publication in the scientific press, such 26% of the total, with significant variations between scientific disciplines.
As part of the study, 40 scientists from various scientific disciplines prepared articles in Microsoft Word or LaTeX. The test article included blocks of continuous text, text with tables and subtitles, as well as complex text with mathematical expressions.
The study revealed that LaTeX users are slower than Microsoft Word users, typing less text in the same time, make more typos, spelling and grammatical errors, as well as formatting errors. For most of the parameters, even LaTeX experts show worse performance than novices in Word.
')
On the other hand, LaTeX users more often reported using the software than Word users. In addition, LaTeX showed the best result in typing with formulas.
Relative efficiency by the average amount of plain text entered per 30 minutes (blue) and the total number of errors (red) for four groups
Relative efficiency by the average amount of entered text with tables in 30 minutes (blue) and the total number of errors (red) for four groups
Relative efficiency by the average amount of entered text with formulas in 30 minutes (blue) and the total number of errors in the formulas (red) for four groups
The authors urge individual researchers, as well as scientific institutions to be more careful in their choice of software. They also deny any connection with Microsoft.
Choosing the right software affects the effectiveness of scientific research and, therefore, saves taxpayers money. In 2010, 27 EU countries allocated 247 billion euros for research, which is 1.9% of GDP. Much of this money comes from the salaries of scientists.
In general, around 5.8 million scientists and research engineers are working around the world (information from the American Association for the Advancement of Science). Unfortunately, there is no statistics on how many of them use LaTeX. A rough estimate, according to the analysis of articles submitted for publication in the scientific press, such 26% of the total, with significant variations between scientific disciplines.
Source: https://habr.com/ru/post/375109/
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