Skip to main content

Producing maths notes in an accessible format

This is a starting point for anyone who wants or needs to turn their LaTeX maths notes into accessible formats.

The two main options

(1) Produce notes in LaTeX and convert directly to HTML, using lwarp.
(2) Produce notes in bookdown or Rmarkdown.

Option (1) is the quickest and least effort if you already have notes and are after a one-off, simple solution.

However, Option (2) is in some ways cleaner and more versatile, and LaTeX source can also be converted to bookdown - so Option (2) might be better if you are willing to put in a small amount of extra effort now for greater reward later.

To get started with lwarp, click here to read Fran Burstall's guide. Note that you will need an up-to-date TeX installation (roughly 2019 or later) for lwarp to work.

To get started with bookdown / Rmarkdown, the Learning and Teaching Hub have written a guide, which includes several useful references to further resources, including a Teams usergroup that many people have found useful.

Other options

Pandoc could be worth a try - if anyone has any information on how well it works, please let me know.

Some people might prefer the "look" of PreTeXt, and be willing to put up with the relatively cumbersome syntax. Miles Wheeler has offered to have a chat with anyone looking to get started.

HackMD is another option similar to bookdown.

Some more helpful hints

  • You don't need to upload files individually (html, css, images one by one) to Moodle. You can zip them, upload the zip file, and unzip on Moodle. Remember to set the html file as your "main file".
  • RStudio provide a helpful reference sheet for Rmarkdown.
  • RStudio are releasing a new markdown preview feature that might be useful.
  • Emma Cliffe from MASH has produced a system called ClavertonDown based on Bookdown and RMarkdown that might deal with Theorems etc in a nicer way.
  • If you are struggling with the conversion process, or want more information about how we support students and staff, you can contact MASH access.

On this page