Git and GitHub for Authors

A guide to using Git and Github to manage source material, particularly for papers, publications and articles written with LaTex. Benefits of using Git in this way include: Source material can be written in an incremental but controlled way, keeping track of changes and version information. It facilitates the collaboration of more than one author. For this application using Git/GitHub provides a more sophisticated method to alternatives such as Google Docs. For authors using LaTex – because of it’s sophistication – other than file backup software there is no obvious solution to the need for revision control, archiving and so on. It provides a means for Authors to periodically archive and/or back up their material. It provides a means to access older versions of a document, particularly if it has been updated significantly. In some cases it can be used to demonstrate priority and/or copyright ownership.