# Your first paper

VersoFold is a writing and research workspace built around ordinary files. Your LaTeX sources, bibliography, figures and compiled PDF live in a folder you choose. You can use the same folder with a text editor, a terminal or an agent. VersoFold watches for saved changes and brings them into the app.

You do not need an AI account to write, compile, read PDFs, organize references or use the local research tools. Connect a model when you want assistant responses.

## Choose your starting point

- **Learn by doing:** choose **Try a practice project** on Home. It creates your own editable example with data, a figure, a table, linked results, and a writing board. Follow the [practice walkthrough](practice-project.md).
- **A new manuscript:** on Home, choose **New workspace**, give it a name and destination, and select Blank document, Research article, Research notes or Report.
- **An existing paper:** choose **Add a folder** and select the folder containing its `.tex` files and supporting assets. Add the whole project, not just an isolated chapter.
- **A paper to read:** choose **Open PDF** or drop a PDF on Home. VersoFold keeps a reading copy and leaves the original in place. Continue with the [reading guide](reading.md).
- **A long-term literature collection:** open **Reference library** from Home. It is shared across workspaces.

A saved workspace name is a library label. Changing it does not rename your source file or folder. Removing an entry from Home removes the library entry, not the files.

**Explore workflows**, available on Home and in Help, organizes the toolset around five goals: writing, reading and checking claims, connecting data, submitting and revising, and working with an agent. Each path explains the next steps and links to the relevant guides. In a manuscript, it can open the tools directly. Help also offers a task-specific starting point for the tool you are using.

## Write and compile your first document

1. Open the workspace and select its main `.tex` file from **Files**.
2. Use **LaTeX** to edit source or **Visual** to edit supported prose directly. **Split** lets you keep source and PDF together.
3. Make a small change, such as updating the title or adding a paragraph. Source editing autosaves; **⌘S** saves immediately.
4. Open the arrow beside **Recompile**. Confirm the document root and engine. For the standard article below, pdfLaTeX is suitable.
5. Choose **Recompile** or press **⌘Enter**. Look for a successful build and inspect its PDF. If the build fails, the build log opens with the errors; **⌘J** opens or closes it any time, and the footer's **Build log** button stays red until the errors are fixed.
6. Save a named milestone with **Save version** or **Review → Versions** before making a larger change.

```latex
\documentclass{article}
\usepackage{amsmath}
\usepackage{graphicx}
\usepackage{hyperref}

\title{My first paper}
\author{Your name}
\date{\today}

\begin{document}
\maketitle
\begin{abstract}
A short statement of the problem, approach, and result.
\end{abstract}
\section{Introduction}
Here is the first paragraph of the paper.

Here is another paragraph, separated by a blank line.
\end{document}
```

> **Remember:** saving changes the source on disk. Compiling produces a new PDF. A saved source can be newer than the PDF you are looking at.

To see where the paragraph you are writing landed on the page, press **⌘⇧J** (**Show in PDF**). Double-click a word in the PDF to jump back to its source.

## Add a reference and a figure

Open **Bibliography** to inspect the paper's entries or **Reference library** to collect a paper by DOI, arXiv link or BibTeX. In LaTeX, begin typing `\cite{` and search by title, author or citation key. Selecting a library entry adds its bibliography record to the workspace. Your document still needs a bibliography command or template configuration; see [references and citations](references.md).

For an existing image, use **Snippets & wrappers** and choose a figure template. Pick the image, check the caption and label, and insert it. For a plot from data, open **Figures → Figure Studio** and follow [Figure Studio](figures.md).

## Make a comfortable workspace

Choose the two views in **Split**, then use **Swap panes** or change the orientation. Drag the divider to give the writing pane more room. **Focus** folds away side panels temporarily. **Workspace memory** saves arrangements for writing and review.

The first time you open a paper, a one-minute tour points at these controls; replay it from **Help → Take the workspace tour**. Use **Write**, **Research**, **Review**, and **Publish** to browse tools, or **⌘K** to find a feature by name. **Help → Documentation & guides** opens this handbook at the relevant editor or reader. The handbook is searchable, works from bundled content, and leaves the current workspace open underneath.

## If something goes wrong

Open the build log when compilation fails and start with the first error. Check that the selected root is a complete document, the expected engine is available, and all referenced files are inside the project. Do not repeatedly rewrite unrelated text to fix a build. The [compilation guide](builds-pdf.md) and [troubleshooting guide](troubleshooting.md) explain the common cases.

Next: [Home & workspaces](workspaces.md), [LaTeX from the beginning](latex-basics.md).