This is a good beginner doc.
I'd never used LaTeX until about a year ago when I needed it to write a paper. The first thing I wondered was how to install it. Surely in 2015 installation would be a snap. It'd be in the App Store. Or Homebrew.
Do not install LaTeX. Use it in the cloud. I use www.overleaf.com which is awesome. Similarly, I use www.draw.io to create PDFs for my drawings.
\usepackage{microtype}
\usepackage[hang,font=bf]{caption}
\usepackage{natbib}
\usepackage[unicode=true]{hyperref}
\usepackage[noabbrev,capitalise,nameinlink]{cleveref}
\usepackage{amsmath}
\usepackage{csquotes}
\usepackage{minted}
\usepackage{inconsolata}
\usemintedstyle{bw}
\usepackage{float}
\usepackage{siunitx}
\usepackage{booktabs}
\usepackage{url}
\usepackage{graphicx}
\usepackage{textcomp}
\usepackage{fixltx2e}