For most usages, you don't need to write the code. Sometimes buff out rough edges for your specific application, but in my 12 years in academia, I think I've only really _written_ Latex twice.

How do you typeset your research then?

By just using the existing "code"/markup. Similarly, I would not count writing markdown as programming. Now if you need some new stuff, e.g. complicated tree diagrams, it starts to turn into programming.

You could do it through Pandoc. Pandoc can process multiple data sources (citations, chapters, yamls etc.) and output a pdf.

You can turn on citation linking (in the text), you can apply a custom latex template.

Once it is all setup, you just write text in Pandoc Markdown.

Ok that makes a bit more sense, thanks for taking the time to educate me :)

There really isn't much code to write for a typical scientific document, just sectioning and math. You usually include the same preamble in your own documents and a preamble from the editor if you're targeting a scientific journal, but most of the time you focus on the content.

expanding on what others mentioned, usually each university has latex templates for their papers and reports which handle most of the complicated parts, the only real latex ive worked on for reports is for eqations and tables, and many people just use gui tools that generate the code for them.

New students do occasionally complain about images/figures not being where they are relative to the text in the code, thats a solvable problem in latex by embedding it in a minipage but honestly people complain about images having a mind of their own in word too ;)