How to format a paper with the IEEE LaTeX template

1. Choose conference or journal mode

The class option sets the layout. For a conference paper:

\documentclass[conference]{IEEEtran}

For a transactions or journal article:

\documentclass[journal]{IEEEtran}

Check your venue's author instructions: some conferences also require a specific paper size or a copyright notice on the first page.

2. Title and authors

Conference papers use IEEE's author blocks, which lay authors out side by side:

\title{Your Paper Title}
\author{\IEEEauthorblockN{First Author}
\IEEEauthorblockA{Department, University\\City, Country\\email@uni.edu}}
\maketitle

Journal papers usually put affiliations in a footnote with \thanks{}. Keep the title in title case and avoid symbols and abbreviations in it.

3. Abstract and index terms

\begin{abstract}
One paragraph, no citations, no equations.
\end{abstract}
\begin{IEEEkeywords}
keyword one, keyword two
\end{IEEEkeywords}

IEEE abstracts are a single paragraph; many venues cap them at around 150–250 words, so check the limit.

4. Sections, figures and tables

Use \section{} and \subsection{}; the class numbers them in IEEE style. A figure that fits one column uses the figure environment; one that spans both columns uses figure*:

\begin{figure}[t]
\centering
\includegraphics[width=\columnwidth]{figures/results}
\caption{Results on the test set.}
\label{fig:results}
\end{figure}

IEEE puts table captions above the table and figure captions below the figure. Keep tables within the column width, or use table* for a wide one.

5. Equations

Number equations you refer to and cite them as Eq.~\eqref{eq:loss}. Load amsmath for align and \eqref. Long equations in a two-column layout may need to be split across lines.

6. References

IEEE uses numbered references in order of citation. With BibTeX:

\bibliographystyle{IEEEtran}
\bibliography{refs}

Cite with \cite{key}; several at once as \cite{a,b,c}. Clean the .bib first — duplicates and missing fields are the most common cause of broken reference lists. The BibTeX cleaner fixes both, and the citation generator gives BibTeX for a DOI.

7. Common compile errors

• Undefined control sequence — a command from a package you didn't load, or a typo.
• Missing $ inserted — math characters such as _ or ^ outside math mode.
• Citation undefined — run BibTeX and compile again, or check the key.
• Overfull hbox — a line too wide for the column; rephrase or allow a line break in long words and URLs.

In Format Studio each error is marked on its line, and the AI assistant can read the log and propose a fix.

A minimal working example

Put together, a complete conference paper skeleton looks like this — add a refs.bib with the cited key and it compiles with the IEEEtran class:

\documentclass[conference]{IEEEtran}
\usepackage{amsmath,graphicx}
\begin{document}
\title{A Short Example Paper}
\author{\IEEEauthorblockN{First Author}
\IEEEauthorblockA{Department, University\\ City, Country}}
\maketitle
\begin{abstract}
One paragraph summarising the problem, method and result.
\end{abstract}
\begin{IEEEkeywords}
example, template, formatting
\end{IEEEkeywords}
\section{Introduction}
State the problem and cite prior work~\cite{key2020}.
\section{Method}
\begin{equation}
  L = \sum_{i=1}^{n} (y_i - \hat{y}_i)^2 \label{eq:loss}
\end{equation}
\section{Conclusion}
Summarise the contribution.
\bibliographystyle{IEEEtran}
\bibliography{refs}
\end{document}

Open the IEEE template in Format Studio to get this structure with the class already staged, then replace the placeholders with your paper.

Checklist before you submit

• Correct class option (conference or journal) and page limit.
• No overfull lines in the final PDF.
• All figures readable in grayscale and at column width.
• Every reference complete, in citation order.
• Fonts embedded in the PDF (IEEE PDF eXpress checks this).