Skeleton
A compiling conference paper is a class, a few packages, title block, abstract, sections, floats, and a bibliography. Textira already placed the class and columns—do not start a blank document beside it.
- \documentclass{…}
- Set by the venue. Do not swap it for article before you submit.
- \title / \author / \maketitle
- Use the class title commands; some venues want \IEEEauthorblock.
- \begin{abstract}
- Abstract block. Keep labs and grants out of a blind draft.
- \section / \subsection
- Sections. Starred forms usually skip the TOC and numbering.
- \label / \ref / \eqref
- Label, then cite. ?? on the first pass is normal—compile again.
Body text
Emphasize with semantic commands. Do not hand-set sizes and colors; grayscale print drops the signal.
- \emph{…}
- Emphasis. Nests more safely than hard-coded italics.
- \textbf{…}
- Bold. Skip it in already-bold headings.
- \texttt{…}
- Monospace for code, filenames, identifiers.
- \footnote{…}
- Asides. Conference footers are tight—prefer the body.
- \%
- A percent sign. A bare % in the source eats the rest of the line.
Math
Inline math is $…$ or \(…\). Numbered displays use equation. Align several lines with align, not a stack of $$.
- $…$ / \(…\)
- Inline math, in the sentence.
- \begin{equation}
- A numbered display you will refer to.
- \begin{align}
- Aligned lines. Number only the rows you cite.
- \frac{a}{b}
- A fraction. Use \tfrac if the line gets too tall.
- \label + \eqref
- Equation numbers. \eqref adds parentheses.
Figures and tables
figure and table float. In two-column venue layouts, use figure* and table* for full-width objects. Caption below a figure, above a table; put \label after \caption.
- \begin{figure}
- A floating figure. [htbp] is a hint, not an order.
- \includegraphics
- Insert a graphic. Size it with a fraction of \linewidth.
- \caption / \label
- Caption first, label second, or the number you cite will be wrong.
- \begin{tabular}
- The table body. Three-line tables use toprule / midrule / bottomrule.
Citations
The venue template already chose BibTeX or biblatex. Do not mix \bibliography and \printbibliography. A [?] on the first pass means run the bibliography, then compile again—not rewrite the sentence.
- \cite{key}
- In-text cite. The key must match the .bib entry.
- \citet / \citep
- natbib textual / parenthetical cites.
- \bibliography{…}
- Classic BibTeX bibliography list.
Log lines that actually matter
Read the first error. Later undefined-control-sequence and missing-$ lines are often fallout.
- Undefined control sequence: a typo, or a missing package
- Missing $ inserted: a subscript or Greek letter escaped into text mode
- Overfull \hbox: the line sticks out; in a venue draft, check a formula or table first
- Citation undefined / [?]: wrong key, or the bibliography pass has not run
- Reference undefined / ??: this pass has not seen the \label yet
FAQ
- I edited the preamble and the preview got worse.
- The venue class already loaded fonts, columns, and hyperlinks. Extra geometry or hyperref fights the template. Change layout by picking the official shell, not by patching the body.
- This card or the command list?
- Keep this page open while you write sentences. Open Commands when you need one row explained.