How to read the table
A command takes arguments on one line. An environment has begin/end and wraps a block. If that split is unclear, open Command vs environment. Lengths have their own page so you do not resize a venue column by hand.
Text
- \emph{…}
- Semantic emphasis. Safer nesting than \textit.
- \textbf{…}
- Bold. Do not fake a heading with it.
- \textit{…}
- Italic. Terms and titles; prefer \emph for stress.
- \texttt{…}
- Monospace. Identifiers, paths, command names.
- \textsc{…}
- Small caps. Some venue fonts only fake them.
- \mbox{…} / \textrm{…}
- A short unbreakable word inside math.
- \noindent
- Skip indent on this paragraph. Do not zero parindent for the paper.
- \vspace{…}
- Local vertical space. Rare in a venue draft—it shoves floats.
Sections and pointers
- \section{…}
- Top-level section. Conference papers rarely need deeper than subsection.
- \subsection{…}
- A subsection.
- \paragraph{…}
- Run-in heading. Sometimes used in related work.
- \label{…}
- Names the current counter. Must follow the caption.
- \ref{…}
- The number of a section, figure, or table.
- \eqref{…}
- An equation number, with parentheses.
- \url{…}
- A breakable URL. Do not force a long DOI into \texttt.
Math
- \begin{equation}
- One numbered display.
- \begin{align}
- Aligned rows. Put & before the relation.
- \begin{gather}
- Several centered lines, not aligned.
- \frac{a}{b}
- A fraction. Fine in displays; consider \tfrac inline.
- \sum / \prod / \int
- Big operators. Limits with _ and ^.
- \left( … \right)
- Fences that grow. Skip left/right on a plain parenthesis.
- \mathrm{…}
- Upright text in math, such as the letters in arg min.
- \mathbf{…}
- Bold Latin. Vectors more often use \boldsymbol or a macro.
- \mathbb{R}
- Blackboard bold. Needs amsfonts / amssymb.
- \begin{pmatrix}
- Parenthesis matrix. Square brackets: bmatrix.
Floats
- \begin{figure}
- A single-column figure.
- \begin{figure*}
- A full-width figure. Use this for wide plots in two-column venue layouts.
- \includegraphics[width=…]{…}
- Insert a graphic. Tie width to \linewidth, not a raw 400pt.
- \caption{…}
- The caption. Below figures, above tables.
- \begin{table}
- A single-column table.
- \begin{tabular}{…}
- Column spec, such as lcr or @{}l r@{}.
- \toprule / \midrule / \bottomrule
- A three-line table. Skip vertical rules.
- \multicolumn{n}{c}{…}
- A header that spans columns.
Citations
- \cite{a,b}
- Inserts cites in the template style.
- \citet{key}
- natbib textual: Smith (2024).
- \citep{key}
- natbib parenthetical: (Smith, 2024).
- \bibliography{refs}
- BibTeX list. The class owns the bst.
- \printbibliography
- biblatex list. Do not also call \bibliography.
FAQ
- The card already lists some of these.
- The card follows writing order. This page follows kind, so you can check one command’s caveats.
- The template says undefined control sequence.
- Check the spelling, then whether this class provides it. Venue classes rarely let you \usepackage{titlesec} to restyle headings.