IEEE Conference Paper

What is this IEEE conference template?

This template is the full official IEEE conference paper format produced by \documentclass[conference]{IEEEtran}, the class IEEE distributes for its conferences and that is already installed in every TeX distribution. It includes everything a complete submission needs: a title with a funding footnote via \thanks, a three-author block using \IEEEauthorblockN and \IEEEauthorblockA, the bold run-in Abstract and Index Terms, a drop-cap introduction with \IEEEPARstart, a numbered equation, an algorithmic listing, a booktabs table with the caption above, a figure with the caption below, an Acknowledgment section and an IEEE-style reference list.

It differs from the shorter Research Paper template, which also uses IEEEtran, by covering the complete format: correct author blocks with department, institution, city and email, keywords, acknowledgment, a table and a figure with proper IEEE captions, and five formatted references. Use this one when you are writing a real submission.

The IEEE format rules the class enforces

• US letter paper, two columns, 10 pt Times-like body font.
• 24 pt title, 11 pt author names, 10 pt affiliations, all centred.
• Two 3.5 in columns with a 12 pt gutter and margins set by the class. Do not load geometry or alter \textwidth.
• Abstract and Index Terms in bold with a run-in heading.
• Roman-numbered sections in small caps, lettered subsections in italics.
• Table captions above the table in small caps ("TABLE I"); figure captions below ("Fig. 1.").
• Numbered citations in square brackets, consecutive numbers collapsed by the cite package.
• No page numbers; the conference adds them when it builds the proceedings.

Walkthrough

Author block

\author{%
  \IEEEauthorblockN{1\textsuperscript{st} Given Name Surname}
  \IEEEauthorblockA{\textit{Dept. of Electrical Engineering} \\
    \textit{Example University}\\
    City, Country \\
    first.author@example.edu}
  \and
  ...
}

One N/A pair per author, separated by \and; IEEEtran places up to three blocks per row. The ordinal prefix (1st, 2nd) is the current IEEE conference template convention and can be deleted. For six or more authors sharing institutions, use the \IEEEauthorrefmark variant left as a comment in the source.

Abstract, keywords and introduction

abstract and IEEEkeywords must come after \maketitle. Keep the abstract to 150 to 250 words and give three to six comma-separated index terms in alphabetical order. \IEEEPARstart{D}{eep} produces the drop capital that opens IEEE papers; it is optional.

Equations, algorithms, tables and figures

The sample uses an aligned block inside equation so a long optimisation problem fits one column, an algorithmic listing for the method, and [htbp] floats for the table and figure. The figure is a TikZ bar chart so the template compiles without image files; replace it with \includegraphics[width=\columnwidth]{energy.pdf}. Wide tables or figures that need both columns use table* and figure*.

References

IEEE style lists authors as initials then surname, titles in quotation marks, venues abbreviated and in italics, and the year last. With BibTeX, remove the thebibliography block and use \bibliographystyle{IEEEtran} with \bibliography{refs}.

Switching between IEEE formats

Common errors

• "Command \thanks already defined" or \thanks ignored. Keep \IEEEoverridecommandlockouts right after the documentclass line, as in the template.
• Overfull equation. Break it with aligned or split; IEEE columns are only 3.5 in wide.
• Figure floats to the end. Use [!t] for top placement and make sure the figure is narrower than \columnwidth.
• Paper exceeds the page limit. Most IEEE conferences allow six pages with one or two paid extra pages; trim content rather than spacing, which is checked.

How to compile

1. In Octree: click Open as template and write with the live two-column preview.
2. In Overleaf: paste into a new project; pdfLaTeX is the default and IEEEtran is preinstalled.
3. Locally: pdflatex paper.tex twice for cross-references, or latexmk -pdf paper.tex.

Submitting to ICASSP, CVPR or another IEEE-style venue? See the conference deadlines page for typical submission windows.

Frequently asked questions

What is the IEEE paper format?

An IEEE conference paper is set on US letter paper in two columns of 10 pt Times text with a 24 pt centred title, author blocks under the title, a bold run-in Abstract and Index Terms, Roman-numbered sections with small-caps headings, numbered citations in square brackets and no page numbers. The IEEEtran LaTeX class in conference mode produces all of this automatically; you only supply the content.

Is IEEEtran the official IEEE template?

Yes. IEEEtran.cls is the class IEEE distributes for its transactions, journals and conferences, and the conference option matches the IEEE conference template on the IEEE author centre. It is included in TeX Live and MiKTeX, so no download is needed. Some conferences ship a copy of the class with their call for papers; it is normally the same file.

How many authors can I list and how do I share an affiliation?

There is no limit. Each \IEEEauthorblockN / \IEEEauthorblockA pair is one block, separated by \and; IEEEtran lays out up to three per row. For many authors sharing affiliations, use the commented alternative in the template: list names once with \IEEEauthorrefmark{1} markers and give each affiliation one \IEEEauthorblockA line.

Can I use BibTeX with this template?

Yes. The template ships with a hand-written thebibliography so it compiles standalone. Delete that environment, keep \bibliographystyle{IEEEtran} and add \bibliography{refs} pointing at your .bib file; IEEEtran.bst is bundled with the class. The cite package already loaded collapses consecutive numbers into ranges.

Why must I not change the margins?

IEEE PDF eXpress and the conference chairs check the page geometry. IEEEtran sets the margins, column width and gutter the IEEE specification requires; adding geometry or changing \textwidth produces a paper that fails the compliance check. If your paper is too long, cut text or figures instead.