IEEE Paper Format: Template, Layout Rules and Common Mistakes

The IEEE paper format is the layout used by IEEE journals and conferences in computing and engineering. It uses two columns, Times font, Roman section numbers, and bracketed reference numbers. Getting the layout right matters. Many IEEE events reject or return papers that do not match the template. This guide lists the main rules from the official IEEE templates. Always start with the official template for your target journal or conference.

IEEE Page Layout at a Glance

These values come from the standard US Letter conference template. A4 versions use different margins. Journals also have their own templates.

Title, Authors and Abstract

• Title: Keep it short and in title case. Avoid uncommon acronyms.
• Authors: List full names, department, school, city, country, and email. The template places up to three authors per row. Add more rows as needed.
• Abstract: Write one paragraph that starts with the bold-italic label Abstract—. Do not put citations or math symbols in the abstract. Most IEEE journals allow 150 to 250 words.
• Index Terms: List keywords after the abstract, labeled Index Terms—, in A–Z order.

Section Headings

IEEE uses a specific numbering style:

Do not number the Acknowledgment or References headings.

Figures and Tables

• Figure captions go below the figure: "Fig. 1. Block diagram of the proposed receiver." Cite it in text as "Fig. 1" even at the start of a sentence.
• Table captions go above the table with Roman numbers: "TABLE I" on one line and the title in small caps below it.
• Place figures and tables at the top or bottom of columns. Wide items can span both columns.
• Use readable text inside figures (8 to 10 pt at final size). Label axes with quantities and units, such as "Frequency (GHz)."
• Export sharp vector art or 300+ DPI images. Check the publisher's artwork rules.

Equations

Number equations in order with the number in parens at the right margin: (1), (2). Define every symbol the first time it appears. Italicize variables, and refer to equations as "(1)" or "Eq. (1)" at the start of a sentence. Use the equation editor or LaTeX rather than pasted images.

References in IEEE Format

IEEE uses numbered citations in square brackets, [1], in the order sources first appear. Order the reference list by number, not A–Z. Put initials before last names. Put article titles in quotation marks, and italicize short journal names. For example:

See our IEEE reference format examples for books, conference papers, websites, theses, standards, and datasets.

Common IEEE Formatting Mistakes

1. Changing the template margins or font sizes to squeeze inside the page limit.
2. Putting table captions below tables, or figure captions above figures.
3. Sorting references A–Z instead of by citation order.
4. Using author-year citations ("Smith, 2020") instead of bracketed numbers.
5. Using low-res or color-only plots that fail in black-and-white print.
6. Leaving placeholder text in the template.
7. Submitting PDFs with unembedded fonts that fail IEEE PDF eXpress checks.

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