Where do I get the official IEEEtran class?

IEEEtran is distributed with every modern TeX Live and MiKTeX installation, so \documentclass{IEEEtran} usually works with no download. IEEE also publishes the official template and the IEEEtran.cls file through its Author Center and on CTAN. When submitting to a specific conference, always download that conference's current template package, because committees occasionally pin a particular IEEEtran version and bundle the correct bibliography style file.

What is the difference between the conference and journal IEEEtran options?

The class option sets the layout: \documentclass[conference]{IEEEtran} gives the two-column conference format, while [journal] produces the IEEE Transactions single-flow journal layout with different title and author blocks. There are also [technote] for brief papers and options like [10pt] or [draftcls] for a double-spaced review version with line numbers. Pick the option that matches the venue's call for papers before you start writing.

How do I handle IEEE references and citations?

IEEE uses numbered citations in square brackets. With BibTeX, set \bibliographystyle{IEEEtran} and cite with \cite{key}; the IEEEtran.bst style formats authors, titles, and venues to IEEE rules automatically. With BibLaTeX, use \usepackage[style=ieee]{biblatex}. Both produce the bracketed [1], [2] style IEEE requires. Never format references by hand — reviewers reject inconsistent reference lists.

How to Write an IEEE Conference Paper in LaTeX

To write an IEEE conference paper in LaTeX, use the IEEEtran document class with the conference option: \documentclass[conference]{IEEEtran}. This sets the mandatory two-column layout, IEEE fonts, and title/author block. Add your sections, cite with the IEEE numbered style, and you have a submission-ready paper. The class is bundled with TeX Live, so it usually works without any download.

1. The IEEE paper skeleton

\documentclass[conference]{IEEEtran}
\usepackage{cite}
\usepackage{amsmath, amssymb}
\usepackage{graphicx}
\usepackage{hyperref}

\title{Your Paper Title}
\author{\IEEEauthorblockN{First Author}
  \IEEEauthorblockA{\textit{Dept. Name} \\
  \textit{University} \\
  city, country \\
  [email protected]}}

\begin{document}
\maketitle

\begin{abstract}
This document is a model IEEE conference paper.
\end{abstract}

\begin{IEEEkeywords}
LaTeX, IEEE, formatting
\end{IEEEkeywords}

\section{Introduction}
\section{Related Work}
\section{Method}
\section{Results}
\section{Conclusion}

\bibliographystyle{IEEEtran}
\bibliography{refs}
\end{document}

2. The IEEE-specific commands

IEEEtran adds commands you won't see in the article class:

| Command | Purpose | |---|---| | \IEEEauthorblockN{} | Author name block | | \IEEEauthorblockA{} | Affiliation block | | \IEEEkeywords | Index terms environment | | \IEEEPARstart{T}{he} | Large drop-cap first letter |

3. Class options by paper type

| Option | Produces | |---|---| | conference | Two-column conference paper | | journal | IEEE Transactions layout | | technote | Brief/correspondence paper | | draftcls | Double-spaced review version |

Match the option to the venue's call for papers before writing.

4. Figures across two columns

In the two-column layout, a wide figure must span both columns. Use the starred float figure* so a full-width figure floats to the top of a page:

\begin{figure*}[t]
  \centering
  \includegraphics[width=\textwidth]{wide.png}
  \caption{A figure spanning both columns.}
\end{figure*}

See the images and figures guide and the two-column layout guide.

5. References and submission

Set \bibliographystyle{IEEEtran} for correct bracketed numbering — details in How to Add Citations. When you submit a camera-ready or arXiv preprint, follow the arXiv submission checklist, which requires the pre-compiled .bbl. Writing in a different venue's style? See the Springer sn-jnl guide.

→ Compile your IEEE paper instantly and co-write it with collaborators in LetX, starting from an IEEE template.

Written by Shihab Shahriar Antor — AI Engineer & Founder of Shahriar Labs, maker of LetX.