Free tool
IEEE format converter
Drop in your paper and get it back in IEEE format: two columns, 10 pt Times New Roman, IEEE headings and numbered references. Or start from a blank IEEE template.
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Your first conversion is free. Export to Word or PDF from the File menu.
The editor works on a laptop or desktop. Open this page on your computer to use the tool. Everything below works on your phone.
[Paper Title in Title Case]
[First Author], [Second Author]
[Department, University, City, Country]
[email@university.edu]
Abstract—[One paragraph, no citations. State the problem, what you did, the main result, and why it matters.]
Index Terms—[three to five terms, in alphabetical order]
I. Introduction
[The problem, why it matters, and what this paper contributes. Cite prior work by number, like this [1].]
II. Methods
A. [Subsection Heading]
[How the work was done.]
III. Results
[What you found. Refer to each figure and table before it appears, e.g. Fig. 1 and Table I.]
IV. Conclusion
[What the results show and what comes next.]
Acknowledgment
[Optional.]
References
[1] A. B. Author, "Title of article," Abbrev. Title of Journal, vol. x, no. x, pp. xxx–xxx, Mon. year.
Guide
IEEE layout
These are the defaults from IEEE's US-letter conference template. Conferences sometimes change them, so check the call for papers.
- Page
- US letter, 8.5 × 11 in.
- Margins
- 0.75 in top, 1 in bottom, 0.625 in left and right.
- Columns
- Two, each 3.5 in wide, 0.25 in apart. The title and author block span both columns.
- Body text
- Times New Roman, 10 pt, single spaced.
- Title and authors
- Title 24 pt, author names 11 pt, affiliations 10 pt.
- Abstract and index terms
- 9 pt bold.
- References
- 8 pt.
Guide
Title block, abstract and index terms
The title goes at the top, centered across both columns, followed by the authors and their affiliations. The abstract starts with the word "Abstract" in italic followed by a dash, is written as one paragraph and has no citations. After it, "Index Terms" (called "Keywords" in some conference templates) lists a few terms readers would search for.
Guide
Headings
- Level 1
- Roman numerals, small caps, centered: "I. Introduction", "II. Methods".
- Level 2
- Capital letters, italic, left aligned: "A. Experimental Setup".
- Level 3
- Numbers with a parenthesis, italic, indented and run into the paragraph: "1) Calibration:".
Acknowledgment and References are not numbered.
Guide
Figures and tables
Figures are labeled "Fig. 1." with the caption below. Tables are numbered with Roman numerals ("TABLE I") with the caption above. Small figures fit one column; wide ones can span both at the top or bottom of a page. Mention every figure and table in the text before it appears.
Guide
References
References are numbered in the order you first cite them, and the number goes in square brackets in the text: "as shown in [3]" or "[2], [5]". The reference list follows that same order. The general pattern for a journal article is:
A. B. Author, "Title of article," Abbrev. Title of Journal, vol. x, no. x, pp. xxx–xxx, Mon. year.
Conference papers, books and websites each have their own pattern; IEEE's reference guide lists all of them. When the restyle option is on, the converter rewrites your list into IEEE style and renumbers your in-text citations to match. Each change shows up as a suggestion you accept or reject, so check them against your sources.
Guide
IEEE vs. APA for engineers
IEEE uses numbered citations in brackets and orders references by first citation. APA uses author and year in the text and orders references alphabetically. IEEE is the default in electrical, computer and a lot of mechanical engineering; APA shows up more in engineering education and human factors work. Use whichever your course or venue asks for.
FAQ
Before you start.
Why is the IEEE Word template so hard to edit?
It relies on section breaks and styles that break easily when you paste text in, which is usually what knocks the two-column layout out of place. Converting here keeps the layout separate from your text, so pasting doesn't break it.
Does every IEEE conference use the same format?
Mostly, but not exactly. Page limits, anonymization for review and small layout details vary. Check the call for papers.
Can I export the result?
Yes, from the File menu in the editor.
Does it change my content?
Formatting only, unless the restyle option is on. Then it also restyles headings and references, and each of those changes is a suggestion you review.
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