How to prepare a paper for IEEE submission
Updated 2026-06-02
IEEE conference and transactions papers use a tight two-column template (about 88 mm per column). Most submission-day formatting problems come from content sized for the page rather than the column. Here is the sequence to get an IEEE paper submission-ready.
1. Fit figures to the column
Replace \textwidth with \columnwidth on every \includegraphics, and cap fixed widths below the column width. Use figure* only for deliberate full-width figures.
2. Resize wide tables
Wrap over-wide tables in \resizebox{\columnwidth}{!}{...} or promote them to table*. Confirm numbers stay legible after scaling.
3. Fix float placement and equations
Use [t]/[tb] rather than [H]/[h] to avoid whitespace and wrong-page floats. Convert long display equations to multline; replace deprecated eqnarray with align.
4. Verify references
Confirm every \cite has a .bib entry and every DOI resolves. Then run a venue-aware check - see /ieee-format-checker.
Frequently asked questions
What is the IEEE column width?+
Roughly 88 mm per column in the standard two-column IEEE template. Size figures and tables against that, not the full page width.
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