NeurIPS paper template

The style file is published with each year's call for papers on neurips.cc, together with an example .tex file and the formatting instructions. It is not part of TeX Live or MiKTeX, so it has to sit in the same folder as your .tex file. The file name includes the year, and the year's own instructions are the final word on page limits and required sections.

Minimal skeleton

Put the style file you downloaded next to this file and change 20XX to match its name. Save your references as references.bib. The rest of the skeleton uses only standard packages and builds with pdfLaTeX and BibTeX.

Download the starter (.zip) main.tex, references.bib and a README. Add this year's style file from NeurIPS. Writing on a Mac? Open the folder in ModernTex.

\documentclass{article}

% Put the current year's style file next to this .tex file and
% change 20XX to match its name.
\usepackage{neurips_20XX}               % anonymized submission (default)
% \usepackage[preprint]{neurips_20XX}   % shows names, marked as a preprint
% \usepackage[final]{neurips_20XX}      % camera-ready, after acceptance

\usepackage[utf8]{inputenc}
\usepackage[T1]{fontenc}
\usepackage{hyperref}
\usepackage{url}
\usepackage{booktabs}
\usepackage{amsfonts}
\usepackage{microtype}
\usepackage{graphicx}

\title{Paper Title}

\author{%
  First Author \\
  Department, University \\
  \texttt{first@example.edu} \\
  \And
  Second Author \\
  Company \\
  \texttt{second@example.com}
}

\begin{document}

\maketitle

\begin{abstract}
One paragraph that states the problem, the method, and the result.
\end{abstract}

\section{Introduction}
Text with a citation~\citep{example}.

\section{Conclusion}
Summary.

\begin{ack}
Funding and thanks. The default (anonymized) mode hides this block.
\end{ack}

\bibliographystyle{plainnat}
\bibliography{references}

\end{document}

The style file loads natbib, so \citep and \citet work. The formatting instructions accept any reference style used consistently; plainnat is a common choice.

Key options

• No option: the anonymized submission. The author block is replaced with an anonymous placeholder, the ack environment is hidden, and recent versions add line numbers for reviewers. This is what you submit.
• preprint: shows the author names and marks the paper as a preprint rather than a NeurIPS paper. Use it for an arXiv version while the paper is under review.
• final: the camera-ready version after acceptance. It shows the author names and prints the conference name in the footer, so do not use it for a paper that has not been accepted.
• nonatbib: stops the style file from loading natbib, for example if you use biblatex instead.
• \And and \AND: \And places the next author beside the previous one, and \AND forces a new row.
• Some recent years have added options for particular tracks. The comments at the top of the current style file list whatever that year supports.

Common submission pitfalls

• Last year's style file. Reusing an old project is the easy way to submit with the wrong year's file. Check the file name, and the line in the log where the package is loaded, before you upload.
• Anonymization beyond the author block. The default mode hides the names on the title page, but not your self-citations, code links or file metadata. Cite your own work in the third person, link an anonymized repository, keep thanks and funding inside ack, and check the PDF's document properties.
• Page limits. The limit on content pages is set in each year's call. In recent years the main track has allowed nine content pages, with references, the checklist and appendices not counted, but confirm the number for the current year and count in the compiled PDF.
• The paper checklist. Recent calls have required the NeurIPS Paper Checklist at the end of the submission PDF and said that papers without it may be desk rejected. Check whether the current call does, and fill it in rather than leaving the template answers.
• Changing the format. The instructions say not to change the margins, font size or line spacing, and papers that do can be rejected without review. Fit the page limit by cutting text or moving material to the appendix.
• Paper size and fonts. The formatting instructions ask for US letter paper and embedded fonts. Run pdffonts paper.pdf to confirm every font is embedded, and look for Type 3 fonts, which usually come from matplotlib figures saved with default settings (set pdf.fonttype to 42).

Check before you submit

• Compile LaTeX to PDF online (free): upload the .tex file or a .zip of the project and get the PDF back, compiled with pdfLaTeX or XeLaTeX, including the BibTeX or Biber passes. Useful for a clean build on a machine that is not yours.
• BibTeX validator (free): flags missing required fields, duplicate keys, dead DOIs and entries that do not match a real paper. It runs in the browser.
• Anonymity Check ($2): scans the manuscript for author names, institutions, grant numbers, self-citation patterns and author-owned URLs before a double-blind submission.
• Paper Review (from $9): four AI reviewers read the manuscript for methods, statistics and the editor's view, and every reference is checked against CrossRef.
• Word counter (free): word counts per section, with and without references, for abstract and length limits.
• Abstract Checker (free): the abstract against this venue's word limit.

Writing it on a Mac

If you write on a Mac, ModernTex is our native LaTeX editor. It compiles with the TeX distribution you already have, such as MacTeX, so the NeurIPS style file behaves the same as it does anywhere else, and the PDF preview stays in sync with the source. It has a 7-day free trial and then costs $10 once.