NeurIPS 2025 Paper Formatting Template

Submission essentials

NeurIPS is a flagship machine learning conference with selective acceptance and detailed reviews. Beyond algorithms and experiments, reviewers look for measured claims, reproducible experiments, and—when required by policy—appropriate discussion of broader impacts. NeurIPS enforces main-text length, single-column layout, and template fidelity: even slightly exceeding the page limit or tweaking fonts and margins can trigger administrative issues or look unprofessional.

Common “form-adjacent” complaints: hyped abstracts, figures or appendix code that disagree with the main text, messy references. Before the deadline, compile with the official LaTeX style and inspect embedded fonts and anonymity (if applicable) in a PDF viewer.

Format specifications in detail

• Page and layout: US Letter; single column; main text 9 pages; references usually not counted toward the main limit (confirm on the NeurIPS 2025 conference site).
• Margins: 1 inch on all four sides.
• Fonts: Body Times New Roman 10pt; titles 14pt (per official neurips style).
• Required skeleton: Abstract, Introduction, References; methods, experiments, and discussion follow community norms and must remain template-compatible.
• Official source: Author instructions, style files, and deadlines are published on NeurIPS 2025.

Writing the abstract

• Length: Typically at most 200 words.
• Content: Clear problem statement, method highlights, and core results; avoid absolutes like “first” or “best” unless rigorously defined.
• Consistency: Dataset names and metric abbreviations match the paper; avoid citing equation or figure numbers in the abstract.
• Broader impacts: If the template or submission system asks for societal impact in a separate field, use that field—do not merge it into the abstract.

Citations and references

• Style: APA with BibTeX (.bib plus official .bst or natbib / biblatex as allowed by the template).
• Practice: Separate parenthetical vs. narrative citations; follow APA et al. rules.
• Typical mistakes: Mixing numeric and author–year styles; messy .bib keys producing duplicates; failing to update arXiv entries after publication.

Common formatting mistakes

• Main text over 9 pages: Appendix or proofs embedded in the main PDF—use official appendix or supplementary mechanisms.
• Tampering with margins or column layout: Shrinking margins or switching to two columns to fit content is not allowed.
• Inconsistent fonts or line spacing: Local tweaks to squeeze pages are easy to spot.
• Broken citations: (?) or undefined keys in the PDF.
• Metadata leaks: Author information left in PDF properties during anonymous review.

How to convert your paper to NeurIPS format with AutoSCI

• Upload your paper — PDF or Word.
• Choose a template — Select NeurIPS 2025.
• Export in one step — LaTeX, PDF, or Word.

AutoSCI applies page limits, margins, fonts, and citation formatting to match NeurIPS submission expectations.

Single-column layout strategy

Single-column lines are sensitive to line length: very long paragraphs hurt readability. Use paragraphs, lists, and short sentences. Keep figures and tables within the text block; avoid horizontal overflow. For color figures, prefer color-blind-friendly palettes (e.g., ColorBrewer).

Figures and experiment tables

Reviewers expect a clear main results table and ablation comparisons. Keep table rules and font sizes readable; explain significance markers or standard deviations in captions. If a figure consumes half a page, consider appendix placement or tighter subpanels to preserve main-text pages.

LaTeX and BibTeX workflow

Pin the official .sty version; after TeX Live upgrades, check the conference FAQ for known issues. Typical chain: pdflatex → bibtex → pdflatex ×2. If you use biblatex, confirm the venue allows it so your build matches the submission system.

Anonymity and reproducibility

For anonymous submission: no author names, affiliations, or acknowledgments in the PDF; use anonymous repos or follow guidance for code links. In the paper, report random seeds, hardware class, and training time as appropriate; full hyperparameters can go to the appendix or supplement.

Appendix vs. ethics and policy text

If the call asks for broader impact, ethics, or reproducibility checklists, use the designated section or form—not the abstract. Whether content counts toward the 9-page main text depends on official rules; if you use an appendix environment, verify how it appears in the final PDF page count.

Pre-deadline checklist

• US Letter, single column, 1 inch margins.
• Main text ≤ 9 pages (per that year’s definition).
• Abstract ≤ 200 words.
• APA + BibTeX consistent between text and references.
• Anonymity and PDF metadata reviewed.
• Figures clear, no overflow; fonts embedded.

Notes for authors writing in English as a second language

AoE deadlines: Follow the official countdown; upload early and keep the confirmation.

English clarity: Peer review of introduction and methods reduces “unclear contribution” comments.

Systems: Allow time for upload spikes; keep local build logs and final PDF timestamps.

Format issues in review and rebuttal

If reviewers cite unreadable figures or page limits, state in rebuttal what you compressed or moved with page references. For scientific critiques, avoid dumping huge new experiments into rebuttal unless allowed—watch main-text page changes. Do not add pages unless policy allows.

Extra FAQ

Q: Can I use two columns to save space?

A: No, unless the organizers explicitly change the template—NeurIPS has historically been single column.

Q: Can I use smaller font for references?

A: Follow the template; do not manipulate page count with \footnotesize or similar hacks.

Q: How does NeurIPS relate to arXiv preprints?

A: Follow that year’s policy; ensure anonymity and versioning stay consistent with your public preprint if both exist.

Math and notation

Use standard amsmath environments; prefer align over eqnarray. For theorem environments, use definitions compatible with the template or those provided in the style file.

Working with AutoSCI

Freeze content before applying the template. When migrating from other venues, verify APA citations, single-column 9 pages, and 1-inch margins. From IEEE templates, replace citation commands and bibliography style globally.

Print vs. screen

Single-column PDFs read well on tablets; when printing, check that margins are not clipped. Avoid non-100% print scaling that distorts perceived page count.

Broader impacts and ethics (when required)

If a separate societal-impact section is required, cover misuse risks, bias, and mitigations—distinct from the abstract. If risk is minimal, still give a brief compliant statement rather than leaving fields blank.

Supplementary material and code

For anonymous repos, README files must not identify institutions. Supplementary figure numbers should match in-text references so reviewers can find “Figure X” quickly.

Paragraph structure and readability

With long lines, aim for 3–6 sentences per paragraph with the key sentence first; lists and bold mini-headings improve skimming. End the introduction with explicit contribution bullets that align with—but do not duplicate—the abstract.

Versioning and disclaimer

The NeurIPS 2025 official author guide, style files, and call for papers are authoritative; this page is a practical companion only.

Team workflow and version locking

Assign one person to template and build: same TeX distribution and package versions; commit sty/bst files to the repo. Run full builds before merging branches to avoid surprise page count or CI failures.

Final PDF checks

Confirm Letter page size with pdfinfo or reader properties; search for stray “TODO” or placeholder text. If links are colored, check black-and-white and anonymized review workflows.

Differences when migrating from other top venues

From ICLR / OpenReview single-column or CVPR double-column, NeurIPS needs a layout rebuild: not only APA, but figure widths, table widths, equation numbering, and single-column pagination. Convert structure before fine-tuning prose to avoid repeated reflow on the wrong page grid.

In the last hour before deadline, perform read-only checks: no new figures, no package experiments—reduces compile risk.

After a successful upload, keep the confirmation email or screenshot for version tracking.