latex-academic-publisher

name	latex-academic-publisher
description	Use when formatting, compiling, or generating LaTeX documents for academic publication. Trigger on keywords: LaTeX, .tex, IEEE, MDPI, Springer, Elsevier, ACM, overleaf, latexmk, bibliography, .bib, template, journal submission, camera-ready, arxiv, preprint. Use ONLY when LaTeX output or compilation is needed — do NOT trigger for general scientific writing without LaTeX.

LaTeX Academic Publisher Skill

Transforms structured research content (outline, draft sections, references) into publication-ready, compilable LaTeX documents with journal-specific formatting.

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1. When This Skill Activates

• User says: "compile this paper", "generate LaTeX", "format for IEEE/MDPI"
• User provides .tex files, .bib files, or asks to create a paper from an outline
• User needs to fix compilation errors, add references, or restructure a LaTeX project
• User wants to convert a draft into a specific journal template

2. Workflow Overview (Stage 7 — Formatting & Submission Ready)

This skill operates as the final formatting stage in the research workflow. It expects input from earlier stages (outline, content draft, references) and produces a compilable LaTeX project.

[Outline + Draft + References] → [LaTeX Skill] → [Journal-Ready PDF]

Workflow Stages

Step	Action	Description
1	init	Initialize project structure with template
2	preamble	Generate preamble + metadata
3	sections	Write/import each section (one at a time)
4	references	Set up .bib file and citation keys
5	figures	Handle figures, tables, captions
6	compile	Compile → fix errors → final PDF

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3. Project Structure

{project-name}/
├── main.tex                 # Entry point (\include all sections)
├── preamble.tex             # Packages, macros, configuration
├── metadata.tex             # Title, authors, affiliations, abstract
├── sections/
│   ├── 01-introduction.tex
│   ├── 02-literature.tex
│   ├── 03-methodology.tex
│   ├── 04-results.tex
│   ├── 05-discussion.tex
│   ├── 06-conclusion.tex
│   └── appendix.tex         # optional
├── figures/                 # All figures/images (PDF, PNG, EPS)
│   └── placeholder.txt
├── tables/                  # standalone table files
├── references.bib           # BibLaTeX/BibTeX references
├── .latexmkrc               # latexmk config for compilation
├── journal-template/        # Template class/style files
│   └── {template}-template/
└── build/                   # Compilation output (PDF, logs, aux)

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4. Supported Templates

Template	Document Class	Journal / Venue	Priority
ieee	IEEEtran	IEEE journals, conferences	★★★★★
mdpi	mdpi (article, book, proceedings)	MDPI journals (Sensors, Applied Sciences, etc.)	★★★★★
elsevier	elsarticle	Elsevier journals	★★★★★
springer	svjour3 / llncs	Springer journals, LNCS	★★★★
acm	acmart	ACM conferences (CHI, ICSE, etc.)	★★★★
nature	article (nature class)	Nature Portfolio journals	★★★
plain	article + custom	General / Thesis / Preprint	★★★

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5. Template-Specific Configuration Notes

IEEE (IEEEtran)

• Two-column layout, 10pt font
• Use \bstctlcite{IEEEexample:BSTcontrol} for citation control
• Biography section at end via \IEEEmembership
• Running headers via \markboth
• Compile: pdflatex → bibtex → pdflatex → pdflatex

MDPI (mdpi class)

• Requires mdpi.cls (auto-downloaded if missing)
• Single-column for review, two-column for published
• Use \Title, \Author, \Affiliations, \Abstract macros (not standard LaTeX)
• Compile: pdflatex → bibtex → pdflatex → pdflatex

Elsevier (elsarticle)

• Options: preprint, review, 1p, 3p, 5p, final
• Preferred citation: \bibliographystyle{elsarticle-num}
• Use \author, \ead for email, \cortext for corresponding
• Compile: pdflatex → bibtex → pdflatex → pdflatex

Springer (svjour3)

• Options: smallextended, envcountsame
• Preferred citation styles: spmpsci, spbasic
• Use \inst{} for affiliations, \fnm/\sur for structured names
• Compile: pdflatex → bibtex → pdflatex → pdflatex

ACM (acmart)

• Options: acmconf, journal, sigconf
• Uses \acmConference, \acmBooktitle, \acmDOI macros
• Rights management via \setcopyright{acmcopyright}
• Compile: pdflatex → bibtex → pdflatex → pdflatex

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6. Commands / Actions

init

Create a new LaTeX project from scratch.

Usage: init <project-name> [template=ieee|mdpi|elsevier|springer|acm|nature|plain]

Generates:

• Full directory structure (sections/, figures/, tables/, build/)
• Template-specific main.tex with correct document class and packages
• Template-specific preamble.tex with optimized packages
• metadata.tex with placeholder fields
• .latexmkrc configured for the template
• Empty references.bib

preamble

Generate or update preamble.tex with packages tailored to the template.

Packages included per template:

• Core: amsmath, amssymb, amsthm, graphicx, hyperref, xcolor, geometry, setspace, caption, subcaption
• Tables: booktabs, tabularx, multirow, array
• Figures: graphicx, float, caption, subcaption
• Bibliography: biblatex (IEEE: backend=biber,style=ieee; MDPI: backend=biber; etc.)
• Algorithms: algorithm, algorithmic (if needed)
• Math: amsmath, amssymb, mathtools, bm

section

Add or edit a specific section.

Usage: section <name> [content]

• Creates file in sections/{nn}-{name}.tex (auto-numbered)
• Adds \include{sections/{nn}-{name}} to main.tex
• If content is provided, writes initial draft; otherwise opens for editing
• Each section is handled as a modular unit — write one at a time

ref

Manage references.

Usage: ref add <citation-key> <bibtex-entry>
Usage: ref import <file.bib>
Usage: ref cite <citation-key>    → inserts \cite{key} at cursor
Usage: ref style <style-name>     → changes bibliography style

figure

Add and manage figures.

Usage: figure add <image-path> [caption] [label]
Usage: figure grid <image-paths...> [cols=2] [caption]

Generates proper \begin{figure}...\end{figure} environment with:

• Correct path resolution (figures/)
• Template-appropriate width (\columnwidth, 0.48\textwidth for two-column)
• Caption + label
• Subfigure support via subcaption package

table

Add and manage tables.

Usage: table add [--data <csv>] [caption] [label]
Usage: table from-csv <csv-path> [caption] [label]

Generates:

• \begin{table}...\end{table} with tabularx or booktabs
• CSV data auto-converted to tabular environment
• Proper formatting per template

compile

Compile the LaTeX project to PDF.

Usage: compile [watch=false] [clean=false]

• Uses latexmk with .latexmkrc config
• Template-appropriate compilation sequence:
  • BibLaTeX: latexmk -pdf -bibtex -latexoption=-interaction=nonstopmode
  • BibTeX: pdflatex → bibtex → pdflatex × 2
• On error: Parse .log file, identify errors, suggest or apply fixes
• On success: Copy PDF to build/{project-name}.pdf
• Optional: watch=true for continuous compilation

fix

Parse compilation errors and fix them.

Usage: fix [log-file=build/main.log]

• Reads .log file
• Identifies and categorizes errors:
  • Missing packages → \usepackage{} + notify user
  • Undefined citations → check references.bib
  • Undefined references → recompile (need 2+ passes)
  • Syntax errors → locate line + suggest correction
• Applies fixes interactively (ask user before each change)

submit

Prepare submission package.

Usage: submit [format=zip]

• Collects only required files (main.tex, sections/, figures/, references.bib)
• Strips comments for final version (optional)
• Generates build/{project-name}-submission.zip

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7. Compilation Configuration (.latexmkrc)

Default .latexmkrc content:

$pdf_mode = 1;                        # pdflatex
$postscript_mode = 0;
$dvi_mode = 0;
$bibtex_use = 2;                      # use biber if available
$clean_ext = "bbl bcf run.xml out aux log blg brf fls fdb_latexmk";
$out_dir = "build";
$max_repeat = 5;
$silent = 0;

# Make sure build directory exists
push @generated_exts, "build";

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8. Integration with Scientific Research Helper

This skill bridges the gap between content creation (stages 1–6) and publication.

Research Stage	This Skill's Role
After literature review	Generate structured references.bib from notes
After outline	Generate main.tex + section stubs
After content draft	Fill each section .tex file
After figure creation	Place and caption figures in proper format
Ready to submit	Compile, fix, package for submission

Data Flow

scientific-research-helper output
  ├── Paper outline          →  init <project> + section stubs
  ├── Section drafts         →  section <name> (write content)
  ├── Reference list         →  ref import <file.bib>
  ├── Figure descriptions    →  figure add <path> <caption>
  └── Journal target         →  template selection at init

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9. Best Practices

• One section at a time: Write and compile incrementally. Never write the entire paper in one shot.
• Compile early, compile often: Run compile after every section to catch errors early.
• Use \include not \input: Enables \includeonly{} for fast compilation of single sections.
• Keep figures in figures/: Relative paths from main.tex.
• Biber vs BibTeX: Prefer biber + biblatex for Unicode and advanced features; use bibtex + natbib only for template compatibility.
• Version control: Initialize git repo in the project directory.
• Never edit .aux or .bbl files: These are auto-generated; edit only .tex, .bib, and .cls files.

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10. Tips for Common Issues

Problem	Solution
! LaTeX Error: File *.cls not found.	Template class not installed. Use init with correct template or manually place .cls in journal-template/.
! Undefined control sequence	Missing package in preamble.tex. Add \usepackage{...} or check command spelling.
Citation '...' undefined	Key missing from references.bib. Check spelling or run ref add.
Overfull \hbox	Text exceeds column width. Reword, use \linebreak, or allow \sloppy.
! Emergency stop.	Usually a missing file. Check \include paths in main.tex.
! Package biblatex Error: '\bibliographystyle' invalid.	Use \printbibliography instead of \bibliographystyle + \bibliography with biblatex.