mnras-latex-portable

name	mnras-latex-portable
description	Build and package an MNRAS LaTeX manuscript portably on Ubuntu, avoiding missing-font-package failures and fixing common two-column table issues.
version	1.0.0
author	AstroAgent / AIP
license	MIT
metadata	{"hermes":{"tags":["research","latex","mnras","journal","submission","academic","tex"],"category":"research","related_skills":["latex-journal-submission-package","arxiv-research","ocr-and-documents"]}}

MNRAS LaTeX Portable Build

When to Use

Use this skill when preparing a manuscript for MNRAS (Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society) journal submission. Covers: portable build on Ubuntu, fixing two-column table issues, avoiding missing font packages, and packaging submission artifacts.

Procedure

1. Install TeX Live dependencies

apt-get install -y texlive-latex-base texlive-latex-extra texlive-fonts-extra texlive-fonts-recommended 2>&1 | tail -5

2. Compile the manuscript

pdflatex -interaction=nonstopmode manuscript.tex
bibtex manuscript
pdflatex -interaction=nonstopmode manuscript.tex
pdflatex -interaction=nonstopmode manuscript.tex

3. Fix two-column table overflow

MNRAS uses mnras.cls with twocolumn layout. Tables wider than the column width fail with:

! LaTeX Error: Float too large for this column.

Fix by using table* or \resizebox{\linewidth}{!}{...}:

\begin{table*}
  \resizebox{\linewidth}{!}{
    \begin{tabular}{lcc}
      \hline
      Column A & Column B & Column C \\
      ...
    \end{tabular}
  }
\end{table*}

4. Fix missing font packages

Common missing fonts on minimal Ubuntu installs:

# Install Type-1 fonts
apt-get install -y cm-super texlive-fonts-extra

# If still missing, add to preamble:
\usepackage[T1]{fontenc}
\usepackage{lmodern}

5. Package submission artifacts

# Create zip of manuscript + figures
zip -r mnras_submission.zip manuscript.tex references.bib figures/ tables/ appendices/

# Create separate BibTeX file
cp references.bib mnras_refs.bib

MNRAS-Specific Requirements

Item	Requirement
Class	\documentclass[lineno,referee]{mnras}
Bibliography	\bibliographystyle{aa} or agsm
Abstract	Max 250 words
Keywords	\keywords{} after abstract
Figure captions	Below figures, full width
Table captions	Above tables
Electronic journal	MNRAS uses A&A-like two-column format

Pitfalls

• Do NOT assume pdflatex is available — check with which pdflatex first.
• Do NOT use \begin{sidewaystable} without rotating package — add \usepackage{rotating}.
• Do NOT use booktabs without installing texlive-latex-extra.
• Two-column tables in MNRAS must fit within a single column width — use \resizebox if necessary.

Verification

• pdflatex runs without errors (or only non-critical warnings).
• Output PDF opens correctly in a viewer.
• Bibliography compiles with correct citation labels.
• Submission zip contains all required files.