Special Characters and Formatting in LaTeX


This file contains information on how to use the following LaTeX special characters and formatting features in your submission:

For additional symbols please refer to GIF images of symbols and codes. You may wish to print that file for reference while you compose your document.

LaTeX Commands

Punctuation Marks

The following punctuation marks are also used as special characters in the LaTeX system; therefore you must put a backslash (\) in front of any that are used in your text, like so: 
       \&     \$     \%     \#     \_    \{     \}

Special Characters in Math Mode

You may include special characters such as Greek letters, mathematical and planetary symbols, superscripts or subscripts in your text by using LaTeX math mode. Type a dollar sign, the appropriate symbol code, and a second dollar sign. 

Examples:
              $\AA$     produces  Å (Angstrom)
              45$^{\circ}$  produces  45°
Do not forget to include BOTH dollar signs

Lower-Case Greek Letters

Note that omicron is simply keyed as lower-case (o) without the backslash (\). 

     \alpha    \eta      \nu       \tau   
     \beta     \theta    \xi       \upsilon
     \gamma    \iota      o        \phi   
     \delta    \kappa    \pi       \chi   
     \epsilon  \lambda   \rho      \psi   
     \zeta     \mu       \sigma    \omega   

Example: $\lambda$

Upper-Case Greek Letters

     \Gamma    \Lambda   \Sigma    \Psi   
     \Delta    \Xi       \Upsilon  \Omega   
     \Theta    \Pi       \Phi 

Example: $\Gamma$

Mathematical Symbols

 
  Description                 Command  

  plus/minus sign	(±)		\pm  
  minus/plus sign	()		\mp
  times symbol		(×)		\times
  division symbol	(÷)		\div
  tilde sign		(~)		\sim 
  Angstrom		(Å)		\AA
  angstrom		(å)		\aa
  degree		(°)		$^{\circ}$
  permil		()		\permil
  less than       	(<)		<   Note: no backslash needed
  greater than    	(>)		>
  vertical bar    	(|)		|

Examples: 
         $\sim$  produces  ~
         $<$     produces  <
         $|$     produces  |

Planetary Symbols

Sun and Earth symbols are indicated by

\sun
and
\earth 
 Example:
              $M_{\sun}$ will indicate solar mass

Superscripts and Subscripts

To create a superscript, type a dollar sign, a caret (^), an open curly brace ({), the character(s) you want superscripted, a close curly brace (}), and another dollar sign: 

Examples:
          e = mc$^{2}$     $\pi r^{2}$

To create a subscript, type a dollar sign, an underscore, an open curly brace, the character(s) you want subscripted, a close curly brace, and another dollar sign: 

Examples:
          H$_{2}$O         HNO$_{3}$

Accents, Breaks, Type Style, and Punctuation Marks

Accents

To create an accented character, type a backslash (\), the appropriate accent code, an open curly brace ({), the character, and a close curly brace (}). 'x' represents the letter to which the accent will apply. 
   Description                 Command       Example

   Backwards (grave) accent    \`{x}         tout \`{a} vous = tout à vous
   Forward (acute) accent      \'{x}         Gonzal\'{e}z = Gonzaléz
   Caret symbol                \^{x}         \`{a} bient\^{o} = à bientô
   Dieresis (umlaut)           \"{x}         f\"{u}r = für
   Tilde                       \~{x}         se\~{n}or = señor

Word, Line, and Paragraph Breaks

 LaTeX ignores extra spacing between words.

Line breaks set by your word processor (such as soft or hard returns) will not affect the look of the abstract. If you need to create a line break, use a double backslash (\\). Note that a double backslash is not the same as a double forward slash (//), which doesn't indicate anything.

Use 2 hard returns to separate paragraphs.

Italic and Boldface Text

Italic text may be created by typing {\it (including the empty space), then the text you want italicized, then a close curly brace (}). Use italics only for citations and species names; do not use it to emphasize. 

Example: 
{\it this text will be italic} but the rest of the text is normal type
produces
this text will be italic but the rest of the text is normal type

Boldface text (for vectors) may be created by typing {\bf (including the empty space), then the text you want boldface, then a close curly brace (}). 

Example: 
{\bf this text will be boldface} but the rest of the text is normal type
produces
this text will be boldface but the rest of the text is normal type

For additional characters, symbols, or accents, please send a message to author.help@agu.org