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:
- Punctuation marks
- Greek letters
- Mathematical symbols
- Planetary symbols
- Superscripts and subscripts
- Accents
- Word, line, and paragraph breaks
- Italic and boldface text
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