LaTeX Compilation

Overview

Fix common LaTeX compilation errors systematically by running the full build sequence and addressing errors in order of dependency.

When to Use

• Document won't compile (pdflatex errors)
• "Undefined reference" or "multiply-defined labels" warnings
• Citations showing as [?] or undefined
• Cross-references not resolving

Quick Reference

Problem	Solution
Undefined citations	Run: pdflatex → bibtex → pdflatex → pdflatex
Duplicate labels	Each \label{name} must be unique across document
Empty \cite{}	Remove or fill in citation key
Citation key mismatch	Ensure .tex keys match .bib entry names exactly
Cross-refs not updating	Run pdflatex twice after changes

Full Compilation Sequence

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

Common Mistakes

Duplicate \label{} tags - Copy-pasting figures often duplicates labels. Search with:

grep -n 'label{' paper.tex | sort -t'{' -k2 | uniq -d -f1

Citation key typos - altabaa2025co vs altabaa2025cot causes undefined citation. Always verify keys match the .bib file exactly.

Running pdflatex only once - Cross-references and citations need multiple passes to resolve.

Empty citations - \cite{} causes warnings. Remove or add proper key.