Acl Venues

[SKILL: ACL-FAMILY VENUE PAPER FORMAT]

Activate when: user mentions ACL, EMNLP, NAACL, EACL, AACL, COLING, ARR, Findings of ACL, or asks to use/fix any *ACL-series template.

Execution Protocol

After this skill is activated, select the matching scenario based on user intent.

Shared Common Workflow

Before venue-specific template steps, also load and follow ml-paper-writing skill.

At minimum, apply these shared references:

• writing-guide.md (narrative and clarity)
• citation-workflow.md (verified citations; no hallucinations)
• reviewer-guidelines.md (reviewer-facing quality checks)
• checklists.md (pre-submission gates)

Built-in template: templates/acl/ (referred to as TEMPLATES_DIR below). Contents: acl.sty, acl_latex.tex, acl_natbib.bst, custom.bib, anthology.bib.txt, formatting.md.

One template for all ACL-family venues: ACL, EMNLP, NAACL, EACL, AACL, COLING, ARR, and Findings generally share the same acl.sty + acl_natbib.bst style system; venue differences are mainly page limits and policy text.

Pre-step: Venue/Year/Track Confirmation & Template Source

This step MUST be completed before any scenario below.

1. Confirm target venue and year (ACL/EMNLP/NAACL/EACL/AACL/COLING/ARR/Findings), plus paper type (long/short) and stage (review/final). Default to latest available year if user does not specify.
2. Check whether local TEMPLATES_DIR exists and includes required files: acl.sty, acl_natbib.bst, acl_latex.tex.
3. Use local built-in template only when BOTH conditions hold:
   • local files in TEMPLATES_DIR are complete
   • target venue/year does not require a different package than acl.sty
4. If either condition fails (local files missing/incomplete OR user asks for strict current-year kit), follow this download workflow exactly:
   • Go to official ACLPUB portal: https://acl-org.github.io/ACLPUB/
   • Open the target venue's CFP/submission page and find "Style Files", "Author Kit", or "Submission Instructions"
   • Download the official style zip for the target year
   • If the venue page is unclear, use fallback sources:
     • GitHub zip: https://github.com/acl-org/acl-style-files/archive/refs/heads/master.zip
     • Overleaf template: https://www.overleaf.com/latex/templates/association-for-computational-linguistics-acl-conference/jvxskxpnznfj
   • Unzip downloaded files directly into .
   • Verify required files exist (acl.sty, acl_natbib.bst, sample .tex)
   • Continue all remaining steps using filenames from the downloaded kit if they differ
5. Filename substitution rule for all steps below:
   • Treat acl / acl_natbib in commands/examples as defaults.
   • If the downloaded kit uses different basenames, replace them consistently in \\usepackage, \\bibliographystyle, copy commands, and checks.

Scenario Routing

• User says "create / new ACL-family paper" → Scenario 1
• User says "switch to ACL format" / "apply ACL template" → Scenario 2
• User says "ACL format issue" / "compile error" → Scenario 3
• User says "check format" / "prepare for submission" → Scenario 4

Treat all ACL-family venue requests with the same 4 scenarios above unless the target CFP requires a different style package.

Scenario 1: Create a New ACL-Family Project

Step 1 — Copy style files to the project core directory using bash:

bash(command="cp TEMPLATES_DIR/acl.sty TEMPLATES_DIR/acl_natbib.bst <PROJECT_CORE>/")

Step 2 — Read TEMPLATES_DIR/acl_latex.tex with read_file for canonical preamble, title/author layout, and bibliography usage.

Step 3 — Create main.tex in the project core directory using write_file:

• \documentclass[11pt]{article}
• For anonymous review: \usepackage[review]{acl}
• For camera-ready/final: \usepackage{acl}
• Keep core packages aligned with template (times, latexsym, fontenc, inputenc; optional microtype)
• Set title/author block according to review vs final stage
• Use \bibliographystyle{acl_natbib} and \bibliography{custom} (or project bib filename)

Step 4 — Run latex_compile to verify successful compilation. If it fails, read the log and fix errors.

Scenario 2: Switch an Existing Project to ACL Template

Step 1 — Read current main.tex with read_file to analyze existing preamble and structure.

Step 2 — Read TEMPLATES_DIR/acl_latex.tex with read_file as the migration reference.

Step 3 — Copy style files using bash (style files only — do NOT overwrite user content):

bash(command="cp TEMPLATES_DIR/acl.sty TEMPLATES_DIR/acl_natbib.bst <PROJECT_CORE>/")

Step 4 — Modify main.tex preamble using str_replace:

• Set \documentclass[11pt]{article}
• Set \usepackage[review]{acl} for submission or \usepackage{acl} for final
• Keep encoding/font packages required by template
• Remove layout-breaking/conflicting packages (geometry, manual margin hacks, multicol, custom page size overrides)

Step 5 — Fix ACL-specific structure:

• Review mode: no identifying text, no acknowledgements
• Final mode: restore author and affiliation block
• If title/author block overflows, set \setlength\titlebox{<dim>} with <dim> >= 5cm

Step 6 — Fix bibliography:

• \bibliographystyle{acl_natbib}
• \bibliography{custom} (or existing project bib file)

Step 7 — Run latex_compile and resolve any remaining errors.

Scenario 3: Fix ACL Format Issues

Step 1 — Run latex_compile to capture current errors/warnings.

Step 2 — Read main.tex preamble and compare with TEMPLATES_DIR/acl_latex.tex.

Step 3 — Cross-check against common ACL failures:

• Missing acl.sty or acl_natbib.bst in project root
• Wrong mode (\usepackage{acl} vs \usepackage[review]{acl})
• \bibliographystyle not set to acl_natbib
• Manual layout overrides (geometry, \onecolumn, custom margins)
• Review draft still contains acknowledgements or identifying information

Step 4 — Apply fixes using str_replace.

Step 5 — Re-run latex_compile until clean.

Scenario 4: Pre-submission Format Compliance Check

Step 1 — Read full main.tex with read_file.

Step 2 — Verify checklist items:

• Correct review/final mode ([review] for submission)
• Anonymization for review (no author identity, no acknowledgements)
• Page limits match CFP (typical review limits: long 8 pages / short 4 pages, references excluded)
• A4 two-column layout intact (no forbidden margin/layout overrides)
• Bibliography style is acl_natbib
• Review version includes ruler/line numbers; final version removes them
• References and appendices follow venue rules for the target year

Step 3 — Report violations and fix them one by one with str_replace.

Step 4 — Run final latex_compile verification.

Format Reference

⚠️ Reference only — always verify: ACL-family requirements can change by venue/year. Always treat the target year's CFP and official author kit as source of truth.

Template Download

• Official ACLPUB portal: https://acl-org.github.io/ACLPUB/
• Official style repo zip: https://github.com/acl-org/acl-style-files/archive/refs/heads/master.zip
• Overleaf template: https://www.overleaf.com/latex/templates/association-for-computational-linguistics-acl-conference/jvxskxpnznfj

Setup: Unzip Location

Unzip into project root (same folder as main.tex):

project/
├── main.tex
├── acl.sty
├── acl_natbib.bst
├── acl_latex.tex
└── custom.bib

Read These Files First

1. acl_latex.tex — canonical sample for preamble and structure
2. formatting.md — ACL formatting requirements and page-limit policy
3. acl.sty comments — option behavior (review, preprint, final)

Template Setup in main.tex

\documentclass[11pt]{article}

% Submission (anonymous + line numbers)
\usepackage[review]{acl}

% Camera-ready:
% \usepackage{acl}

\usepackage{times}
\usepackage{latexsym}
\usepackage[T1]{fontenc}
\usepackage[utf8]{inputenc}
\usepackage{microtype}

Key Format Rules

Common Pitfalls

• Using geometry or manual margin hacks that break ACL layout
• Wrong package mode (acl instead of [review] during submission)
• Forgetting acl_natbib bibliography style
• Keeping acknowledgements in review submission
• Ignoring venue-specific limits for workshops/Findings tracks