LaTeX Paper Linter

This script checks for common mistakes in LaTeX source files of scientific papers.

Usage

python3 paperlint.py <file.tex> [-i/x <include/exclude switch>] [--error]

By default, all rules are used for checking the document. The switches can be configured with the -x and -i parameters to exclude and include entire categories of rules or single rules. The include/exclude switches are evaluated in the order they are specified. For example, -i typography only activates the typography rules, whereas -i all -x typography -i cite-space enables all rules without the typography rules, but enables the cite-space rule from the typography category.

If --error is provided, the tool exits with error code 1 if there are warnings.

Warnings

Warnings are grouped in five different categories:

  • General
  • Typography
  • Visual
  • Style
  • References

General

This category includes general mistakes and discouraged things (switch general).

TODOs

  • Description: Warns if the string "TODO" appears in the paper
  • Switch: todo

Notes

  • Description: Warns if there are \note or \todo notes in the paper
  • Switch: note

Multiple Sentences per Line

  • Description: Warns if there are multiple sentences per line
  • Switch: multiple-sentences

Will Future

  • Description: Warns if there are sentences with "will" future
  • Switch: will

Short Forms

  • Description: Warns if short forms, such as "can't", "shouldn't", etc., are used
  • Switch: short-form

Typography

This category includes typography-related issues, such as wrong punctuation (switch typography).

No Space before Citation

  • Description: Warns if there is no space before a \cite command
  • Switch: cite-space

Numbers in math Environment

  • Description: Warns if the math environment is used purely to format numbers
  • Switch: math-numbers

Large Numbers without siunit

  • Description: Warns if large numbers are not formatted with the sinuit package
  • Switch: si

Percentage without siunit

  • Description: Warns if percentages are not formatted with the siunit package
  • Switch: percentage

Wrong Quotation Marks

  • Description: Warns if the wrong quotation marks (") are used
  • Switch: quotes

Space before Punctuation

  • Description: Warns if there is a space before a punctuation character
  • Switch: punctuation-space

Unbalanced Brackets

  • Description: Warns if the number of opening and closing brackets per line does not match
  • Switch: unbalanced-brackets

Usage of and/or

  • Description: Warns if "and/or" is used
  • Switch: and-or

Ellipsis with ...

  • Description: Warns if an ellipsis with three dots ("...") is used
  • Switch: ellipsis

Footnote before Period

  • Description: Warns if a footnote is before the period
  • Switch: footnote

No Punctuation Mark at End of Line

  • Description: Warns if a line does not end with a punctuation mark
  • Switch: punctuation

No Space before Comment

  • Description: Warns if there is no space before a comment
  • Switch: comment-space

Visual

This category includes warning regarding code that is visually not optimal and can be improved to make the paper look better (switch visual).

hlines in Tables

  • Description: Warns if \hline is used in tables instead of \toprule, \midrule, and \bottomrule
  • Switch: hline

No Text between Two Headers

  • Description: Warns if there are two section headers without text in between
  • Switch: two-header

Single Sentence Paragraphs

  • Description: Warns if a paragraph consists of only a single sentence
  • Switch: single-sentence

Tables with Vertical Lines

  • Description: Warns if vertical lines are used in tables
  • Switch: vline

Single subsection in a Section

  • Description: Warns if a section has only one explicit subsection
  • Switch: single-subsection

Mixed Compact and Regular Lists

  • Description: Warns if both compactitem and itemize (or compactenum and enumerate) are used
  • Switch: mixed-compact

Center instead of \centering in Floats

  • Description: Warns if float contents are centered with the center environment instead of \centering
  • Switch: float-center

Usage of eqnarray instead of align Environment

  • Description: Warns if the eqnarray environment is used instead of the align environment
  • Switch: eqnarray

Section-Title Capitalization

  • Description: Warns if the capitalization for section titles is wrong
  • Switch: capitalization

Style

This category includes warning of things that are discouraged or wrong for the style of an academic paper (switch style).

Wrong Appendix

  • Description: Warns if the appendix environment is used instead of \appendix
  • Switch: appendix

Non-generic Dimensions

  • Description: Warns if dimension macros are used that do not always work, such as \linewidth or \textwidth
  • Switch: dimensions

Usage of "etc"

  • Description: Warns if "etc" is used
  • Switch: etc

Enlarged Tables

  • Description: Warns if resizebox (instead of adjustbox) is used for tables
  • Switch: resize-table

Caption above Tables

  • Description: Warns if the caption for a table is not above the table
  • Switch: table-top-caption

Figure Alignment

  • Description: Warns if a figure has no explicit alignment
  • Switch: figure-alignment

Table Alignment

  • Description: Warns if a table has no explicit alignment
  • Switch: table-alignment

Listing Alignment

  • Description: Warns if a listing has no explicit alignment
  • Switch: listing-alignment

References

This category includes warnings for everything related to (cross-)references (switch references).

Figure without Label

  • Description: Warns if a figure has no label
  • Switch: figure-label

Table without Label

  • Description: Warns if a table has no label
  • Switch: table-label

Listing without Label

  • Description: Warns if a listing has no label
  • Switch: listing-label

Switched Order of Label and Caption in Figure

  • Description: Warns if the label is defined before the caption inside a figure
  • Switch: figure-caption-order

Switched Order of Label and Caption in Table

  • Description: Warns if the label is defined before the caption inside a table
  • Switch: table-caption-order

Switched Order of Label and Caption in Listing

  • Description: Warns if the label is defined before the caption inside a listing
  • Switch: listing-caption-order

Non-referenced Labels

  • Description: Warns if there is a label defined that is never referenced
  • Switch: label-referenced

Tabular not in Table Environment

  • Description: Warns if a tabular environment is not within the table float
  • Switch: tabular-float

TikZ not in Figure Environment

  • Description: Warns if a tikzpicture environment is not within the figure float
  • Switch: tikz-float

Code Listing not in Listing Environment

  • Description: Warns if an lstlisting environment is not within the listing float
  • Switch: listing-float
GitHub - misc0110/Paper-Linter at pythonawesome.com
A script to check for common mistakes in LaTeX source files of scientific papers. - GitHub - misc0110/Paper-Linter at pythonawesome.com
GitHubmisc0110