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JSS Style Checker
What JSS Style Checker is
JSS Style Checker checks LaTeX and BibTeX manuscripts against the Journal of Statistical Software style guide. It is available as a command-line tool, Python and R packages, a browser checker, and a VS Code extension. The browser checker accepts .tex, .ltx, .bib, .Rnw, and .Rmd files and runs locally via WebAssembly; the maker says files remain in the browser tab. Starting from a root file, the linter follows input, include, subfile, and bibliography references to inspect the reachable project. Reviewer mode groups findings into a compliance summary by category, and a GitHub Action can gate JSS-format vignettes in CI. An optional online Crossref lookup can check for missing DOIs and, with --fix, add them to BibTeX files. The README reports measured recall and says a clean run does not establish that a manuscript complies. The project says its distribution channels are MIT-licensed and that it is independent of the journal and publisher. The VS Code extension is described as scaffolded and depends on a language server that is staged but not yet shipped.
Who it suits
It suits authors and reviewers working on LaTeX or BibTeX manuscripts for the Journal of Statistical Software, including teams that want to check projects in CI. Users seeking the VS Code extension should note its language server has not shipped.
What it does well
- Checks several LaTeX and related manuscript file types
- Browser checker processes files locally via WebAssembly
- Follows project references from a root manuscript file
- Reviewer mode summarizes findings by category
What to know first
- A clean run does not establish manuscript compliance
- VS Code extension depends on a language server not yet shipped
- DOI lookup is online and optional
Plans
| Plan | Billed and limits | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Free | MIT-licensed · no paid tier listed | Free |
As github.com lists them, read 15 Oct 2026. The maker's own page has the final word.
Getting started
- Choose the command-line tool, Python or R package, browser checker, or VS Code extension route.
- For the browser checker, open the checker and provide a supported .tex, .ltx, .bib, .Rnw, or .Rmd file.
- Use a root file when you want the linter to follow reachable project references.
- Enable Reviewer mode to view findings grouped by compliance category.
- Use the GitHub Action to gate JSS-format vignettes in CI, or choose optional online Crossref lookup for missing DOIs.
Verdict
JSS Style Checker offers several ways to check manuscript files, with local browser processing and CI support among its options. Treat its findings as guidance: the project says a clean result does not establish compliance.
Questions
What does JSS Style Checker check?
It checks LaTeX and BibTeX manuscripts against the Journal of Statistical Software style guide.
What does it cost?
The Free plan costs nothing. The project lists no paid plans.
Which formats can the browser checker accept?
It accepts .tex, .ltx, .bib, .Rnw, and .Rmd files.
Does the browser checker upload files?
It runs locally via WebAssembly, and the maker says files never leave the browser tab. Optional DOI lookup uses an online Crossref lookup.
Is it open source?
The project says its distribution channels are MIT-licensed.
Is the VS Code extension ready to use?
The Marketplace page describes it as scaffolded and says it depends on a language server that has not yet shipped.
Facts from JSS Style Checker's own pages
- Automatic fixes
- The fix mode writes files atomically, rechecks each change and rolls back a file when a fix recreates its violation; dry-run produces a diff without writing. · github.com, 15 Oct 2026
- Browser operation
- The browser checker runs locally through WebAssembly and says that selected manuscript files are not uploaded. · github.com, 15 Oct 2026
- Capitalization checks
- Separate rules address capitalization in titles, sections and captions. · github.com, 15 Oct 2026
- CI integration
- A GitHub Action is provided for gating JSS-format vignettes in continuous integration. · github.com, 15 Oct 2026
- Citation checks
- The checker validates natbib citation conventions and bibliography completeness, including DOI fields. · github.com, 15 Oct 2026
- Coverage limitation
- Its coverage report identifies 64 style provisions as outside the implemented scope. · github.com, 15 Oct 2026
- Crossref integration
- An optional Crossref mode verifies missing DOIs and can write matched DOI values into BibTeX files. · github.com, 15 Oct 2026
- Distribution channels
- Packages are published as Python, Rust, R and npm/WebAssembly components, with a browser application and VS Code extension. · github.com, 15 Oct 2026
- Documentation depth
- Documentation includes a rule catalogue, CLI contracts, design notes, changelog, evaluation harness and a companion paper. · github.com, 15 Oct 2026
- DOI lookup
- An optional online Crossref lookup can verify missing DOIs and, with --fix, add them to BibTeX files. · github.com, 9 Oct 2026
- Extension status
- The Marketplace page describes the VS Code extension as scaffolded and says it depends on a language server that is staged but not yet shipped. · marketplace.visualstudio.com, 9 Oct 2026
- License
- The repository and its distribution channels use the MIT license. · github.com, 15 Oct 2026
- Limit: specialized scope
- The tool is independent of JSS and is intended as pre-submission assistance rather than an official guarantee of editorial acceptance. · tex.stackexchange.com, 15 Oct 2026
- Limit: VS Code readiness
- The Marketplace listing labels the extension scaffolded and says its language server was staged but not yet shipped, with installation instructions conditional on that shipment. · marketplace.visualstudio.com, 15 Oct 2026
- Local processing
- The browser checker runs locally via WebAssembly, and the maker says files never leave the browser tab. · kollerma.github.io, 9 Oct 2026
- Maintainer background
- ETH Zurich records describe Manuel Koller as a former statistics consultant, PhD student and assistant, and list R software projects including robustlmm and robustbase. · people.math.ethz.ch, 15 Oct 2026
- Maintainer identity
- The GitHub account behind the project is Manuel Koller, whose profile showed 16 public repositories and 17 total stars. · github.com, 15 Oct 2026
- Manuscript formats
- The linter follows LaTeX input, include, subfile, and bibliography references from a root file to check the reachable project. · github.com, 9 Oct 2026
- Marketplace adoption
- The Visual Studio Marketplace page showed one install when checked. · marketplace.visualstudio.com, 15 Oct 2026
- Measured coverage
- The README reports measured recall and says a clean run does not mean the manuscript is compliant. · github.com, 9 Oct 2026
- Measured recall
- The project reports recall of about 81% on 1,967 annotated instances from 17 papers and warns that a clean run does not prove compliance. · github.com, 15 Oct 2026
- Output formats
- The command-line tool can emit terminal, JSON, HTML and SARIF reports. · github.com, 15 Oct 2026
- Praise: deterministic behavior
- A TeX community answer highlights that identical input produces identical violations, making the checker suitable for CI gates. · tex.stackexchange.com, 15 Oct 2026
- Praise: measured accuracy
- The same independent discussion reports measured precision of 97.2% across 20,060 adjudicated instances and recall of 80.7% on 254 published manuscripts. · tex.stackexchange.com, 15 Oct 2026
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