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Quickstart

This page is a 60-second first run. If you want a full install walkthrough see Installation; if you want a deep dive into the CLI see CLI; for the Python library see Python API.

1. Install

pip install normadocs

You also need Pandoc on your PATH. Quick check:

pandoc --version

2. Create a Markdown input

Save the following as paper.md:

**The Effects of Reading on Concentration**

Jane Doe
Department of Psychology
2026-04-10

# Abstract

This paper reviews the literature on reading and attention.

**Keywords:** reading, attention, learning

3. Convert

APA 7th Edition (the default):

normadocs paper.md

ICONTEC NTC 1486 (Colombian / LATAM academic standard):

normadocs paper.md --style icontec

IEEE 8th Edition (engineering / technical):

normadocs paper.md --style ieee

The output appears in the current working directory as paper_APA.docx (or paper_ICONTEC.docx, paper_IEEE.docx).

4. Add a bibliography (optional)

If you have a BibTeX file, pass it with -b and optionally a CSL style with -c. See Bibliography for details.

normadocs paper.md --style apa --bibliography references.bib --csl apa.csl

5. Generate a PDF (optional)

normadocs paper.md --style apa --format pdf

This requires either LibreOffice (recommended) or pip install normadocs[pdf] (WeasyPrint). See PDF Output.

6. Verify the output

ls -la paper_*.docx

Open the file in Word, LibreOffice, or any DOCX viewer. The cover page, abstract, and headings should follow the chosen standard.

Next steps