LaTeX error · Environments, lists and tables

Misplaced alignment tab character &.

The error in the log

This is how the message appears in the .log file (and in the compile output). The line starting with l. is the line number where TeX noticed the problem; the real mistake is there or just before it.

! Misplaced alignment tab character &.
l.3 Published by Smith &
                         Sons in 2024.

Why it happens

• A literal ampersand in text, a title, a caption, a URL or an author list: Smith & Sons, R&D.
• An ampersand in a .bib field such as publisher = {Wiley & Sons} or journal = {IEEE Trans. Pattern Anal. & Mach. Intell.}.
• Equation code with & written outside align, for example in equation or $...$, or after an align was closed.

How to fix it

Escape it: \& prints an ampersand everywhere, including in titles, captions and BibTeX fields. In a URL inside \url{...} or \href{...} the raw & is allowed.

If the & is an alignment point, use an environment that supports it: align instead of equation, or put the row back inside its tabular.

Broken: reproduces the error

\documentclass{article}
\begin{document}
Published by Smith & Sons in 2024.
\end{document}

Fixed: compiles cleanly

\documentclass{article}
\begin{document}
Published by Smith \& Sons in 2024.
\end{document}

Related errors

• Extra alignment tab – A table row has more & separators than the column specification allows.
• Missing $ inserted – A math-only symbol (_, ^, \alpha) was used in text, or math mode was left early.
• You can't use \hrule here – A TeX \hrule inside a table cell, box or math; use \hline or \rule.
• All LaTeX errors and warnings – The full list, grouped by cause

Frequently Asked Questions

How do I type an ampersand in LaTeX?

Write \&. The same applies to the other special characters: \%, \$, \#, \_, \{ and \}.

Why does my bibliography give "Misplaced alignment tab character &"?

A field in the .bib file, often the publisher or journal name, contains a bare &. BibTeX copies it into the .bbl file unchanged. Change it to \& in the .bib file and recompile.

Why do I get this error inside an equation?

The equation environment and $...$ do not support alignment. Use align (or aligned inside equation) from amsmath when you need & to line up parts of an equation.