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In IEEE style, sources are indicated with bracketed numbers in the order they appear in the text like [1], [2], etc. Each number corresponds to a full citation listed in the reference section at the end of the paper.
The references are numbered and listed in the same order they were cited in the text. Unlike APA or MLA, there is no need for the author's name or the publication date or page to be included in the in-text citation. Instead, the full information about the source is listed at the end of the paper in the references section. In this article, you will learn how to make an IEEE in-text citation and a reference list with all unique cases covered.
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IEEE Citation: Main Formatting Rules
The Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers invented the IEEE citation format. This professional organization supports computer science. In addition to publishing journals, the IEEE also develops many standards. This includes rules for source citation in scientific papers.
For citing references in IEEE-style text, use the numbering in square brackets. They refer to the total citations listed in the reference. But there is an exciting feature! The reference is organized by numbers, not alphabetically.
How to Do IEEE Citation
The IEEE citation format is used for computer science references. There are only three main parts needed for citing:
- Author's name.
- Title, patent, conference report in quotes.
- Journal or book’s title in italics.
This system allows you to identify informational sources at a glance.
All punctuation marks, dates, and page numbers depend on what you are quoting. Therefore, follow our IEEE citation example in our guide carefully.
IEEE in Text Citation
It is elementary to refer to the quotes. We will prove it with IEEE in-text citation example! No additional effort or information is required. Just mention the information in quotation marks. Then in square brackets, indicate the number, which is this quote in the text. What if you refer to this resource several times? Then use the same number for each citation taken from it. What if you are citing several sources simultaneously? List each number separately in square brackets, separated by commas. And then, already in the reference list, under this number, you will completely write down from which resource this information is.
For example:
"... end of my research [13]". |
"This term is considered to be ... [1]". |
"A certain psychologist [2] claimed that ..." |
"Several recent studies [5], [9], [11], [12] have shown that ..." |
"For example, see [7]". |
IEEE Citation: Reference List
You must indicate all information sources that you relied on in the IEEE reference list in your research and dissertation writing. Any borrowed ideas or quotes should also be shown in your text. The reference list should contain complete information. In IEEE referencing style, a number in the square brackets shows where you cite another author. And at the very end of your research, a list is provided with full links to the work used. Quotes and related links are not listed in alphabetical order. Put them the way they appear in your text. Entries should be in the order your sources are cited in the text. Start with the lowest number and move to the highest.
IEEE Citation Website
IEEE website citation in-text does not differ much from the usual format. Make a quote and add a number in square brackets. You should indicate a link to the web address where you got the information from. What if the data is published by an organization without personal names? List that institution as the author.
Let’s see a general formula for website citation in IEEE style.
General Format | [#] First Name Initial(s). Last Name, “Webpage Title,” Website Title, Abbrev. Month. Day, Publication Year. [Online]. Available: URL. [Accessed Abbrev. Month. Day, Year]. |
The example will look like this:
IEEE Book Citation
Probably you are searching for IEEE citations of books. There are some exceptions for usual data that you always indicate when citing a book. If you clearly know the section your book is from, you are welcome to mention it. Also, sometimes there are no authors but an organization who wrote this book. Then you can use its name where the author's name should be.
This is how a general format looks like:
General Format | [#] Author Initials. Surname, Book Title. Publisher’s City, (U.S. State or Country if City is not ‘well known’): Publisher, Publication Year. |
Let’s take a look at the example of book citation in IEEE style:
IEEE Citation: E-book
Generally speaking, you already know what you need to add for an E-book IEEE citation. Yes, we are talking about URLs. And here is a handy template you can use for detailed information:
The general formula of citing an e-book in IEEE citation style is as follows:
General Format | [#] Author Initials. Surname, E-book Title. Publisher’s City, (U.S. State or Country if City is not ‘well known’): Publisher, Publication Year. [E-book]. Available: doi:, database or URL. [Accessed Abbrev. Month. Day, Year]. |
Here is an example of this format:
IEEE Citation: How to Cite Chapters in a Book
There are 4 ways for citing chapters in a book in IEEE style. So, first, you should figure out how exactly the book was published. This citation request requires a little bit more information to cover. But no worries, we provided you with detailed information below.
Chapter in an authored print book | [#] Chapter Author Initials. Surname, "Title of chapter in book," in Book’s Title. Publisher’s City, (U.S. State or Country if City is not ‘well known’): Publisher, Publication Year, chapter number, page range. |
Chapter in an edited print book | [#] Chapter Author Initials. Surname, "Title of chapter in book," in Title of Published Book, Editor Initials. Surname, Ed. or Eds., Publisher’s City, (U.S. State or Country if City is not ‘well known’): Publisher, Publication Year, page range. |
Chapter in an authored electronic book | [#] Chapter Author Initials. Surname, "Title of chapter in book," in Title of Published Book. Publisher’s City, (U.S. State or Country if City is not ‘well known’): Publisher, Publication Year, chapter number, page range. [Online]. Available: doi:, database or URL. [Accessed Abbrev. Month. Day, Year]. |
Chapter in an edited electronic book | [#] Chapter Author Initials. Surname, "Title of chapter in book," in Title of Published Book, Editor Initials. Surname, Ed. or Eds., Publisher’s City, (U.S. State or Country if City is not ‘well known’): Publisher, Publication Year, chapter number, page range. [Online]. Available: doi:, database or URL. [Accessed Abbrev. Month. Day, Year]. |
IEEE Journal Citation
IEEE journal citation format is one of the easiest among other styles. If you are referring to illustrations, photographs, or tables, also simply indicate the source's name. Use our template to guide you through.
The general format of IEEE journal citation will look like this:
General Format | [#] Author Initials. Surname, “Article’s title,” Abbrev. Journal Title, vol. x, no. x, pp. xxx-xxx, Abbrev. Month, year. |
Take a look at the example of journal citation in IEEE style:
IEEE Citation: Online Journal
The rules for IEEE online journal citation are slightly different but don’t make an issue. You just mention a quote number and all necessary data. Then include a link to the online source.
Let’s look how to cite an online journal in IEEE citation style:
General Format | [#] Author Initials. Surname, “Electronic article’s title,” Abbrev. Journal Title, Abbrev. Month, Year. [Online]. Available: doi:, database or URL. [Accessed Abbrev. Month. Day, Year]. |
The example will look as follows:
IEEE Format Citation: Final Thoughts
The Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers is world's largest technical professional organization that created standards for IEEE citation. IEEE style is based on an easy citation way. You just state a quote and add its number in square brackets. Later, in reference list, you specify information using same number. However, there are many "buts" for reference list that you have to know. Luckily, we included them in our article.
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Frequently Asked Questions About Citation IEEE
1. How do I cite conference papers in IEEE style?
There are two ways of citing conference papers in IEEE style. It plays a big difference whether you are using printed or online resources.
For printed resources | [#] Author Initials. Surname, “Paper’s Title,” in Abbrev. Title of Conf. Proceedings, (location of conference is optional), Month and day(s) if provided. Year, page range. |
For online papers | [#] Author Initials. Surname, “Paper’s Title,” in Abbrev. Name of Conf. Proceedings, (location of conference is optional), year, page range. [Online]. Available: doi: or URL. |
2. How do I cite datasets in IEEE style?
There are two ways of citing datasets in IEEE style. proper format depends on whether there is DOI or not.
If there is DOI | [#] A. Author, Dataset Title, vol., Publication Place: Publisher, Publication Year. [Format]. Available: DOI. [Accessed: Access Date]. |
If there is no DOI | [#] A. Author, Dataset Title, vol., Publication Place: Publisher, Publication Year. [Format]. Available: internet address. [Accessed: Access Date]. |
3. How do I cite reports in IEEE style?
There are two ways of citing reports in IEEE style. It depends on whether you're using a printed or electronic notice. In both cases, you should mention a reference number that matches with in-text quotes. Then the situation differs.
In printed report | [#] Author Initials. Surname, “Report’s Title,” Publisher, Publication City, (abbrev. US State or Country if City is not 'well known'), Report number/Type (if available), Abbrev. Month. (Day if available), Publication Year. |
In online report | [#] Author Initials. Surname, “Report’s Title,” Abbrev. Name of Co., City of Co., Abbrev. State, Country, Rep. no., Abbrev. Month, Year. Accessed on: Month, Day, Year. [Online]. Available site |
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Comments
Even though these two formats seem similar, they are actually different. They both are the most commonly used for referencing computing subjects. But they are totally different when it comes to in-text citation. Harvard style records the author's surname and publication year within your written work. Then it provides a Bibliography at the end of your work. The IEEE style uses a numerical system within your written work. Later it corresponds to the list of references at the end of your work.
You can use this citation style for electronics, engineering, telecommunications, computer science, and information technology reports.
In-text you just mention a number in the squared brackets after a citation. For reference list, we recommend you follow this template:
[#] A. A. Person OR Screen name. "Video Title," YouTube, Date video uploaded, Year. [Video file]. Available: internet address of the specific video. [Accessed: Month Day, Year].