IEEE Citation Style: Start Here

1. Check that your instructor has asked you to use IEEE citation style for your assignment. They have? Great! Continue on...

2. Read the 'IEEE in a Nutshell' section below to ensure you know you need both in-text citations and reference list entries in your assignment.

3. Review the In-Text Citations tab for how to incorporate sources into your writing.

4. Find the source type you are trying to cite in the tabs at the top. Is it a book, a magazine, a webpage, or something else? Once you've found your source type, look for the option that best describes your source (for example, an e-book instead of a print book).

5. Use the template for your source type to create your reference list entry for that particular source. If you run into a scenario that isn't covered in the template or in the example, scroll down to the "What if" section for detailed information on how to incorporate this information. Examples of such scenarios are multiple authors, a source without a publication date, etc.

Have questions about citations that aren't covered in this guide? Check out the 'Additional Help' tab or meet with your librarian for in-depth support.

Have questions about writing (paraphrasing, summarizing, directly quoting)? Connect with a writing specialist for support.

An IEEE citation has two parts:

In-text - to let the person who's reading your work know that this isn't your idea and to show them where to find it in your reference list. For IEEE, each citation is represented by a sequential number in square brackets like this: [1]. Each new source is numbered subsequently - the next source would be [2], the next after that would be [3], and so on.

Reference list (at the end of your assignment) - to allow the reader to find where the idea came from. This will give them enough information that they can locate the source and find the information that you included in your assignment. The reference list citations are numerically ordered.

Anytime you use someone else's words, ideas, opinions, or illustrations, you need to show where you first retrieved or read that information. You need to provide both the in-text citation whenever you use that source in your paper, and a single reference list entry at the end of your paper for each source that you use. This guide provides examples of IEEE citations for various resources.