Referencing & Citation Styles

The Institute for Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) is a professional organization supporting many branches of engineering, computer science, and information technology. In addition to publishing journals, magazines, and conference proceedings, IEEE also makes many standards for a wide variety of industries.

IEEE citation style includes in-text citations, numbered in square brackets, which refer to the full citation listed in the reference list at the end of the paper. The reference list is organized numerically, not alphabetically. For examples, see the IEEE Editorial Style Manual. 

IEEE Style uses a notational method of referencing when referring to a source of information within the text of a document. 

In its simplest form a citation is given in the text, consisting of a number enclosed by square brackets:

The full details of the source are given in a numerical reference list at the end of the document:

Indicating the relevant reference in the text

• A number enclosed in square brackets, eg.[1] or [26], placed in the text of the essay, indicates the relevant reference.

• Each reference number should be enclosed in square brackets on the same line as the text, before any punctuation, with a space before the bracket.

• Citations are numbered in the order in which they appear in the text and each citation corresponds to a numbered reference containing publication information about the source cited in the reference list at the end of the publication, essay or assignment.

• Once a source has been cited, the same number is used in all subsequent references.

• No distinction is made between print and electronic references when citing within the text.

Here are some examples of this kind of referencing :

"...end of the line for my research [13]."
"The theory was first put forward in 1987 [1]." "Scholtz [2] has argued that......."
"Several recent studies [3, 4, 15, 16] have suggested that..."
"For example, see [7]."

• It is not necessary to mention either the author(s) or the date of the reference unless it is relevant to your text.

• It is not necessary to say " in reference [26] ..." "In [26] ..." is sufficient.

Citing more than one reference at a time

• When citing more than one source at a time, the preferred method is to list each reference number separately with a comma or dash between each reference:

Preferred
[1], [3], [5]
[1] - [5]

• Although the following method is also acceptable:

Acceptable
[1, 3, 5]
[1-5]

Citing a reference multiple times

• When citing a source for a second or subsequent time, do not use ibid or op. cit.

• In the text, repeat the earlier reference number.

• If referring to a different page number, or other reference, within the source, use the following forms:

[3, pp. 5-10], [3, Ch.  2, pp. 6-21], [3, Fig. 1], [3, Sec. 4.5]

Page numbers included

• Include page, chapter, paragraph or section numbers in the citation if you need to be specific, such as when material is directly quoted or when a specific part of the source is referred to, or when a detail difficult to find.

• Give page numbers within the square brackets:

[1, p. 5]

[2, Fig. 3]

[3, Sec. 4.5]

 

Personal communications include conversations, letters, interviews, e-mails and telephone conversations.

• IEEE style states that you cite only published works, forthcoming published works, and unpublished materials available to scholars in a library, a depository, or an archive.

• For interviews or other "non-recoverable" information, no citation number is necessary.

This does not mean that an attempt to identify the author or the date of the communication is unnecessary, but that it needs to be done in the text itself:

Examples:

"In a personal interview with Bill Gates on June 28 2006, he suggested that he would soon rule the world."

"In a letter to the author dated September 28 2018, Professor Mueller detailed his experiences with using this data collection software."