A Quick Guide on IEEE Format: Citation and Referencing
Writing academic papers requires you to cite sources you refer to while completing the paper. There are different citation and referencing methods that you can use, such as Harvard, APA, and IEEE. You should know the type of citation and referencing style required to complete your paper to ensure academic integrity and credibility. Students majoring in technical fields like engineering and computer science mainly use the IEEE citation and referencing style. In this article, we will provide you with critical guidance for effectively using the IEEE format in your essays.
Introduction to IEEE
IEEE is a style for formatting and citing research papers created by the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers. The IEEE organization is one of the largest in the technical field and is responsible for setting the bar for aspiring technical researchers. The IEEE style is a referencing method that uses numbering within your text to help point the reader to the relevant citation. You must use the same number if you refer to the same source in other parts of your paper. The IEEE style has two essential elements namely, in-text citations and references.
1. In-Text Citations
In-text citations denote the brief references you include within your paper that point to the source of information from your research. The in-text citations act as signposts that direct readers to the reference list at the end of your work. The referencing method does not require the author’s name within the text. Rather, this is replaced by a number in square brackets. The following are some quick tips on how you should use IEEE in in-text citation;
• Use square brackets ([1]) around the number to indicate the source of your information. The bracketed citations should appear before any punctuation.
• You should number the citations consecutively according to how they appear in your essay. Every number should correspond to a reference entry provided at the end of your essay.
• Separate the numbers with commas when citing multiple sources at once. For example, Scholars have shown that social media has numerous effects on the young user’s mind [1], [2], [3], [9].
As you get familiarized with IEEE formatting, you may also want to check out our guide on How to Format an Academic Essay.
2. IEEE Referencing
Your IEEE reference page should provide all information about the sources you used in the text. This makes it easy for readers to locate and consult them. Like other referencing methods, IEEE has specific requirements for creating references for different types of sources. Table 1 below highlights some kinds of materials and how to cite them in IEEE;
Material Type | Basic Format | Example |
Book | First name initial. Last name, Book Title. City (only in the US), Country: Publisher, Year. | [1] B. Klaus and P. Horn, Robot Vision. Cambridge, MA, USA: MIT Press, 1986. |
Journal | First name initial. Last name, “Title of paper,” Abbrev. Title of Journal, vol. x, no. x, pp. xxx-xxx, Abbrev. month, year, doi: xxx | [2] M. Reveilhac, “The Deployment of Social Media by Political Authorities and Health Experts to Enhance Public Information during the COVID-19 Pandemic,” SSM – Population Health, vol. 19, no. 1, pp. 1–21, Jul. 2022, doi: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ssmph.2022.101165
|
Website | First name initial. Last name. “Page title.” Website Title. URL (accessed Month Day, Year). | [3] Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers, “IEEE Standards Association,” [Online]. Available: http://journals.ieeeauthorcenter.ieee.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/7/IEEE_Reference_Guide.pdf (accessed Jul. 24, 2024). |
Chapter of a book | First name initial. Last name. “Title of the chapter,” in Title of the Book, xth ed. City of Publisher, State (if in the US), Country: Publisher Name, Year, chapter x, pp. xxx–xxx. | [4] H. S. Stone, “Artificial intelligence and natural language processing,” in The Handbook of Language Acquisition. Cambridge, MA: Blackwell Publishing, 1978, chapter 10, pp. 746–781. |
Table 1: IEEE Citation Example
The following are some quick tips to use in IEEE referencing;
- The reference page should appear on a separate page at the end of your paper. Remember that the heading should be in bold text and centered.
- Reference numbers should flush left and hang out beyond the body of the reference to ensure that they are separated from the entries (IEEE, 2023). For example,
[1] M. Reveilhac, “The Deployment of Social Media by Political Authorities and Health Experts to Enhance Public Information during the COVID-19 Pandemic,” SSM – Population Health, vol. 19, no. 1, pp. 1–21, Jul. 2022, doi: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ssmph.2022.101165
[2] B. Jones, C. Smith, and D. Miller, “A Comparative Study of Machine Learning Algorithms for Image Recognition,” IEEE Trans. Image Process., vol. 12, no. 1, pp. 14–20, Jan. 2024, doi: 10.1109/TIP.2023.1234567. - IEEE references should be listed numerically, according to how they appear within the paper.
- All references start with an abbreviation of the author’s last name, followed by their full last name
- Use quotation marks for the title of an article, as indicated above.
- The title of a book should be italicized when referencing, as shown earlier.
- IEEE referencing requires you to list up to six authors. If there are more than six authors, use the first writer’s name and add et al.
Summing up
Citation and referencing styles are essential elements of every academic writing journey. Therefore, it is crucial that you understand the guidelines for the different citation and referencing styles to ensure you produce quality papers. This article discusses the IEEE citation and referencing style. By following the guidance provided here, you will be well-equipped to strengthen the credibility of your research while helping the readers trace the sources you use in your technical papers.
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Reference
[1] IEEE, “IEEE Reference Guide,” Nov. 2023. Available: http://journals.ieeeauthorcenter.ieee.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/7/IEEE_Reference_Guide.pdf