Quick links The Campaign for Concordia
Concordia University logo
Library hours
Ask a librarian
A-Z
Concordia.ca   /   Library   /   Help   /   Citing   /   IEEE citation style

IEEE citation style

Introduction

This guide provides some basic models and examples of citations based primarily on the IEEE Reference Guide, which is part of the IEEE Editorial Style Manual.

IEEE requires any citation and style issues not covered by its own style manual to be addressed using the Chicago Manual of Style. Submitting an article to an IEEE publication may require using that publication's style, which occasionally varies from the general IEEE style. Learn more from the IEEE Author Center.

Back to top

General Guidelines

In-text citation

  • In-text citations are shown as numbers within square brackets, for example “According to [2]…”, “As demonstrated in [3]–[5]…”.
  • The numbers increase sequentially with each additional source that you cite.
  • If you cite the same source more than once, use the same number rather than creating a new reference. Remember that if you move text with a citation after writing your document, you must resequence your references to correspond.
  • Do not say “in reference [1] …”; rather, the text should be written to read simply, “in [3] …”.
  • The author’s name generally should not be included in a text reference with a number (i.e., “In Patel [1]”) and should be changed to “in [3]” except in such cases where the author’s name is integral to the understanding of the sentence (e.g., “Patel [3] reduced calculated time …”).

Reference list

  • Reference numbers are aligned to the left margin and form a column of their own.
  • Use "et al." to signify that a document has more than six authors.
  • All references, except those ending with URLs, will end with a period, including those with a DOI.
  • Check the IEEE Editorial Style Manual for official abbreviations. Many commonly used terms as well as specific IEEE journals should be abbreviated in the references.

An example

A short paragraph with in-text citations and a corresponding reference list in IEEE citation style
Back to top

Book

Model for a book in print

  1. J. K. Author, “Title of chapter in the book,” in Title of Book, xth ed. City of Publisher, State, Country: Abbrev. of Publisher, year, ch. x, sec. x, pp. xxx–xxx.

Model for an electronic book

  1. J. K. Author, “Title of chapter in the book,” in Title of Book, xth ed. City of Publisher, State, Country: Abbrev. of Publisher, year, ch. x, sec. x, pp. xxx–xxx. [Online]. Available: site/path/file

Examples

One author

  1. N. Shinohara, Wireless Power Transfer via Radiowaves. London : Hoboken, NJ, USA: ISTE; Wiley, 2014

Two authors

  1. A. Hunt and D. Thomas, The Pragmatic Programmer: From Journeyman to Master. Reading, Mass: Addison-Wesley, 2000.

One author (ebook)

  1. A. Moreno-Munoz, Ed., Large Scale Grid Integration of Renewable Energy Sources. Institution of Engineering and Technology, 2017 [Online]. Available: https://digital-library.theiet.org/content/books/po/pbpo098e.

Other Cases

Not every reference will include the same types of information. For example, the books referenced above do not call out specific chapters. In the following, [1] has three editors rather than a single author, whereas [2] represents a citation from a chapter in this book.

  1. D. P. Michelfelder, N. McCarthy, and D. E. Goldberg, Eds., Philosophy and Engineering: Reflections on Practice, Principles and Process. Springer, Dordrecht, 2013 [Online]. Available: https://dx.doi.org/10.1007/978-94-007-7762-0
  2. A. Chilvers and S. Bell, “Ove Arup: Theoretical and moral positions in practice and the origins of an engineering firm,” in Philosophy and Engineering: Reflections on Practice, Principles and Process, Springer, Dordrecht, 2013, pp. 51–63. [Online]. Available: https://link.springer.com/chapter/10.1007/978-94-007-7762-0_5
Back to top

Conference proceedings

Model for a paper presented at a conference

  1. J. K. Author, “Title of paper,” presented at the abbrev. Name of Conf., City of Conf., Abbrev. State, year, pp. xxx–xxx.

Model for a conference paper presented via online event

  1. J. K. Author. Title. presented at abbrev. Conference title. [Medium]. Available: site/path/file

Examples

Conference papers

  1. V. S. Bouchet, E. Torlaschi, R. Laprise, and J. C. McConnell, “Summertime climatology of ozone with a regional climate model,” in Proceedings of the 1997 Air & Waste Management Association’s 90th Annual Meeting & Exhibition, Toronto, Canada, 1997.
  2. R. Zhou et al., “Modeling the impact of spatial resolutions on perceptual quality of immersive image/video,” in 2016 International Conference on 3D Imaging (IC3D), 2016, pp. 1–6 [Online]. Available: https://ieeexplore.ieee.org/document/7823464/
Back to top

Dataset, table, and graph

Datasets

Due to the various techniques for accessing and storing datasets (research data management guide), the citation rules are not as commonly defined as they are for things like books or journal articles. The IEEE Editorial Style Manual does not explicitly state how to cite data.

The following was adapted from The Chicago Manual of Style's guidance in "14.257: Citing data from a scientific database." The manual recommends that the citation include the database's name and some description of the record being cited (a data marker or accession number). It should also include the date that you accessed it and a URL.

Model for data from a scientific database

  1. DB Name (descriptive phrase [record locator]; accessed date). site/path/file

Example

Dataset

  1. Laser-Induced Breakdown Spectroscopy (LIBS) dataset for materials for Planetary Exploration (LIBS Dataset [AnorthoMO11 1000AVG]; accessed February 28, 2018). https://open.canada.ca/data/en/dataset/137bdc17-2f46-4d70-98e7-acc46f602e9f

See the DataCite Canada recommendations for additional detail about good practices for citing data. You can also find documentation detailing different data citation use-cases in the guide from The Digital Curation Centre.

Tables

The 17th edition of The Chicago Manual of Style offers some guidance on data in the context of using it in tables (section 3.77 Acknowledging data in source notes to tables). Chicago requires the full source to be cited.

For example, if you use data from a source such as a book or an article to create a table in your document, Chicago requires that you identify that data by writing "Data from [Name of the source]" within a footnote. You must also include that source in your reference list the way you normally would (e.g. if it's an article, format it like an article reference).

IEEE formatting style for footnotes is in section "B. Editing the Body of a Paper" of the IEEE Editorial Style Manual.

Graphs

If you use an image such as a graph from another source, make sure to label it with a caption using the rules under "Text Citation of Figures and Tables" in part "II. Editing Principles," section "B. Editing the Body of a Paper" of the IEEE Editorial Style Manual. The graph may require a reference number or additional source information depending on whether or not it's from an IEEE source.

Back to top

Journal article

Model for an article online

  1. J. K. Author, “Name of paper,” Abbrev. Title of Periodical, vol. x, no. x, pp. xxx-xxx, Abbrev. Month, year. Accessed: Month, Day, Year. doi: 10.1109.XXX.123456, [Online]. Available: site/path/file

Model for an article in print

  1. J. K. Author, “Name of paper,” Abbrev. Title of Periodical, vol. x, no. x, pp. xxx-xxx, Abbrev. Month, year.

Examples

Article online

  1. A. Bozkurt et al., “Toward cyber-enhanced working dogs for search and rescue,” IEEE Intell. Syst., vol. 29, no. 6, pp. 32–9, Nov. 2014. Accessed: Dec, 12, 2017. doi: 10.1109/MIS.2014.77, [Online]. Available: https://ieeexplore.ieee.org/document/6914468/

Article in print

  1. P. Mowforth and I. Bratko, “AI and robotics; flexibility and integration,” Robotica, vol. 5, no. pt 2, pp. 93–98, 1987.
Back to top

Lecture

The IEEE Editorial Style Manual does not explicitely describe how to cite lectures. The following was adapted from the Chicago Manual of Style's guidance in "14.217: Lectures and papers or posters presented at meetings." If lecture notes or recordings are accessible online you can add an electronic resource to the reference.

Model for a lecture or presentation

  1. J. K. Lecturer, “Title,” Lecture, Title of course, Organization, location, Date.

Model for lecture notes that can be accessed online

  1. J. K. Lecturer, “Title,” Lecture, Title of course, Organization, location, Date, [Medium]. Available: site/path/file

For recordings, see also the Chicago Manual of Style, section 14.264: Recorded readings, lectures, audiobooks, and the like.

Example

Lecture

  1. E. Novak, “Essentials of Research Methods,” Lecture, ENCS 6721 Technical Writing and Research Methods for Scientists and Engineers, Concordia University, Montréal, Canada, 2016, [PowerPoint]. https://users.encs.concordia.ca/lecture-imaginary-prof.html
Back to top

Manual

Use the following model for documents such as product or software manuals. To cite a document such as a corporate handbook, use the technical report model.

Model for a manual

  1. J. K. Author or Organization Name. The software manual title. (Year) [Medium]. Place: Publisher or Organization that produced it. Available: site/path/file, Accessed: Month. Day, Year.

Examples

Product manual

  1. ST, TN0018 Technical note: Surface mounting guidelines for MEMS sensors in an LGA package. (2017) [Online]. Switzerland: STMicroelectronics NV. Available: https://www.st.com/content/st_com/en/products/mems-and-sensors/accelerometers/ais328dq.html, Accessed: Dec. 13, 2017.

Software manual

  1. J. H. Weber et al., Getting Started with LibreOffice 5.2. (2017) [Online]. LibreOffice Documentation Team. Available: https://documentation.libreoffice.org/assets/Uploads/Documentation/en/GS5.2/GS52-GettingStartedLO.pdf, Accessed: Dec. 13, 2017.

Note: to cite a printed manual (not an online electronic source) do not include the "Available:" and "Accessed:" portions of the reference.

Back to top

Patent

Model for a patent accessible online

  1. Name of the invention, by inventor’s name. (year, month day). Country Patent Number [Medium]. Available: site/path/file

Examples

Patent from the Canadian Intellectual Property Office database (online)

  1. Type composing machine, by J. Mayer and C. A. Albrecht. (1907, March 26) CA 104 300 [Online]. Available: https://www.ic.gc.ca/opic-cipo/cpd/eng/patent/104300/summary.html

Patent from a Google patent search (online)

  1. System and method for routing communications based on wireless communication link quality, by B. Moon and M. Smith. (2000, December 22) US Patent 6 961 573 [Online]. Available: https://patents.google.com/patent/US6961573B1/en
Back to top

Software

Model for a software application

  1. A. L. Programmer or Organization Name. The software package. (Year) [Medium]. Place: Publisher. Available: site/path/file, Accessed: Month. Day, Year.

A techique used in some IEEE publications simplifies the reference as follows:

  1. "Software Application Name", Year.

Examples

Software developed by an organization (downloaded)

  1. Apache HTTP Server. The Apache Software Foundation, 2017 [Online]. Available: https://http.apache.org/download.cgi#apache24
  1. "Apache HTTP Server", 2017.

Software developed by a company (from a physical medium)

  1. MATLAB. Natick, MA: The MathWorks, Inc., 2002 [DVD-ROM].
Back to top

Standard

The IEEE Editorial Style Manual recommends the first model below for standards. The guide also shows alternate examples that are visible in IEEE-published documents.

Model for a standard

  1. Title of Standard, Standard number, date.

Model for a standard (formatted for more information)

  1. Title of standard, [Medium] Standard number, Authoring body, location, date. Available: site/path/file

Examples

Standard (print)

  1. Standard method of test for the evaluation of building energy analysis computer programs, ASHRAE standard 1041-2336 ; 140-2014, 2014.

Standard (online)

  1. IEEE Standard for Advanced Audio and Video Coding, [Online] Standard IEEE Std 1857-2013, IEEE Standards Association, New York, NY, 2013. Available: https://ieeexplore.ieee.org/document/6522104/
Back to top

Technical reports, datasheets, etc.

Technical reports often include detailed research on an organization's own work concerning a problem. These reports are often not published in a traditional sense. Citing technical reports may require identifying additional information from corporate sites.

IEEE also recommends using the following format for documents such as datasheets or corporate handbooks.

Model for a technical report

  1. J. K. Author, “Title of report,” Abbrev. Name of Co., City of Co., Abbrev. State, Country, Rep. no., vol./issue, year. [Medium]. Available: site/path/file

Examples

Technical report

  1. F. A. Shen, “Flexible rotor dynamics analysis,” Rockwell International Corp., Canoga Park, CA, 19730022708, Sep. 1973 [Online]. Available: https://ntrs.nasa.gov/search.jsp?R=19730022708

Product datasheet

  1. Unitron, “uTV 3 Technical Data,” Kitchener, Canada, Datasheet 14-050 027-5875-02, Feb. 2015 [Online]. Available: https://unitron.com/content/dam/unitron-2014/documents/english/moxi-north/datasheet/english-crossproduct-datasheet-utv3.pdf

Note that the author is the name of the company in the datasheet example.

Back to top

Thesis

Model for a thesis or dissertation

  1. J. K. Author, “Title,” M.S. thesis/Ph.D. dissertation, Abbrev. Dept., Abbrev. Univ., City of Univ., Abbrev. State, year.

Example

Thesis from a Master of Science program

  1. V. Hayot-Sasson, “Towards easy and efficient processing of ultra-high resolution brain images,” MCompSC. thesis, Dept. of Comput. Sci. & Software Eng., Concordia University, Montréal, Canada, 2017 [Online]. Available: https://spectrum.library.concordia.ca/982970/
Back to top

Unpublished work

IEEE provides the following rule for private communications but in many cases, you can embed the information in the body of your text. For example, "In response to my query, Alexandra Bell sent an e-mail stating that specifications had last been updated in March."

Model for an unpublished document

  1. J. K. Author, private communication, Abbrev. Month, year.
  2. J. K. Author, “Title of paper,” unpublished.

Example

E-mail message

  1. M. Aftahi, private communication, Dec 2016.
Back to top

Web page

Model for a page on a web site

  1. J. K. Author. "Page Title." Website. Web Address (retrieved Date Accessed).

Example

Web page

  1. Ordre des ingénieurs du Québec. “The Different Fields of Engineering” Ordre des ingénieurs du Québec. https://www.oiq.qc.ca/en/general-public/the-engineering-profession/the-different-fields-of-engineering (accessed Apr. 20, 2022).

Social media

  1. Concordia Journalism, “We are proud to announce that Dr. David Secko, Chair and Professor in the Department of Journalism, is a recipient of the President’s Excellence in Teaching Award. Secko was recognized for his development of Projected Futures: Experimental Science Journalism Studies.” Twitter. https://twitter.com/JournalismCU/status/1540063393830371328 (accessed Aug. 19, 2022).
Back to top

Generative AI (eg., ChatGPT)

There is currently no official stylistic recommendations from IEEE for referencing AI-generated content. IEEE requires any citation and style issues not covered by its own style manual to be addressed using the Chicago Manual of Style. If you have been asked to cite material generated by artificial intelligence for a class assignment, you can use the format suggested by the Chicago Manual of Style.

Example

  1. Text generated by ChatGPT, June 28, 2023, OpenAI, https://chat.openai.com/chat.

Note: Methods of citing materials generated by artificial intelligence (AI) tools like ChatGPT are rapidly changing. Check with your course instructor or thesis supervisor before using or citing material generated by AI tools. You should also check whether the tool you’re using has terms of use or guidelines on how to credit use of the tool (for example, from OpenAI).

Back to top
Back to top arrow up, go to top of page