IEEE Reference Style Guide

The IEEE citation style is now widely used in electrical, electronic and computing publications. IEEE provides instructions for authors for each type of publication such as journals, magazines, newsletters, and standards.

IEEE is a numbered style with two components:

In-text references where references are numbered [1] in the order of appearance in the article.

A reference list, displayed at the end of the article which provides full details of all references cited in-text.

About this guide

This guide provides specific examples of how to cite different material types in IEEE referencing style.

The Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) style is a numbered referencing style that uses citation numbers in the text of the paper, provided in square brackets, e.g. [1]. A full corresponding reference is listed at the end of the paper, next to the respective citation number.

The IEEE referencing system is commonly used in technical fields, typically electrical, electronic and computer systems engineering.

Getting started with IEEE referencing

Reference formats

Books & e-books

Journal articles

Theses

Web based documents or sources

Handbooks and manuals

Standards and patents

Conference proceedings

Technical/company reports

Lecture notes

Audio-visual material

Personal communication

Figures, tables and equations

Sample Reference List

Sample in-text reference

Which referencing style should I be using?

Before you write your Reference List or Bibliography, check with your lecturer/tutor which style they prefer you to use and refer to the instructions included with your assignment.