How to Cite Sources in IEEE Style
IEEE references are numbered in the order they are cited. Author initials precede surnames and reference numbers appear in square brackets.
Method
- Choose the reference number used in your paper.
- Enter authors in the same order as the source.
- Add source title, publication details and page range.
- Include DOI or online availability information when applicable.
Worked example
A journal article begins with [n] and abbreviated given-name initials before each surname.
A book uses author initials and surname, italicized title, edition, publisher and year.
Notes
- IEEE lists all authors up to six.
- With more than six, use the primary author followed by et al.
- Venue-specific IEEE instructions can override general guidance.
Reference numbers depend on citation order
IEEE reference numbers are tied to the order sources first appear in the work. A generator can format the bibliographic details, but it cannot know the final numbering until the document’s citation order is settled. Reordering sections can therefore require renumbering references and in-text citations together.
For technical sources, verify conference or journal names, volume, issue, page range, year and DOI directly from the publication record. Initials, abbreviations and punctuation are formatting details; accurate source identification comes first.
Build the reference around the technical source type
IEEE uses numbered citations, but journal articles, conference papers, standards, books and webpages each require different publication details. For a journal article, verify authors, article title, journal title, volume, issue, page range or article number, year and DOI. For a conference paper, the proceedings and conference details matter instead.
Technical documents often contain version, standard number or publisher information that should not be discarded because it does not fit a generic journal template. Identify the source first, then apply the IEEE pattern for that type.
Keep numbering consistent with order of appearance
IEEE citations are normally numbered in the order sources first appear. Reusing a source means reusing its existing number rather than assigning a new one. If paragraphs are reorganized late in editing, the reference sequence may need to be regenerated.
A citation generator can format the reference text, but it cannot know the final order of appearance across an entire paper unless it sees the document. Treat the generated entry and the manuscript numbering as two checks in the same workflow.
Authoritative references
Primary or authoritative references for the external standard, scoring rule or identifier convention used on this page.
Editorial review and limitations
Continue with the related tools
Use the linked tools for your own inputs and scenarios.
- ACS Citation Generator — Generate references using the current ACS Guide to Scholarly Communication for journal articles, webpages, books and book chapters.
- CSE Citation Generator — Generate CSE Manual 9th edition Citation-Sequence references for scientific journal articles, webpages, books and book chapters.
- AMA Citation Generator — Generate AMA 11 references for journal articles, webpages, books and chapters, with DOI import and PubMed/NLM journal-abbreviation checks.