IEEE Citation Format: Rules and Examples
IEEE style is the standard for electrical engineering, computer science and many technical fields. It is a numbered style: sources are numbered in the order you first cite them, and the reference list follows that order.
Updated 21 October 2026 · EssayWriting.com editorial team
- IEEE uses numbered citations in square brackets, in the order sources first appear.
- The reference list follows that numerical order, not the alphabet.
- List up to six authors; for seven or more, use the first author plus et al.
IEEE at a glance
| Feature | IEEE rule |
|---|---|
| Used in | Engineering, computer science, information technology |
| In-text | Number in square brackets, e.g. [1], placed before punctuation |
| Order | Numbered by first appearance in the text, not alphabetically |
| Reuse | A source keeps the same number every time it is cited |
| Author names | Initials first, then surname: A. B. Author |
| Many authors | IEEE guidance: list up to six authors; for seven or more, give the first author followed by "et al." |
| Article titles | In quotation marks, sentence case |
| Journal names | Abbreviated and italicised |
IEEE in-text citations
Place the bracketed number inside the sentence, before commas and full stops: Earlier work showed similar results [2]. You can treat the number as a noun: as shown in [3]. Cite several sources as [1], [4] or a range as [2]-[5]. Add a page when quoting: [3, p. 7].
IEEE reference examples
Journal article
[1] A. B. Author and C. D. Author, "Title of article," Abbrev. Title of Journal, vol. x, no. x, pp. xxx-xxx, Abbrev. Month Year, doi: xxxx.
Conference paper
[2] A. B. Author, "Title of paper," in Proc. Abbrev. Name of Conf., City, Country, Year, pp. xxx-xxx.
Book
[3] A. B. Author, Title of Book, xth ed. City, Country: Publisher, Year.
Website
[4] Author or Organisation, "Title of page," Site Name. Accessed: Month Day, Year. [Online]. Available: URL
Words in capitals or x's show where your details go.
Common IEEE mistakes
- Sorting the reference list alphabetically. IEEE orders by first citation.
- Giving a source a new number when you cite it again.
- Writing full first names. IEEE uses initials.
- Putting the bracket after the full stop.
Other citation styles
IEEE worked examples by source type
All sources in these worked examples are fictional and were created to illustrate the format. Replace them with your real sources.
Book
[1] M. Lopez, The Quiet Coast, 2nd ed. New York, NY, USA: Harbor Press, 2021.
In-text: [1]
Chapter in an edited book
[2] J. Okoro, "Tides and trade," in Coastal Histories, A. Berg, Ed. Northfield, U.K.: Northfield Univ. Press, 2019, pp. 45-62.
In-text: [2]
Journal article
[3] P. Shah and D. Kim, "Sleep and memory in first-year students," J. Student Health, vol. 18, no. 2, pp. 101-118, 2023, doi: 10.1234/jsh.2023.018.
In-text: [3]
Conference paper
[4] L. Chen, "Low-power sensor networks for coastal monitoring," in Proc. Int. Conf. Ocean Eng., Lisbon, Portugal, 2022, pp. 210-215.
In-text: [4]
Web page
[5] Sleep Facts Network, "Healthy sleep habits." Sleep Facts Network. Accessed: Oct. 20, 2026. [Online]. Available: https://www.sleepfacts.example/habits
In-text: [5]
Online video
[6] Study Lab, "How to read a scientific paper," YouTube. Accessed: Oct. 20, 2026. [Online Video]. Available: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xxxx
In-text: [6]
Technical report
[7] National Education Agency, London, U.K., "Annual literacy report 2023," Rep. NEA-2023-01, 2023.
In-text: [7]
Thesis
[8] S. Ahmed, "Harbour towns and migration, 1850-1900," Ph.D. dissertation, Dept. Hist., Northfield Univ., Northfield, U.K., 2020.
In-text: [8]
How to build any IEEE reference, step by step
- Number the source in the order you first cite it.
- Write author initials then surname; use "and" before the last author.
- Put article and chapter titles in quotation marks, sentence case.
- Italicise and abbreviate the journal or conference name.
- Add volume, issue, pages, date, and the DOI.
- Keep the same number every time you cite that source again.
Sample IEEE reference list
Here are the worked examples above assembled into a list the way they would appear at the end of an essay (numbered in order of first citation).
[1] M. Lopez, The Quiet Coast, 2nd ed. New York, NY, USA: Harbor Press, 2021.
[2] J. Okoro, "Tides and trade," in Coastal Histories, A. Berg, Ed. Northfield, U.K.: Northfield Univ. Press, 2019, pp. 45-62.
[3] P. Shah and D. Kim, "Sleep and memory in first-year students," J. Student Health, vol. 18, no. 2, pp. 101-118, 2023, doi: 10.1234/jsh.2023.018.
[4] L. Chen, "Low-power sensor networks for coastal monitoring," in Proc. Int. Conf. Ocean Eng., Lisbon, Portugal, 2022, pp. 210-215.
[5] Sleep Facts Network, "Healthy sleep habits." Sleep Facts Network. Accessed: Oct. 20, 2026. [Online]. Available: https://www.sleepfacts.example/habits
[6] Study Lab, "How to read a scientific paper," YouTube. Accessed: Oct. 20, 2026. [Online Video]. Available: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xxxx
[7] National Education Agency, London, U.K., "Annual literacy report 2023," Rep. NEA-2023-01, 2023.
[8] S. Ahmed, "Harbour towns and migration, 1850-1900," Ph.D. dissertation, Dept. Hist., Northfield Univ., Northfield, U.K., 2020.
IEEE pre-submission checklist
- Every in-text citation matches an entry in the list, and every entry is cited at least once.
- The list order follows IEEE rules.
- Italics, quotation marks and capitalisation match the examples above.
- DOIs are included wherever a source has one.
- Names, years and page numbers have been checked against the original source, not copied from a tool without checking.
- Your instructor's specific instructions have been followed where they differ from the general rules.
Formatting the IEEE reference list
Title the list "References". Align the bracketed numbers in a column on the left, with the reference text in a hanging block beside them. List every source cited, in numerical order, and only sources that are cited. Use the abbreviations IEEE gives for journal and conference names and for months (Jan., Feb., Aug., Sept., Oct., Nov., Dec.). If a source has a DOI, include it at the end. When citing standards, patents or datasheets, follow the IEEE Reference Guide examples for those types.
Quick answers to common questions
Does IEEE need a bibliography?
IEEE uses a numbered reference list of cited sources only.
Frequently asked questions
Is IEEE numbered or author-date?
Numbered. Each source gets a number in square brackets in the order it is first cited.
Does IEEE use et al.?
Yes. IEEE guidance is to list up to six authors and use the first author plus et al. for seven or more.
Is the IEEE reference list alphabetical?
No. It is in numerical order, matching the order sources first appear in your text.
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