IEEE Format: Citation and Referencing

Every student who studies Computer Science should know how to write a paper in the IEEE format to set themselves up for success. Whether you major in Programming, Information Technologies, or Web Communication, the IEEE paper format is widely used for styling academic papers written in these subjects, which is why it is vital to master it.

This article will be your guide to the format. While reading it, you will learn how to cite in IEEE. Additionally, our term paper writing service will tell you what the IEEE style is, share the basic requirements given in this manual of style, provide some overall writing recommendations, and share handy IEEE citation examples.

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What Is IEEE?

The IEEE reference format is a commonly accepted style for writing, formatting, and citing research papers. The format was created based on the Chicago Manual of Style and is widely used by students and researchers in Computer Science and relevant technical fields. This comprehensive guide will come in handy for every student or young professional involved in this field. Thus, if that's your major, we recommend reading this article instead of studying the entire edition of the latest IEEE Manual of Style to save lots of time and to grasp the idea of how to create an IEEE paper with ease.

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What does IEEE stand for, you may wonder? The letters IEEE stand for the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers. It is a professional association of electric engineering and associated disciplines. It was formed in 1963 on the basis of two American establishments – the Institute of Radio Engineers and the American Institute of Electrical Engineers.

Being the largest association of technical professionals in the world, the IEEE report format sets the bar for aspiring technical specialists and researchers. To outline the standards for writing and organizing academic works in relevant fields, the IEEE has established its own writing style manual.

The IEEE style consists of 2 critical elements:

• In-text citations (direct & indirect)
• References (Works Cited in MLA format)

In-text citations are short quotations taken from primary or secondary sources. In IEEE in text citation, they are numbered in square brackets. Every number next to their corresponding citation identifies the complete citation listed in the References section in numerical order (commonly referred to as the Works Cited list or bibliography page in other formats). In APA citation format they call it References.

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Basic IEEE Page Format

This is how your standard IEEE essay format should look like:

• Title Page

including the article's title, byline, membership, and first footnote

• Abstract

should be one paragraph long, preferably between 150 to 250 words

• Index Terms
• Nomenclature (optional)
• Introduction
• Body of Article
• Conclusion
• Appendix(es)
• Acknowledgment(s)
• References
• Photos and Biographies

Find out how to format papers in other citation styles.

To write an IEEE style paper, students should follow these basic rules:

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Parts of an IEEE Format Paper

If you've ever looked at an actual IEEE paper format example, you'll notice that every section in its structured layout has a specific purpose. Understanding these parts will help you better format your paper to meet IEEE publication standards.

Title Page and Abstract

Your IEEE title page must be clean and properly formatted to leave a proper first impression on the reader. This formatting style doesn't need a separate IEEE cover page; you should just put everything at the top of the first page. The title itself goes front and center in bold, 24-point font. Right below comes the author's name, affiliations, and contact details in 10-point font, all centered.

The title page is followed by the abstract, which gives readers a quick summary of what to expect from your paper. The abstract should summarize the problem, methodology, results, and conclusions in just 150-200 words. It should have a bold, left-aligned heading so that everything looks professional and IEEE-compliant.

IEEE Heading

The IEEE format suggests authors of papers use four levels of hierarchy for the text's section headings:

Enumeration of section headings is preferable, but not mandatory – the author can use his or her preference. However, the chosen format should be consistently followed throughout the entire paper.

Apart from section headings, there are also Appendix, Reference, and Acknowledgement headings, which are formatted differently:

Appendix headings — the primary heading(s) in the paper’s Appendix or Appendixes should be formatted according to the standard style. The authors are allowed to use either letters or Roman numerals to enumerate Appendix headings (e.g. Appendix A or Appendix I)—but note that it should not be preceded by a Roman numeral. In case you only have one Appendix in the paper, its heading remains unnamed and unnumbered.

Reference and Acknowledgement headings — should be formatted like primary headings. However, these should never be labeled or enumerated.

First Footnote - The first footnote in the article is not numbered (though all following footnotes should be numbered consecutively) and should consist of three paragraphs:

• The first part should specify the received and revised (optional) dates of the paper. When there is more than one revised date, list all of them.
• The next paragraph consists of the authors’ affiliations. In case there are two or more authors with varying affiliations, use separate sentences and paragraphs for each author, specifying all initials with the last name. The authors with the same affiliation should be grouped; you should list the affiliations according to the order of the authors in the byline.
• The last paragraph of the first footnote should specify the Digital Object Identifier (DOI) number, assigned by the IEEE.

Example: Manuscript received April 27, 2018; revised September 18, 2018; accepted July 25, 2018. Date of publication August 15, 2013; date of current version September 9, 2018. This work was supported by a grant of the Romanian National Authority for Scientific Research, CNCS UEFISCDI, under Project PN-II-ID-BXE-4016-3-0566. (Corresponding author: John Smith.)
The authors are with the National Institute for Lasers, Plasma and Radiation Physics, Plasma Physics and Nuclear Fusion Laboratory, 077125 Bucharest-Magurele, Romania (e-mail: florin.gherendi@infim.ro; mnistor@infim.ro; mandache@infim.ro).
Color versions of one or more of the figures are available online at http:// ieeexplore.ieee.org. (NOTE: Only Used with Printed Publications).
Digital Object Identifier 10.1109/JDT.2013.2278036

If you need to specify any financial support for the work, it should be listed in the first paragraph instead of the Acknowledgement section.

Example: This work was supported by the National Science Foundation under Grant 90210 and Grant ECS-12345.

Body of the Paper

IEEE papers use a two-column layout because it helps fit more information without overwhelming the reader. Keep your text single-spaced and justified, with 0.75-inch margins on the sides and 1-inch at the top and bottom. Even the small details, such as equations and the IEEE appendix format, follow strict guidelines so everything is consistent across the entire paper. Below is a breakdown of all parts of a technical paper:

• Abstract - The IEEE format requires authors to include an Abstract in every paper. An abstract should follow the Title Page of the document and appear in the text in boldface type. It has to be concise and should not include any numbered references or mathematical equations.
• Index Terms - Authors should also provide Index Terms in their IEEE papers. Index Terms should also appear in boldface type, in alphabetic order, and located within the Abstract as its final paragraphs. You should only define acronyms in this section if they have already been defined in the paper itself.
  The authors can request a list of keywords by sending a blank email to keywords[at]ieee.org.
• Text Equations - When placing equations within the main body of the paper, one should number them in inconsequential order from the beginning of the work to its end. In some transactions, it is permitted to use the author’s own numbering system, for example, numbering by section, e.g., (1.1), (1.2.1), (A1).
• Acknowledgment - The Acknowledgement section should always follow the final part of the text, after any Appendix(es) and preceding the References section. It should be written in the third person.

If you need to cite names in the Acknowledgement section, do not use full names and honorables like Mr., Mrs., Miss, and Ms. Instead, only list first initials followed by a family name. You can still use titles like Prof. and Dr., but only in the singular form, placing it separately next to each name.

Do NOT include information about any financial support in the Acknowledgement section, place it in the first paragraph of the first footnote instead.

• References - In IEEE papers, all references should be numbered and there should be a separate entry for each number. It is not allowed to use the same reference number of a group of IEEE citations.
• Text Citation of Figures and Tables - IEEE citation format for figures and tables requires following numerical order. Citations of figures located within the paper should always be labeled by the abbreviation “Fig.” followed by the relevant figure number. Authors of papers should use this abbreviation even if it has to be put at the beginning of a sentence.
• Biographies - IEEE Transactions require including author biographies. As a rule, biographies have to be divided into three paragraphs:

1. First paragraph — should start with the full name of the author and the history of his or her IEEE membership. It may also contain a date and/or place of birth (if the author provides it). After this, it is vital to specify the author’s educational background. Indicate the major area of study in lowercase letters, always put the word “degree” after a specific degree title, and specify the years when the degrees were obtained. For specifying degrees, you may use the following abbreviations: Dipl.Ing., Diplom-Physiker, Dr. ing., dr. Phil., Dr. Eng., B.S., S.B., B.A., A.B., B.Sc. (Hons.), B.S.E., B.E.E., M.Eng., M.S.(tech.), M.S.E.E., M.S.E., Civilingenir, Lic.es Sci., Lic.es Lett.
2. Second paragraph -— it should contain information about the author’s work and military experience (if any); all job titles should be capitalized. When mentioning their current job, one must specify its location, but this is not mandatory for past experiences. Follow the list of experience by the author’s affiliations with non-IEEE journals, and current and previous fields of interest.

Note: you should not repeat the name of the author in this paragraph; use “he” or “she” instead.

3. Third paragraph — should start with the title and surname of the author (e.g., Dr. Mitchell, Mr. Black, Prof. Smith, etc.). Then it should list information about the author’s memberships in professional societies (except IEEE), as well as their status as a Professional Engineer (if so). The paragraph should end with a list of the author’s awards, publications, and work for IEEE committees. If the author’s biography is unavailable, you need to use a squib for it.

Other Text

• Footnotes - A footnote is any additional information, explanation, or comment related to the main text that is located at the bottom of the page. All footnotes within the IEEE format paper should be numbered and followed in consecutive order within the body of the paper. The numbers, both within the text and in the actual footnotes, should be marked with superscripts. Within the body of the paper, the superscript footnote numbers should always be placed after the punctuation marks, such as parentheses, commas, and periods. However, if the sentence is a compound one, the numbers should be placed before the punctuation marks, such as semicolons, dashes, colons, and quotation marks. The actual footnotes should be placed at the bottom of the page where the cited information is located. Footnotes follow the same structure in IEEE conference format, which is used for research papers submitted to IEEE-sponsored conferences.

• List in Text - All lists within the IEEE style papers should be formatted according to the following order of labeling: 1), 2), 3) followed by a), b), c), and then i), ii), iii).

Example: According to the IEEE Computer Society, the most crucial areas of computer science are: 1) algorithms and data structures; 2) theory of computation; 3) computer elements and architecture; and 4) programming methodology and languages.

How to Cite References

As was already mentioned, every reference has a corresponding IEEE citation within the main body of the essay or research paper. Each time a writer adds a citation, they should insert a number within square brackets. Later, each citation should be assigned a complete reference on the References page. Relevant citations within the text and on the references page should correspond to each other by numbers to make it possible to find the complete reference. The references page should be on its own separate page of the paper.

Each full IEEE reference must include all of the necessary bibliographic information to help the reader find more details about its topic. The elements of an IEEE format reference are:

• A corresponding number to the in-text citation
• Author’s surname and initials
• The full title of the work
• Place of publication
• Date of publication
• Some smaller details like page number, issue, or volume (if available)

Now, as you know the basic rules of citations, let's look at some IEEE format citation examples from our political science essay service to help you understand how to make a reference page:

How to Cite a Journal Article in IEEE Format

The IEEE reference format stays the same every time, so it quickly becomes your second nature once you get the pattern down. Here's the basic format you should follow when you're citing a journal article:

[Reference Number] Author’s initials. Last name, “Title of the article,” Journal Name, vol. X, no. X, pp. XX-XX, Month, Year. DOI (if available).

Example:
[1] J. A. Peterson and R. Brown, “Advances in AI-assisted surgery,” IEEE Trans. Med. Robotics, vol. 25, no. 4, pp. 112-126, Apr. 2023.

How to Cite a Website in IEEE Format

When referencing a website according to IEEE guidelines, you must also include the author (if listed), webpage title, website name, publication date (if available), and URL. The difference is that you also have to include the access date - the exact date when you visited the website you got the information from. Here’s what it looks like in action:

[Reference Number] Author’s initials. Last name, “Title of webpage/document,” Website Name, publication date or last update (if available). Accessed: Month Day, Year. [Online]. Available: URL

Example:
[2] M. K. Thompson, “The future of quantum computing,” Quantum Research Institute, Jan. 5, 2024. Accessed: Feb. 10, 2024. [Online]. Available: www.quantumresearch.org/articles

How to Cite Authors in IEEE Format

IEEE has a simple approach when it comes to listing authors:

• One author → J. Carter
• Two authors → J. Carter and R. Brown
• Three or more authors → J. Carter et al.

List the authors in the order they appear in the source when building the References section. If there are more than six authors, include the first six and then add et al. to keep things concise.

Standard IEEE Abbreviations

IEEE loves efficiency; that means using abbreviations whenever possible. Here are some of the most common ones:

• Edition → ed.
• Editor(s) → ed. or eds.
• Translated by → transl.
• Number → no.
• Volume → vol.
• Pages → pp.
• Conference proceedings → Proc.
• Transactions → Trans.

Digital Documents

Certain details must be referenced regardless of what sources you're using. Here's the required information for citing sources in IEEE document format:

• Author’s name(s) (if available)
• Title of the book, article, webpage, or document
• Edition, volume, or issue number (if applicable)
• Publisher or source (journal name, website, database, or conference)
• Page numbers, sections, or paragraphs (if provided)
• Date of publication, creation, or last update
• Access date (for online sources)
• DOI, URL, or database name (if relevant)

E-book
[corresponding number] Author. (year, month and day of publication). Book title. (edition). [Type of medium]. Vol. (issue). Available: http:// website URL [date accessed].

Example: [6] S. Calmer. (1999, June 1). Engineering and Art. (2nd edition). [On-line]. 27(3). Available: http:// website URL [May 21, 2003].

IEEE Website Citation
[corresponding number] Website. “Title.” Available: complete URL, date updated, [Accessed: date].

Example: [7] Emarketer.com. "Social Networking Reaches Nearly One in Four Around the World." Available: http:// website URL, Jan. 25, 2014. [Accessed: June.23, 2014].

Podcast
[corresponding number] Author’s Initial. Author’s Surname, "Title", Publication Title, Year Published. [Online]. Available: http:// website URL. [Accessed: date].

Example: [8] R. Robertson. "Leadership at the Bottom of the Earth… Where No One Hears You Scream", Sir Walter Murdoch Lecture, 2010. [Podcast]. Available: http:// website URL. [Accessed: Aug. 5, 2010].

Print References

Book: Single Author
[corresponding number] Author. Book title. Location: Publishing company, year, pp.

Example: [1] W.-K. Chen. Linear Networks and Systems. Belmont, CA: Wadsworth, 1993, pp. 123-135.

Book: Two or More Authors
[corresponding number] Author, Author, and Author. Book title. Location: Publishing company, year, pp.

Example: [2] U. J. Gelinas, Jr., S. G. Sutton, and J. Fedorowicz. Business Processes and Information Technology. Cincinnati: South-Western/Thomson Learning, 2004, pp. 98-100.

Book: No Author
[corresponding number] Book title. Location: Publishing company, year, pp.

Example: [3] The Oxford Dictionary of Computing, 5th ed. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2003, pp.13-23.

Article in a Journal
[corresponding number] Author. “Article title”. Journal title, vol., pp, date.

Example: [4] G. Pevere. “Infrared Nation.” The International Journal of Infrared Design, vol. 33, pp. 56-99, Jan. 1979.

Newspaper Article
[corresponding number] Author. “Article title”. Newspaper title, pp, date.

Example: [5] N. Perpitch, "Green groups battle to overturn gas plan," The Australian, p. 2, Sept. 7, 2010.

Conference Paper
[Corresponding Number] Author. “Title of the paper,” in Proceedings of the Conference Name, Location, Month, Year, pp. XX-XX. DOI (if available).

Example: [3] L. F. Moretti and H. J. Kowalska, “Advancements in neuromorphic computing,” in Proc. IEEE Int. Symp. Emerging Tech., Berlin, Germany, Jun. 2023, pp. 78-85.

Note: If you can’t find certain information about the source, exclude it.

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Final Words

Nailing the IEEE format is a solid win for anyone in tech or engineering. With this guide, you’ve got the tools to format, cite, and structure your paper without breaking a sweat. Precision matters, and now you’re equipped to handle it like a pro.

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