IEEE Citation Guide - Complete Format Guide

IEEE Citation System Overview

IEEE uses sequential numerical citations that appear in square brackets [1], [2], [3] throughout the text. References appear at the paper's end in the exact order they're first cited, NOT alphabetically.

Key IEEE features:

• Bracketed numbers in text: [1]
• References numbered in citation order
• No author names or dates in text
• Compact, space-efficient format
• Perfect for technical papers with many citations

Why engineers prefer IEEE: When citing 10+ sources in one paragraph, [1]-[10] is cleaner than listing all author names and dates.

IEEE Paper Format Specifications

Page Setup:

• Font: 10pt Times New Roman (body text)
• Margins: 0.75 inch top/bottom, 0.625 inch left/right (narrower than other styles)
• Spacing: Single-space everything (unlike APA/MLA double-spacing)
• Columns: Two-column format for conference papers, single column for theses
• Paragraphs: No indent, extra space between paragraphs

Title Page Elements:

• Paper title (centered, 24pt bold)
• Author name(s) (centered, 12pt)
• Affiliation (centered, 10pt italic)
• Email address (centered, 10pt)

Section Headings:

• First-level: ROMAN NUMERALS, ALL CAPS, CENTERED (I. INTRODUCTION)
• Second-level: Capital Letters, Centered Italic (A. Background)
• Third-level: Arabic numerals, left indent (1) Methodology)

Note: Student papers often use a modified IEEE format with double-spacing and standard margins; check assignment requirements.

IEEE In-Text Citation Format

Basic Numbered Citations

• Single source:
  The research confirms this finding [1].
  
  
• Multiple sources (sequential):
  Studies demonstrate this effect [1]-[4].
  
  
• Multiple sources (non-sequential):
  Previous work [1], [3], [5] supports this conclusion.
  
  
• Multiple sources (alternative format):
  Results align with prior research [1, 3, 5, 7].
  
  
• Citing the same source multiple times:
  Initial analysis [1] showed promise. Later validation [1] confirmed results.
  Use the same number each time; [1] stays [1] throughout the paper.

Special Citation Cases

Referring to authors in text:
Smith et al. [1] demonstrated this principle.
Optional: Include author names when discussing specific work, but the citation number is mandatory.

Citing specific sections:
The algorithm details [1, Sec. III] provide implementation guidance.
As shown in [2, Fig. 2], performance improves significantly.
Theorem 1 in [3, p. 45] establishes this relationship.

Citing equations or figures from sources:
From [1, eq. (5)], we derive...
Figure 3 in [2] illustrates the architecture.

Multiple works by the same author:
Each gets a separate number based on citation order. Smith's 2023 work [1] and Smith's 2024 work [7] both address this.

IEEE Reference List Format

Reference List Setup

• Title: "REFERENCES" (centered, all caps, Roman numeral heading)
• Ordering: Number references in order they're first cited in text (1, 2, 3...)
  NOT alphabetically, this is IEEE's defining feature
• Format: Hanging indent, single-spaced within entries
• Numbering style: [1], [2], [3]... in square brackets

Journal Article Format

• Standard format:
  [#] A. A. Author, "Article title," Journal Abbrev., vol. #, no. #, pp. #-#, Mon. Year.
  
  
• Real citation:
  [1] J. Smith and M. Johnson, "Neural network optimization," IEEE Trans. Neural Netw., vol. 34, no. 5, pp. 1234-1245, May 2024.

Key IEEE journal rules:

• Initials only for first/middle names
• Article title in quotation marks
• Journal name abbreviated and italicized
• Volume in bold
• Issue (no.) not bold
• Month abbreviated (Jan., Feb., Mar., etc.)

With DOI:
[2] R. Chen et al., "Quantum computing algorithms," Nature, vol. 612, no. 7941, pp. 345-350, Dec. 2022, doi: 10.1038/s41586-022-05434-1.

Online journal (no DOI):
[3] L. Martinez, "Machine learning applications," ACM Comput. Surv., vol. 55, no. 3, pp. 1-35, Mar. 2023. [Online]. Available: https://dl.acm.org/doi/10.1145/3548456

Conference Paper Format

• Standard format:
  [#] A. A. Author, "Paper title," in Proc. Conference Abbrev., Location, Year, pp. #-#.
  
  
• Real citation:
  [4] T. Williams, "5G network optimization," in Proc. IEEE Int. Conf. Commun. (ICC), Montreal, QC, Canada, 2024, pp. 567-572.
  
  
• Abbreviated conference:
  [5] K. Lee et al., "Deep learning architectures," in Proc. NeurIPS, New Orleans, LA, USA, 2023, pp. 12345-12356.

Book Format

• Complete book:
  [#] A. A. Author, Book Title, edition. City, State, Country: Publisher, Year.
  
  
• Real citation:
  [6] D. Patterson and J. Hennessy, Computer Organization and Design, 6th ed. Cambridge, MA, USA: Morgan Kaufmann, 2023.
  
  
• Book chapter:
  [7] M. Thompson, "Signal processing," in Handbook of Electrical Engineering, R. Chen, Ed. New York, NY, USA: Wiley, 2024, ch. 5, pp. 123-145.
  
  
• Edited book:
  [8] R. Martinez, Ed., Advances in Robotics. Berlin, Germany: Springer, 2023.

Technical Reports and Standards

Technical report:
[9] J. Anderson, "Network security protocols," Univ. California, Berkeley, CA, USA, Tech. Rep. UCB/EECS-2024-45, May 2024.

IEEE Standard:
[10] IEEE Standard for Ethernet, IEEE Std. 802.3-2022, Dec. 2022.

Patent:
[11] S. Brown, "Machine learning processor," U.S. Patent 11 234 567, Jan. 25, 2024.

Online Sources

Website:
[12] IEEE, "Citation reference," IEEE Author Center. https://ieeeauthorcenter.ieee.org/create-your-ieee-article/authoring-tools-and-templates/tools-for-ieee-authors/ieee-reference-guide/ (accessed Dec. 20, 2024).

Datasheet:
[13] Texas Instruments, "TMS320C6678 multicore DSP," Dallas, TX, USA, Datasheet SPRS691E, 2023. [Online]. Available: https://www.ti.com/lit/ds/sprs691e/sprs691e.pdf

Software/Code:
[14] TensorFlow Development Team, "TensorFlow: Machine learning framework," Version 2.15, 2024. [Online]. Available: https://www.tensorflow.org/

Thesis and Dissertation

Master's thesis:
[15] K. Chen, "Wireless sensor networks," M.S. thesis, Dept. Elect. Eng., MIT, Cambridge, MA, USA, 2023.

Ph.D. dissertation:
[16] L. Rodriguez, "Quantum error correction," Ph.D. dissertation, Dept. Phys., Stanford Univ., Stanford, CA, USA, 2024.

IEEE Abbreviations

Common Journal Abbreviations

• IEEE Transactions on Neural Networks becomes IEEE Trans. Neural Netw.
• IEEE Transactions on Signal Processing becomes IEEE Trans. Signal Process.
• IEEE Communications Magazine becomes  IEEE Commun. Mag.
• Proceedings of the IEEE becomes  Proc. IEEE
• Journal of Lightwave Technology becomes  J. Lightw. Technol.

Month Abbreviations

Jan., Feb., Mar., Apr., May, Jun., Jul., Aug., Sep., Oct., Nov., Dec.

Common Technical Terms

• Section becomes Sec.
• Chapter becomes ch.
• Figure becomes Fig.
• Equation becomes eq.
• Volume becomes vol.
• Number becomes no.
• Pages becomes pp.
• Technical Report becomes Tech. Rep.
• Edited by becomes Ed.

Common IEEE Format Errors 

1. Alphabetizing References Instead of Citation Order

• Incorrect: Listing references alphabetically by author.
• Correct: Number references in order they're first cited.
• Fix: Reference [1] is the first source cited in text, [2] is the second, regardless of author names.

2. Using Wrong Bracket Size

• Incorrect: (1), 1., or superscript¹.
• Correct: [1] in square brackets.
• Fix: Use square brackets for all citations: [1], [2], [3].

3. Including Author Names in Every Citation

• Incorrect: Smith [1] found... Jones [2] discovered... Brown [3] showed...
• Correct: The research [1]-[3] demonstrates...
• Fix: IEEE prioritizes compactness. Use author names only when discussing specific work, not for every citation.

4. Wrong Journal Format

• Incorrect: Smith, J. (2024). "Article title." IEEE Trans. Neural Netw., 34(5), 1234-1245.
• Correct: [1] J. Smith, "Article title," IEEE Trans. Neural Netw., vol. 34, no. 5, pp. 1234-1245, May 2024.
• Fix: Follow IEEE's specific punctuation and ordering.

5. Full Month Names

• Incorrect: January 2024
• Correct:  Jan. 2024
• Fix: Always abbreviate months (except May).

6. Full First Names

• Incorrect:[1] Jennifer Smith
• Correct:[1] J. Smith
• Fix: Use initials only for first and middle names.

7.  Wrong Volume/Issue Format

• Incorrect: vol. 34(5)
• Incorrect: vol. 34, no. 5
• Correct: vol. 34, no. 5
• Fix: Bold volume number only, not issue number.

8: Renumbering When Adding Citations

• Incorrect: Adding new citation [2], making old [2] become [3], etc.
• Correct: Add new citation as the highest number
• Fix: When revising, new citations get the next available number. Update text citations accordingly. Don't renumber the entire reference list.

IEEE vs Other Citation Styles

For a deeper understanding, visit the citation style guide to learn how different citation styles work.

IEEE Paper Sections

Free IEEE Format Downloadable Resources 

IEEE Paper Template
Pre-formatted document with correct layout and sections

IEEE Citation Quick Reference
One-page guide for common source types

IEEE Reference Examples
Multiple source types formatted correctly

Journal Abbreviation List
Common IEEE journal abbreviations

IEEE Format Checklist
Pre-submission verification list

Master IEEE Format

IEEE's numbered citation system provides maximum efficiency for technical papers requiring numerous references. The citation-order reference list differs dramatically from alphabetical systems, making IEEE unique among major citation styles.

Most mistakes come from applying alphabetical habits or using the wrong bracket styles. Use this guide as a reference, number references in citation order, and apply IEEE's compact format consistently.