IEEE: journal article (with DOI)
- List up to six authors; for more than six, give the first author followed by “et al.”
- Use the journal's standard abbreviation where one exists (PeerJ has none).
- For journals that use article numbers instead of pages, give “Art. no.” after the date, in place of “pp.”
IEEE: book
- Book titles are italic, in title case.
- For a US publisher, give the city and state before the country, e.g. Cambridge, MA, USA.
IEEE: chapter in an edited book
- Use “Ed.” for one editor and “Eds.” for more than one, after the editors' names.
IEEE: web page
- Always give the access date; no full stop follows the URL.
IEEE: thesis or dissertation
- Use “M.S. thesis” for a master's thesis.
Not shown for IEEE: report. We publish only patterns we've checked against the IEEE Reference Guide (IEEE Author Center); for these, see the manual or your course's guide.
IEEE in-text citations
Use the source's number in square brackets, inside the sentence punctuation.
| Single source | …as shown in [1]. |
| As a noun | In [2], Doe argues that… |
| Several sources | [1], [3] |
| A range | [1]–[4] |
- Number sources in the order you first cite them, not alphabetically.
- Reuse a source's original number whenever you cite it again.
- Each number gets its own brackets: [1], [3], not [1, 3].
Common IEEE mistakes
- Numbering the reference list alphabetically. IEEE numbers sources in the order they are first cited.
- Giving a new number to a source you cite again. It keeps its first number.
- Writing authors' full first names. IEEE uses initials before the surname.
- Combining numbers in one bracket, like [1, 3]. Write [1], [3].
Format a reference in IEEE
Fill in a journal article once and our free in-browser formatter gives it to you in IEEE, ready to copy, with the author-list rules applied. It opens with IEEE highlighted.
IEEE questions
How do I cite multiple sources in IEEE?
Give each number its own brackets: [1], [3], [5]. For a consecutive run, use a dash: [1]–[4].
How many authors do I list in IEEE?
Up to six. For more than six, give the first author's name followed by “et al.”
Do IEEE references need a DOI?
Include it when the article has one, at the end of the reference as “doi:” followed by the DOI.
Does IEEE use a reference list or a bibliography?
A numbered reference list titled “References”, containing only the works you cite.
About the examples
Every style guide on this site formats the same six sources, so you can compare styles side by side. The journal article is real; the others are fictional, with placeholder names.
- Journal article (with DOI) (real): Hannah Jergas and Christopher Baethge, “Quotation accuracy in medical journal articles—a systematic review and meta-analysis,” PeerJ, volume 3, article e1364, published 27 October 2015, DOI 10.7717/peerj.1364.
- Book: Jane A. Doe, Evidence and argument in student research, Example University Press, London, 2021.
- Chapter in an edited book: Richard B. Roe, “Reading statistics critically,” pages 45–67 of A handbook of research methods, edited by Maria C. Sample and Lee D. Example, Example University Press, London, 2020.
- Web page: Pat Q. Public, “How to check that a source exists,” Example Research Hub (London), published 12 March 2024, https://www.example.org/guides/check-a-source, accessed 15 October 2026.
- Report: Example Institute for Education (author and publisher, London), Student research practices in higher education, 2023, https://www.example.org/reports/student-research-2023, accessed 15 October 2026.
- Thesis or dissertation: Alex B. Placeholder, Peer feedback and revision in first-year writing, unpublished PhD thesis, Department of Education, Example University, London, 2022.
Based on the IEEE Reference Guide (IEEE Author Center). Last reviewed 2026-11. Your instructor's or journal's own guidelines take precedence. Spotted an error? Email support@moremind.ai.