IEEE Bibliography Format

    Master IEEE reference list formatting for technical and engineering papers

    Try Our Tools
    Free

    Put these guides into practice with our powerful academic tools

    IEEE Citation Generator

    Featured

    Generate perfectly formatted IEEE reference lists

    Try Now

    Deep Research Tool

    Find technical sources for your bibliography

    Try Now

    IEEE Bibliography Basics

    IEEE Reference List Format

    Title: "References" (centered, not bold)
    Numbering: [1], [2], [3] in order of appearance
    Spacing: Single-spaced within entries, double between
    Indent: Hanging indent for wrapped lines

    IEEE reference lists are numbered in the order sources appear in the text, not alphabetically. This creates a direct correspondence between in-text citations and the bibliography.

    Sample Reference List:

    [1] J. Smith, "Advanced algorithms in signal processing," IEEE Trans. Signal Process., vol. 45, no. 3, pp. 123-135, Mar. 2023.

    [2] M. Johnson and K. Brown, Digital Communications: Theory and Practice, 3rd ed. New York: IEEE Press, 2022.

    [3] R. Wilson, "Machine learning applications," presented at IEEE ICML, Boston, MA, 2023.

    IEEE Reference Structure

    IEEE references follow specific patterns depending on source type. Here are the essential elements:

    Journal Article Format

    [#] Author(s), "Title," Journal Name, vol. #, no. #, pp. #-#, Month Year.

    Author format:F. Last, F. M. Last
    Title:In quotes, sentence case
    Journal:Italicized, abbreviated
    Date:Month abbreviation + year

    Book Format

    [#] Author(s), Book Title, Edition. City: Publisher, Year.

    Title:Italicized, title case
    Edition:2nd ed. (if not first)
    Location:City: Publisher
    Year:Publication year

    Conference Paper Format

    [#] Author(s), "Title," presented at Conference Name, City, Country, Year.

    Conference:Full conference name
    Location:City, Country
    Status:"presented at" or "in"
    Pages:pp. #-# (if available)

    IEEE Reference Ordering

    Unlike other citation styles, IEEE references are ordered by appearance in text, not alphabetically:

    ✅ Correct Order

    [1] First cited source

    [2] Second cited source

    [3] Third cited source

    [4] Fourth cited source

    Order matches text appearance

    ❌ Incorrect Order

    [1] Adams, J. (alphabetical)

    [2] Brown, M. (alphabetical)

    [3] Chen, L. (alphabetical)

    [4] Davis, R. (alphabetical)

    Do not alphabetize IEEE references

    Reference Numbering Rules

    • Number consecutively as sources first appear in text
    • Maintain consistent numbering throughout paper
    • Never change numbers once assigned
    • Include all cited sources in reference list
    • Do not include uncited sources

    IEEE Punctuation Rules

    IEEE has specific punctuation requirements for technical accuracy:

    Author Names

    Single author:

    J. Smith

    Two authors:

    J. Smith and M. Brown

    Three+ authors:

    J. Smith, M. Brown, and K. Davis

    Many authors:

    J. Smith et al.

    Title Formatting

    Article titles:

    "Title in sentence case with quotes"

    Book titles:

    Book Title in Title Case and Italics

    Journal names:

    IEEE Trans. Signal Process.

    Volume and Issue

    Standard format:

    vol. 15, no. 3, pp. 45-67

    No issue number:

    vol. 15, pp. 45-67

    Article numbers:

    vol. 15, no. 3, Art. no. 1234567

    DOI and URL Guidelines

    IEEE prioritizes DOIs over URLs for permanent linking to technical sources:

    DOI Format

    [1] J. Smith, "Title," IEEE Journal, vol. 5, no. 2, pp. 15-23, 2023, doi: 10.1109/TJournal.2023.1234567.

    Always include DOI when available

    URL Format (when no DOI)

    [2] R. Johnson, "Web article," Website Name, 2023. [Online]. Available: https://example.com/article

    Use URLs only when DOI unavailable

    Access Date (when required)

    [3] M. Davis, "Software documentation," 2023. [Online]. Available: https://docs.example.com. Accessed: Jan. 15, 2024.

    Include access date for changing content

    Digital Source Priority

    1. DOI: Always preferred for academic sources
    2. Permalink: Stable URLs from institutional repositories
    3. Standard URL: Regular web addresses
    4. Access date: Required only for changing content