IEEE Journal Citation | Guide with Examples

To cite a journal article in IEEE citation format, include it on your numbered reference page, using the corresponding number for your in-text citation. The IEEE in-text citation includes a page number when you quote or paraphrase a specific passage.

The reference on your IEEE reference page lists the author’s initials and last name; the title of the article; the name of the journal (abbreviated); the volume, issue, page range, and publication date; and the DOI if available.

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DOIs and URLs

A DOI (digital object identifier) is a special kind of permanent link to an article. DOIs are usually indicated on the page hosting the article or in the text of the article itself. If one is available, you should always include it in your IEEE reference.

If a journal article you read online doesn’t list a DOI, you can instead include a URL. In this case, you should add ‘Online’ in brackets and precede the URL with ‘Available:’ It’s best to find a stable link listed on the page instead of just copying the URL from your browser.

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Citing an article with an article number

Some articles are identified by a special article number or ID that’s listed on the page hosting the article. If available, you should include this number in your reference, preceded by ‘Art. no.’

Citing journal articles in other languages

If you cite an article in a language other than English, you should translate the article title into English and indicate the original language in parentheses afterwards.

Frequently asked questions about IEEE journal citations

How do I cite specific pages from a source in IEEE?

You can cite specific pages from a source in your IEEE in-text citations by including them within the brackets along with the number of the reference. A single page is preceded by ‘p.’, multiple pages by ‘pp.’: [11, p. 36].

To cite different pages from the same source, use the same reference number followed by different page numbers. Don’t include multiple references for the same source on your IEEE reference page, and don’t include the page numbers there.

When should I use ‘et al.’ in IEEE citation format?

In IEEE citation format, you should list the names of up to six authors in a reference on your IEEE reference page. If the source has seven or more authors, just list the first author’s name followed by ‘et al.’ (in italics): ‘F. Gupta et al., …’

In the main text, if you mention a source with three or more authors, you should use ‘et al.’: ‘Fowler et al. [11] argue that …’

Note that you’re not required to mention author names at all in the text though – just the IEEE in-text citation number is enough, in which case ‘et al.’ isn’t needed: ‘[11] argues that …’

Which words should I abbreviate in an IEEE reference?

On the IEEE reference page, you should abbreviate the names of publishers (in IEEE book citations), journals (in IEEE journal article citations), universities, companies, conferences, and months. Authors’ first and middle names should also be presented as initials.

A list of the standard abbreviations for many common words can be found here. Note that these words are not abbreviated when they appear in the title of the source (e.g., the book or article title).