Skip to Main Content

IEEE Quick Citation Guide

Penn State guide for IEEE references with examples. This is the most common style used in engineering and computer science disciplines.

Using In-text Citation

Include an in-text citation when you refer to, summarize, paraphrase, or quote from another source. For every in-text citation in your paper, there must be a corresponding entry in your reference list.

IEEE in-text citation style does not include author's name, pages used, or date of publication. Instead, refer to the citation with a number within square brackets, e.g. [13]. The number within the square brackets will correspond to the complete citation in your reference list.

Example paragraph with in-text citations

Engineering and scientific standards affect our daily lives in a variety of ways including the transportation that we use, the traffic lights on our roads, and the fire hydrants used in our towns [1], [2].

Reference List

[1] C. Leachman, "Introduction to Standards," in Teaching and Collecting Technical Standards: A Handbook for Librarians and Educators, C. Leachman, E. M. Rowley, M. Phillips, and D. Soloman, Eds., West Lafayette, Indiana, USA: Purde Univ. Press, 2023, pp. 3-13.

[2] R. Glie, Speaking with Standards. Boston, MA, USA: Cahners Books, 1972.