Handbook: Documentation: IEEE Style

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Documentation Introduction | Author-Date Documentation Style | EWC Bibliography Builder

1.2 IEEE Style Documentation

Before reading on, see this Guide to IEEE Manuscript Preparation (PDF format)

Whenever you refer to information that you took from another source, you must identify the source right then and there, so that your reader knows exactly what information comes from which source.

Citation

General Structure

Specific Practices

List of References

Sample List

IEEE Documentation comprises two parts: the citation and the list of references.
The citation is a short code (within the body of the document) which identifies an idea or fact the writer has borrowed from elsewhere. The list of references provides a complete and detailed list (at the end of the document) of all the sources the writer used. Go to the EWC Bibliography Builder IEEE VERSION for a utility that helps you format items for the list of references.

EWC Bibliography Builder IEEE VERSION for Books

EWC Bibliography Builder IEEE VERSION for Book Articles

EWC Bibliography Builder IEEE VERSION for Periodical Articles

1.2.1 IEEE Citation - In- text practices
General Structure:
Substitution | Placement | Multiple References | Personal Communication | Other notes | Direct Quotation | Paraphrase
The major difference between IEEE and other styles is that IEEE style encloses citation numbers within the text of a paper in square brackets [1] rather than as superscripts¹ or in bracketed form (Jones 98) .
All other bibliographical information regarding the citation is reserved for the list of references at the end of the document.

According to one technical writing expert, even though IEEE is the most difficult style to learn, it is still the most valuable style for aspiring engineers to pick up¹.

According to one technical writing expert, even though IEEE is the most difficult style to learn, it is still the most valuable style for aspiring engineers to pick up (Jones 98).

According to one technical writing expert, even though IEEE is the most difficult style to learn, it is still the most valuable style for aspiring engineers to pick up [1].

Author-Name Substitution

IEEE style encourages substituting reference numbers for the name of the author whenever appropriate. For example,

"As Smith, Wesson, and Williams demonstrate, the natural course of microprocessor evolution will likely lead to computers with . . . . "

"As [1], [2], and [3] demonstrate, the natural course of microprocessor evolution will likely lead to computers with . . . "

"According to Inose et al, current internet technology is still years behind industry projections."

"According to [2], current Internet technology is still years behind industry projections. . . "

NOTE: Only implement this strategy when possible: there are occasions in which the author's name is necessary. When citing a theory commonly attributed to one person,for example, identifying it with the author's name is often essential

"To a large degree, quantum mechanics remains dependent on [1]'s theory of relativity, which states that . . . "

"To a large degree, quantum mechanics remains dependent on Einstein's theory of relativity, which states that . . . [1]"

Citation Note Placement

Place note numbers directly after the reference rather than at the end of a clause or sentence, unless the reference ends at the end of a clause or sentence. Place all punctuation outside the square brackets, except commas used to separate multiple references

"One study examined the mRNA levels of jun C, Jun B, and Jun D in mouse tissues [2]."

"One study [2] examined the mRNA levels of Jun C, Jun B, and Jun D in mouse tissues."

"Current Internet technology is still years behind industry projections, one study suggested [2]."

NOTE: Placement of the citation can be important.
Example 1:

...some photographs [2] are not easily reproduced.

This sentence means that it is hard to reproduce the photographs published by source [2]. The reader will assume that the writer has actually tried to reproduce these photos.

Example 2:

Some photographs are not easily reproduced [2]

This means that source [2] claimed that it is hard to reproduce some (unspecified) photos. The reader will assume that [2] tried to reproduce the photos.

Multi-reference Citations

When more than one work is involved in the same citation, separate citation numbers with commas and without any spaces. If a sequence of three of more citation numbers occurs in the reference, use a single range separated by a hyphen.

"Though unlikely, the same effects were reported by [2], [7], [12]."

"Though unlikely, the same effects was reported by [2,7,12].

"Motion or centrifugation can speed up the diagnosis of some viral infections [19-22] ."

Personal Communication and Other "Nonrecoverable" Information

IEEE style manual states that you cite only published works, forthcoming published works, and unpublished materials available to scholars in a library, a depository, or an archive. For interviews or other "Non-recoverable" information, not citation number is necessary. This does not mean that an attempt to identify the author is unnecessary, but that it needs to be done in the text itself.
Example 1:

"In a personal interview with Bill Gates, he suggested that he would soon rule the world."

This sentence contains information about the origin of the reference, even without citation. If the sentence were "Bill Gates suggested that he would soon rule the world," the reader would not know where that information came from.

Content, Biographical, and Additional Bibliographic Notes

In the interests of brevity, IEEE discourages the use of content, biographical, and additional bibliographic notes.

Direct quotation:

Previous studies did not address this issue, however, because "[t]they neglected any effects of liquid surface tension and viscosity, so that their results are applicable only to the initial stages of droplet impact, when these forces are negligible compared to their inertial effects [at the time of impact]" [1].
The above passage is an example of direct quotation. A specific detail from the book was important enough that the writer reproduced it word-for-word, and gave the appropriate credit to the original author.

The writer here uses square brackets to indicate that the original source differs slightly from this reproduction.

In order to fit this quotation into the grammar of the main sentence, the writer has changed the first letter of the original source from uppercase to lowercase.

Square brackets signify the addition of clarification material to the quoted passage.

If you quote more than three lines from an outside source, you should indent the quoted material.

Provide page number from which the quotation is drawn in your citation in the reference list.

Paraphrase:

Single-shot flash photography yields better results than fast-motion movies [12].
(The above passage is an example of effective paraphrasing)

What the authors actually wrote was:

A variety of high-speed ciné film and short-duration single-shot photographic techniques have been used to this end (see, for example, Worthington 1908; Savic & Boult 1955; Watchers & Westerling 1966; Toda 1974; Akao et al. 1980; Inada et al. 1983). The method which has yielded the greatest clarity is single-shot flash photography.

The writer has determined that only the comparison between movies and still flash pictures is important enough to repeat, and rephrased the original source in order to emphasize that comparison. Even though the writer does not use the exact words, the paraphrased detail still comes from Chandra and Avedisian, who listed six different sources to defend their point. An author who uses Chandra and Avedisian's statement is ethically obligated to give them credit for the effort they put into researching it.

Without proper documentation, the statement would at best function as mere opinion, and would be of little or no professional value; at worst, you would be guilty of plagiarism.

1.1.2 IEEE Reference List
The second part of IEEE documentation is a list of references, which should include a list of all sources used by the writer.

Title: References (Placed Flush Left)

Arrangement: Arrange the reference list by the order of citation, not by alphabetical order.

Spacing: Double-space both within an between entries

Indentation: Place the number of the entry at the left margin, enclosed in square brackets. Indent the text of all entries 2 or 3 spaces to the right of the closing square bracket.

Appendices: Each appendix should have its own reference list.

See the IEEE bibliography builder help file for more information about how to reference:

General Help

How to Reference Books

How to Reference Articles

Sample List of References :

References

[1] D. Jones, Technical Writing Style, Toronto: Allyn and Bacon, 1998.

[2] H. Inose and J.R. Pierce, Information Technology and Civilization, New York: Freeman, 1984.

[3] D. Beer, R.F. Martin, and P. Fingle, Photosensory Transduction, New York: Willey, 1993.

[4] W. Heisenberg, The Physical Principles of the Quantum Theory, C. Eckhart and F.C. Hoyt, Trans., Chicago: University of Chicago Press,1930.

[5] W. Heisenberg, The Physical Principles of the Quantum Theory, C. Eckart and F.C. Hoyt, Trans., 2nd.ed., New York: Dover, 1949.

[6] Council of Biology Editors, Scientific Style and Format: The CBE Manual for Authors, Editors, and Publishers, 6th ed., Chicago: Cambridge University Press, 1994.

[7] An Anonymous Critique of Computer Culture, Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 1997.

[8] J.L Spudich and B.H. Satir, Eds., Sensory Receptors and Signal Transduction, New York: Wiley-Liss,1991.

[9] S.A. Selber, Ed. Computers and Technical Communication: Pedagogical and Programmatic Perspectives, Greenwich, Connecticut: Ablex, 1997.

[10] R.F. Follet and D. J Walker. "Ground water quality concerns about nitrogen," in Nitrogen Management and Ground Water Protection," Ed. R. F. Follet, Amsterdam: Elsevier Publishing Company Inc, 1989,pp. 1-20.

[11] K.A. Nelson, R.J. Dwayne Miller, D.R. Lutz, and M.D. Fayer, "Optical generation of turntable ultrasonic waves," Journal of Applied Physics, vol. 53, no. 2, Feb., pp. 1144-1149.

[12] S. Chandra and C.T. Avedisian, "On the collision of a droplet with a solid surface," Proc. R. Soc. Lond., vol A 432, pp. 13-41,1991.

[13] T. Land, "Web extension to American Psychological Association style (WEAPAS)," [Online document], 1996 Mar 31(Rev 1.2.4), [cited 1996 Sept 14], Available HTTP: http://www.nyu.edu/pages/psychology/WEAPAS

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	According to one technical writing expert, even though IEEE is the most difficult style to learn, it is still the most valuable style for aspiring engineers to pick up¹.
	According to one technical writing expert, even though IEEE is the most difficult style to learn, it is still the most valuable style for aspiring engineers to pick up (Jones 98).
	According to one technical writing expert, even though IEEE is the most difficult style to learn, it is still the most valuable style for aspiring engineers to pick up [1].

	"As Smith, Wesson, and Williams demonstrate, the natural course of microprocessor evolution will likely lead to computers with . . . . "
	"As [1], [2], and [3] demonstrate, the natural course of microprocessor evolution will likely lead to computers with . . . "
	"According to Inose et al, current internet technology is still years behind industry projections."
	"According to [2], current Internet technology is still years behind industry projections. . . "

	"To a large degree, quantum mechanics remains dependent on [1]'s theory of relativity, which states that . . . "
	"To a large degree, quantum mechanics remains dependent on Einstein's theory of relativity, which states that . . . [1]"

	"One study examined the mRNA levels of jun C, Jun B, and Jun D in mouse tissues [2]."
	"One study [2] examined the mRNA levels of Jun C, Jun B, and Jun D in mouse tissues."
	"Current Internet technology is still years behind industry projections, one study suggested [2]."

	"Though unlikely, the same effects were reported by [2], [7], [12]."
	"Though unlikely, the same effects was reported by [2,7,12].
	"Motion or centrifugation can speed up the diagnosis of some viral infections [19-22] ."

References
[1]	D. Jones, Technical Writing Style, Toronto: Allyn and Bacon, 1998.
[2]	H. Inose and J.R. Pierce, Information Technology and Civilization, New York: Freeman, 1984.
[3]	D. Beer, R.F. Martin, and P. Fingle, Photosensory Transduction, New York: Willey, 1993.
[4]	W. Heisenberg, The Physical Principles of the Quantum Theory, C. Eckhart and F.C. Hoyt, Trans., Chicago: University of Chicago Press,1930.
[5]	W. Heisenberg, The Physical Principles of the Quantum Theory, C. Eckart and F.C. Hoyt, Trans., 2nd.ed., New York: Dover, 1949.
[6]	Council of Biology Editors, Scientific Style and Format: The CBE Manual for Authors, Editors, and Publishers, 6th ed., Chicago: Cambridge University Press, 1994.
[7]	An Anonymous Critique of Computer Culture, Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 1997.
[8]	J.L Spudich and B.H. Satir, Eds., Sensory Receptors and Signal Transduction, New York: Wiley-Liss,1991.
[9]	S.A. Selber, Ed. Computers and Technical Communication: Pedagogical and Programmatic Perspectives, Greenwich, Connecticut: Ablex, 1997.
[10]	R.F. Follet and D. J Walker. "Ground water quality concerns about nitrogen," in Nitrogen Management and Ground Water Protection," Ed. R. F. Follet, Amsterdam: Elsevier Publishing Company Inc, 1989,pp. 1-20.
[11]	K.A. Nelson, R.J. Dwayne Miller, D.R. Lutz, and M.D. Fayer, "Optical generation of turntable ultrasonic waves," Journal of Applied Physics, vol. 53, no. 2, Feb., pp. 1144-1149.
[12]	S. Chandra and C.T. Avedisian, "On the collision of a droplet with a solid surface," Proc. R. Soc. Lond., vol A 432, pp. 13-41,1991.
[13]	T. Land, "Web extension to American Psychological Association style (WEAPAS)," [Online document], 1996 Mar 31(Rev 1.2.4), [cited 1996 Sept 14], Available HTTP: http://www.nyu.edu/pages/psychology/WEAPAS

1.2 IEEE Style Documentation

1.2.1 IEEE Citation - In- text practices

1.1.2 IEEE Reference List