How to Cite a Journal Article in IEEE

This guide explains how to format a journal article citation in IEEE. Follow the format template below, refer to the real example, and use the step-by-step instructions to build your citation correctly.

Format Template

The general pattern for citing a journal article in IEEE:

Template

[1] A. A. Author and B. B. Author, "Title of article," Title of Journal, vol. X, no. Y, pp. Z--W, Month Year, doi: xxxxx.

In-Text Citation Example

How the citation appears within the body of your paper:

In-text citation

[1]

Reference List Entry Example

The full citation as it appears in your reference list:

Reference list entry

[1] R. Patel and S. Kim, "The role of metacognition in self-regulated learning: A meta-analysis," Educational Psychology Review, vol. 35, no. 2, pp. 112--138, Jun. 2023, doi: 10.1007/s10648-023-09812-5.

Step-by-Step Guide

1
Assign a reference number
IEEE uses numbered references in square brackets. Number references in the order they first appear in the text: [1], [2], [3], etc.
2
List the authors
Write authors as initials followed by surname (e.g., R. Patel). Use 'and' before the last author. For seven or more authors, list the first six followed by 'et al.'
3
Write the article title
Place the title in double quotation marks. Capitalise only the first word and proper nouns (sentence case). End with a comma inside the closing quotation mark.
4
Add the journal name
Italicise the journal name. Abbreviate according to the IEEE or ISO 4 standard if an abbreviation exists.
5
Include volume, issue, pages, and date
Write 'vol. X, no. Y, pp. Z--W,' followed by the abbreviated month and year.
6
Add the DOI
Include 'doi:' followed by the DOI number. End with a full stop.

Common Mistakes to Avoid

Using full first names instead of initials (IEEE uses initials before the surname).
Not placing the article title in quotation marks.
Forgetting to italicise the journal name.
Omitting the abbreviated month of publication.
Not using the 'vol.', 'no.', and 'pp.' abbreviations.

Frequently Asked Questions

How does IEEE in-text citation work?

IEEE uses numbered citations in square brackets [1]. Each source is assigned a number the first time it is cited, and that number is reused for every subsequent citation of the same source.

Do I abbreviate journal names in IEEE?

Yes. IEEE recommends abbreviating journal names according to the ISO 4 standard. For example, 'IEEE Transactions on Pattern Analysis and Machine Intelligence' becomes 'IEEE Trans. Pattern Anal. Mach. Intell.'

How do I cite multiple sources in one bracket?

List them as a comma-separated range: [1], [3], [5] or [1]--[3] for consecutive numbers. Use an en dash for ranges of three or more consecutive numbers.

Information You Will Need

Before creating your citation, gather the following information from your journal article:

Author(s)
Year of publication
Article title
Journal name
Volume number
Issue number
Page range
DOI or URL

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Step-by-Step Guide

Assign a reference number

IEEE uses numbered references in square brackets. Number references in the order they first appear in the text: [1], [2], [3], etc.

List the authors

Write authors as initials followed by surname (e.g., R. Patel). Use 'and' before the last author. For seven or more authors, list the first six followed by 'et al.'

Write the article title

Place the title in double quotation marks. Capitalise only the first word and proper nouns (sentence case). End with a comma inside the closing quotation mark.

Add the journal name

Italicise the journal name. Abbreviate according to the IEEE or ISO 4 standard if an abbreviation exists.

Include volume, issue, pages, and date

Write 'vol. X, no. Y, pp. Z--W,' followed by the abbreviated month and year.

Add the DOI

Include 'doi:' followed by the DOI number. End with a full stop.