IEEE style
Free IEEE citation generator
Build a correct IEEE reference-list entry and its bracketed in-text number for any source. Choose a source type, fill in what you have, and copy the result. It runs in your browser and nothing you type is uploaded.
How to cite a source in IEEE
IEEE numbers sources in the order you first cite them, and points to each with a bracketed number.
The reference-list entry
[1] J. Lee and S. Rivera, “The ethics of ambiguity, revisited,” The Atlantic, Mar. 14, 2024. [Online]. Available: https://www.theatlantic.com/culture/ethics-ambiguity
The in-text citation
Cite the source with its number in square brackets, right in the sentence: as shown in [1], or several studies [1], [3], [5] agree. The number matches the entry in your reference list.
Author initials
IEEE abbreviates first names to initials and puts them before the surname: “Jordan Lee” becomes “J. Lee.” The generator does this conversion for you.
IEEE FAQ
What is IEEE style?
IEEE is the citation style of the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers, used across engineering and computer science. Sources are numbered in the order they’re first cited and listed in a numbered “References” section.
How do IEEE in-text citations work?
Put the source’s number in square brackets where you refer to it: [1]. Reuse the same number every time you cite that source, and cite multiple sources as [1], [2].
What order does the reference list use?
Not alphabetical — IEEE lists references in the order they first appear in your paper, matching the bracketed numbers. The web tool’s workspace keeps your entries so you can arrange them in citation order.
How are author names formatted?
Give initials for first and middle names, then the last name: “J. K. Author.” List up to six authors; for more, use the first author followed by “et al.” The generator formats the names you enter.
More citation guides
- ✓MLA citation generator — author–page in-text and a hanging-indent Works Cited entry.
- ✓APA citation generator — author–date in-text and a References entry.
- ✓Chicago citation generator — full and short footnotes plus a bibliography entry.
- ✓The full web tool — all four styles, plus the bibliography builder and paste-a-link auto-cite.