|
Getting your Trinity Audio player ready...
|
“I like formatting references!” Said no researcher ever. Formatting the reference list is a mind-numbing task. Unfortunately, without correctly formatted references, readers can’t track down the sources you’ve cited in your research paper when they’re looking for further information or want to verify your claims. So it’s worth learning the basics of reference formatting for the most popular style guides. If you’re working in the physical sciences and engineering, here’s a handy guide to formatting the reference list in IEEE style.
Citing References in the Text in IEEE Style
We’ve covered this in an earlier post, but here’s a quick recap:
- In-text citations are Arabic numbers enclosed in square brackets and aren’t superscripted.
- They can be placed anywhere in the sentence, not necessarily the end.
- No en dashes for citation ranges: “[1], [2], [3], [4]” is okay but “[1-4]” is not.
- Use “et al.” if needed for in-text citations with 3 or more authors.
Formatting the IEEE Reference List
Before we jump into different types of references, you need to know the basics of the reference list.
- Reference list is ordered according to order in which citations are mentioned in the main text.
- Never combine references. Abbreviations like “ibid” and “op cit” aren’t allowed.
- Initials of authors or editors are used, not full first or middle names.
- References are numbered in square brackets, set flush left and hanging out beyond the body of references.
- All references end with a period, except those ending with URLs. Use a period after DOIs.
- If you’re referencing an IEEE publication, list all author names up to 6 authors. For 7 or more authors, use the first author followed by “et al.”
IEEE Reference List Abbreviations
To save space in the reference list, some common words are abbreviated when they appear in the name of a journal or publisher. They’re not abbreviated in the title of a book or chapter or article.
Annual = Annu.
Annals = Ann.
Proceedings = Proc.
Transactions = Trans.
Applied, Applications = Appl.
Physics = Phys.
Letters = Lett.
Engineering = Eng.
Automatic = Autom.
University = Univ.
Africa, African = Afr.
Artificial = Artif.
Australia = Aust.
Computers, Computing, Computational = Comput.
Conference = Conf.
Congress = Cong.
Formatting References to Book Chapters in IEEE Style
I. I. Author, “Title of chapter in the book,” in Title of Published Book, xth ed. City of Publisher, (only U.S. State), Country: Abbrev. of Publisher, year, ch. x, sec. x, pp. xxx–xxx.
Example:
P. V. Pumpernickel, “Playing the Harp with a Giraffe,” in Cookery for Beginner Dandelions, 3rd ed. San Francisco (CA), USA: Donkey Univ. Press, 1963. pp. 89-93.
Journal Article References in IEEE Paper Format
X. Y. Author, “Name of paper,” Abbrev. Title of Periodical, vol. x, no. x, pp. xxx-xxx, Abbrev. Month, year, doi: xxx.
Example:
C. A. Tommy and P. A. Dommy, “My darling lass is smiling at me,” Appl. Chem. Trans., vol 98, no. 4, pp. 44-48, Oct. 2011, doi: 10.1109/TTJZ.2086.2584143.
Databases or Datasets in the IEEE Reference List
Author, Date, “Title of Dataset,” Source. [Online]. Available: http://www.url.com
Example:
Ducksburg Department of Dancing Donkeys, Aug. 2013, “Treatment Episode Dataset: All Mad Kittens, 2017 to 2020,” Ducksburg Office of Animated Animals. [Online]. Available: http://www.ducksburgdonkeys.edu/icpsrweb/30122/version/
Conference Proceedings in the IEEE Reference List
J. K. Author, “Title of paper,” in Abbreviated Name of Conf., (location of conference is optional), (Month and day(s) if provided) year, pp. xxx-xxx.
Example:
J. P. Pinchme, K. Inchme, D. Minchme, J. Finchme, N. Linchme, and F. Ginchme, “On the compatibility of tap-dancing pigeons and Harry Potter characters,” in Proc. 4th Annu. Conf. Circuit Syst. Theory, New York, NY, USA, 1998, pp. 12–18.
Leave a Reply