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IEEE

IEEE (Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers) is a numbered referencing style requiring an in-text citation within the text of your document and a related entry in a reference list at the end of your document.

Basics of referencing

This section covers In-text referencing, plus the reference list components and a sample reference list.

Format 

  • Font & size: Times New Roman 10 (check with lecturer or course outline for the preferred font and size).
  • Spacing: Single (check with lecturer or course outline for preferred spacing). 

When using another person's ideas or words, include an Arabic numeral in brackets (consecutively numbered).

Using the same reference again

If the reference is referred to again, the same number is used. If referring to a different page/part from that reference, include the relevant information with the reference number.

Examples

... has been recently identified [1]. There is a need to be cautious with giving aspirin to children, as overdosing can lead to mortality [1, Fig. 2].

Sensible heat is when heat is transferred to a material by raising or lowering the temperature [1, Ch. 5].

These models use different techniques, such as the Markov chain [1, pp. 340-345].

 

Information from multiple works

If you are expressing ideas that have originated from more than one source, separate the numbers with commas. It is preferable not to use a hyphen if referring to a range of numbers (references), i.e. write "[1], [2], [3], [4]” rather than “[1]–[4]".

Example

... in alkyl sulphates such as sodium lauryl sulphate [3], [5], [6] and diethyl sulphate [7]. Other compounds showing promise were those in the C12 - C14 range [8], [9], [10].

 

Citing authors

Only use the author's name where it is integral to the understanding of the sentence; otherwise, just refer to the reference number.

If citing a reference in the text with three or more authors, list the first author followed by et al.

Examples

... as demonstrated by Cook [2].

Woods et al. [12] demonstrated the need for speed restrictions ...

Reference list layout
Check with the lecturer or the course outline for the preferred format and layout.

  • Header:  Add a reference list entitled References, left or centre aligned at the end of your essay, citing all sources used in the body of your writing.
  • Font & size:  Times New Roman 8.
  • Spacing:  Single spacing with double spacing between references.
  • Hanging indent:  The citation number is enclosed within square brackets and is aligned with the left margin. The text of reference is indented 2-3 spaces, with the subsequent lines indented in line with the author.
  • Order:  The reference list should be in numerical order (consecutively numbered).

 

References

[1]   A. Pipes, "Computers in engineering," Comput.-Aided Des., vol. 11, no. 2, pp. 105-106, Mar. 1979, doi: 10.1016/0010-4485(79)90106-4.

[2]  National Academy of Engineering, The Engineer of 2020: Visions of Engineering in the New Century. Washington, DC: National Academies Press, 2004.

[3]  J. Patel, M. I. Jones, M. Hyland, and B. Dansal, "Surface modification to reduce dairy fouling," in Proc. Fouling Cleaning Food Process., 2010, pp. 143-147.

[4]  W. V. Morrow, "Plotting and drafting machine," NZ Patent 36086, Apr. 12, 1915.