How to Cite a Journal Article in IEEE (standard)
Learn how to cite peer-reviewed and academic journal articles in IEEE format (standard). This guide includes the reference list format, in-text citation examples, and key formatting rules.
IEEE Reference List Format
Here is the standard IEEE format for citing a journal article in your reference list:
[1] A. A. Author and B. B. Author, "Title of article," Journal Name, vol. #, no. #, pp. #–#, Month Year.
IEEE Example for a Journal Article
A complete IEEE reference for a journal article, formatted by the official IEEE CSL style definition — the same engine that powers the generator on this site:
[1] M. Rivera and D. Chen, “The mapping of meaning: A study of citation practice,” Journal of Scholarly Communication, vol. 12, no. 3, pp. 145–162, 2021, doi: 10.1000/jsc.2021.145.
Matching in-text citation: [1]
IEEE In-Text Citation
Use one of these formats when referencing this source within your paper:
Parenthetical
[1]
Narrative
Smith and Jones [1] found...
Key IEEE Formatting Rules
- Put the article title in quotation marks.
- Italicize the abbreviated journal name.
- Use "vol.", "no.", and "pp." abbreviations.
- Include month and year at the end.
Step-by-Step Guide
- Gather source information: Collect the author name, title, publication date, and URL or DOI for your journal article.
- Format the reference: Arrange the elements following the IEEE (standard) template shown above.
- Create the in-text citation: Add a parenthetical or narrative citation in your paper where you reference this source.
- Add to your reference list: Include the full formatted citation at the end of your paper.
- Double-check formatting: Verify italics, punctuation, capitalization, and hanging indents match IEEE requirements.
Evidence and review notes
Worked examples are generated by citeproc from the published CSL definition, not written by a language model. Editorial guidance and sources in this section were reviewed on 2026-08-14.
CSL style record: ieee.csl
Metadata to collect
- authors
- article title
- journal title
- year
- volume and issue
- page range or article number
- DOI
Common metadata traps
- Confirm that the DOI resolves to the same title, authors, and version.
- Distinguish a preprint from the final version of record.
Editorial sources
Frequently Asked Questions
- How do I cite a journal article in IEEE?
- To cite a journal article in IEEE (standard), include the author, title, date, and source location. Use our free citation generator for automatic formatting.
- What is the IEEE format for a journal article citation?
- The IEEE format for a journal article is: [1] A. A. Author and B. B. Author, "Title of article," Journal Name, vol. #, no. #, pp. #–#, Month Year.
- What does the in-text citation look like for a journal article in IEEE?
- In IEEE, the in-text citation for the example above is [1]
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