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IEEE Overview

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This page will introduce you to the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) style for formatting research papers and citing sources. IEEE – pronounced “I-triple-E” – is a style widely used among all branches of engineering, computer science, and other technological fields.

Though the OWL’s section on IEEE is sufficient for quick reference, if you are writing a lengthy manuscript or dissertation, or if you have detailed questions, you should consult the IEEE Editorial Style Manual, available as a PDF through the organization’s website. Alternately, if you are formatting a paper for submission to a specific organization, publication, or event, refer to the formatting guidelines provided by said organization / publication / event and privilege those guidelines over any found here.

The IEEE section contains the following pages:

General Format

  • Basic formatting and page layout
  • Abstracts, index terms, and other front matter
  • Section headings, appendix headings, and similar
  • Appendices, acknowledgements and other back matter

In-Text Citation

  • Formatting in-text citations
  • Citing within a reference
  • Citing multiple references at once

Reference List

  • Formatting reference page entries
  • General principles for formatting references
  • Specific instructions for formatting references to various media

Tables, Figures, and Equations

  • Distinguishing between tables, figures, and equations
  • Formatting tables appropriately
  • Formatting labels, titles, captions, etc. appropriately
  • Referring to tables, figures, and equations in text.