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.