IEEE Information
*Information on this handout is summarized from the IEEE Editorial Style Manual.
GENERAL FORMATTING
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Capitalize the first letter of the first and last word of the title as well as all major words and
abbreviations (e.g., use DC, not dc or Dc). This is for the title of your paper, not for references.
Use the serial comma (A, B, and C) i.e. place a comma after each item in the list before the ‘and’.
Use Roman numerals for the 3 parts of the paper (I Introduction, II Main Ideas, III Conclusion).
Include the following sections after your conclusion: Appendix, Acknowledgement, References.
Section titles must be centered.
HEADINGS
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There are four levels of headings for text sections: primary, secondary, tertiary and quaternary.
Enumerating the headings is optional. However, ensure you are consistent throughout the paper.
Do not enumerate the References or Acknowledgment headings.
Multiple appendixes can be enumerated with Roman numerals OR capital letters.
o e.g. Appendix A OR Appendix I
If there is only one appendix, label it Appendix.
I.
PRIMARY HEADING
(TEXT)
A. Secondary Heading
(TEXT)
1) Tertiary Heading: (TEXT)
a) Quaternary heading: (TEXT)
QUOTATIONS
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Short quotations are one to two sentences.
o Use single quotation marks ‘…’ and follow the IEEE citation format.
Long quotations are three or more sentences.
o Use block quotation format with the citation in square brackets after the quotation.
CITATIONS
Citations Using an Author’s Name
 If using an author’s name, place a number enclosed in square brackets after the author’s name.
o e.g. As shown by Brown [1], …
 Use et al. when three or more authors are listed.
o e.g. As demonstrated by Smith et al. [2], …
Citations without an Author’s Name
 You may choose not to use an author’s name in your work
o e.g. According to [1], …
o e.g. As mentioned by [4] and [6]–[8], …
REFERENCES
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Reference numbers are set flush left and form their own column separate from the reference
information (a hanging indent).
Note that the authors are referenced using the following format: A. A. Author
Use abbreviations for months, states, and journal names where possible.
For locations, give the city and state (postal abbreviation) if inside the USA; if outside the USA,
give the city and country. Discuss with your instructor his/her preference.
IEEE Information
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Periodicals: Journals & Magazines
[#] J. K. Author, “Name of article,” Title of
Journal or Magazine, volume, issue if
given, page numbers, month, year.
[1] E. P. Wigner, “Theory of traveling-wave
optical laser,” Phys. Rev., vol. 134, pp.
A635-A646, Dec., 1965.
[2] J. Hagerman, “Garbage in, garbage out,”
Bio Business, pp. 16-18, Aug./Sept., 2009.
ELECTRONIC
Journals
[#] J. K. Author. (year, month). Name of article. Title of
Journal [Type of medium]. volume(issue), paging if
given. Available: URL. [Accessed: Date of access].
[1] R. J. Vidmar. (1992, Aug.). On the use of
atmospheric plasmas as electromagnetic reflectors.
IEEE Trans. Plasma Sci. [Online]. 21(3), pp. 876880. Available: http://www.halcyon.com/pub/
journals/21ps03-vidmar. [Accessed: May 30, 2011].
Books, Chapters in Edited Books &
Monographs
[#] J. K. Author, “Title of chapter in book if
applicable,” in Title of Book, editor if given,
edition number if given. City of company,
State or Country: Publisher, year, chapter
number if applicable, section number if
applicable, page numbers if applicable.
[3] L. Stein, “Random patterns,” in Computers
and You, J. S. Brake, Ed. New York, NY:
Wiley, 1994, pp. 55-70.
Magazines
[#] J. K. Author. (year, month day). Title of article. Title
of Magazine [Type of medium]. paging if given.
Available: URL. [Accessed: Date of access].
[2] C. Sorengen. (2011, Dec. 6). How electric cars got
stuck in first gear. Macleans.ca. [Online]. Available:
http://www2.macleans.ca/2011/12/06/stuck-in-firstgear/. [Accessed: Dec. 14, 2011].
Books & Monographs
[#] J. K. Author. (year, month day). Title of book
(edition) [Type of medium]. volume(issue) if
applicable. Available: URL. [Accessed: Date of
access].
[3] National Academy of Engineering. (1989, Dec. 5).
Engineering and the advancement of human welfare:
10 outstanding achievements 1964-1989. [Online].
Available:
http://www.nap.edu/openbook.php?record_id=1469
&page=1. [Accessed: Dec. 14, 2011].
Reports
(If no author name, move company name to
author position.)
[#] J. K. Author, “Title of Report,” Company,
City of company, State or Country, Report
number, year.
[4] E. E. Reber, R. L. Michell, and C. J. Carter,
“Oxygen absorption in the earth’s
atmosphere,” Aerospace Corp., Los
Angeles, CA, Tech. Rep. TR-0200 (423046)-3, Nov. 1988.
Handbooks
[#] Name of Manual/Handbook, edition,
Company, State or Country, year, pages if
applicable.
[5] Transmission Systems for Communications,
3rd ed., Western Electric Co., WinstonSalem, NC, 1985, pp. 44-60.
Reports and Handbooks
(If no author name, move company name to author
position.)
[#] J. K. Author. (year, month). Title. Company. City,
State or Country. [Type of Medium]. Available:
URL. [Accessed: Date of Access].
[4] Netscape Communications Corp. (1997, Dec.). The
new way to share workgroup information. [Online].
Available: http://home.netscape.com/comprod/a.
[Accessed: Aug. 20, 2011].
This handout was developed by the Writing Centre, Learning Commons, Conestoga College (revised 2011). Any reproduction should
acknowledge the source.