✦Avloryn LabspresentsLivoDraft·avloryn.com →
Numbered · order of appearance · 2026 Guide

IEEE citation style — numbered [1] in-text & references

The IEEE numbered style for engineering and computer science: bracketed in-text numbers and a References list ordered by appearance.

Updated June 2026·6-min read·By LivoDraft
Quick answer

IEEE is a numbered style for engineering and computer science. In the text you cite each source with a bracketed number in order of appearance — e.g. [1], [2] — and the References list is in that same numeric order, not alphabetical. Authors appear as initials + surname and journal names are abbreviated. IEEE is required by all IEEE journals and conferences.

Overview

What is IEEE citation style?

IEEE is the numbered citation style of the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers. Each source gets a number the first time it is cited, shown in square brackets, and that number is reused on every later mention.

It is mandatory for IEEE journals/conferences and standard across electrical, electronics, computer and general engineering. Unlike author–date styles, the reference list is ordered by first appearance. See the full set on the citation-styles hub.

In-text

IEEE in-text citations

Cite sources with a bracketed number placed where the citation belongs. The number follows order of appearance and is reused for repeat citations.

SingleThe model in [1] outperforms earlier work.
MultipleSeveral studies [1], [3]–[5] confirm this.
References

The References

List references numerically in order of appearance under References. Authors are initials + surname, the paper title is in quotes, and the journal name is abbreviated. More than six authors → first author + et al.

Journal article[1] R. Sharma and P. Rao, "Machine learning for structural health monitoring," J. Civ. Eng., vol. 12, no. 3, pp. 45–67, 2023.
Book[2] A. Mehta, Foundations of Research Design, 2nd ed. Oxford, U.K.: Oxford Univ. Press, 2022.
At a glance

IEEE vs the other styles

IEEE is one of six styles LivoDraft generates. Choose the one your department or journal requires:

APA (Author, Year)MLA (Author 45)HarvardIEEE [1]ChicagoVancouver (1)
When to use

Who uses IEEE?

✓
Use IEEE for

Electrical, electronics, computer science and most engineering disciplines, and every IEEE journal or conference. Social sciences use APA; medicine uses Vancouver; humanities use MLA.

Cite in IEEE — automatically & verified

LivoDraft formats every in-text citation and the full references in IEEE style, building the bibliography from real, DOI-verified papers — never fabricated entries.

Draft & cite my document  →All styles
FAQ

IEEE citation FAQ

What is IEEE citation style?+
IEEE is a numbered citation style used in engineering and computer science. Sources are cited in the text with a bracketed number in order of appearance — [1], [2] — and listed in that same numeric order in the References section, not alphabetically.
How do you write an IEEE in-text citation?+
Insert a bracketed number where you cite a source: 'as shown in [1]'. Reuse the same number every time you cite that source. Cite several at once as [1], [3]–[5].
Are IEEE references alphabetical?+
No. IEEE references are numbered and listed in the order they first appear in the text — reference [1] is the first source cited, [2] the second, and so on.
Which subjects use IEEE?+
Electrical, electronics, computer and most engineering disciplines, and all IEEE journals and conferences. Social sciences use APA; medicine uses Vancouver.