This guidance applies to all references for all source types.

• The names of the authors are abbreviated to the initials only and precedes the surnames;
• Use "and" in between two authors' names or before the last if listing more than two;
• Put the names of all authors up to six names. If there are more than six names use "et al." (in italics) after the first author.

See some examples below:

1 author

Reference list:

2 authors

List both authors in the order they appear in the publication. Use 'and' between names.

Reference list:

6+ authors

Use et al. after the name of the first author.

Reference list:

In-text citations should be numbered in square brackets inside the punctuation. Grammatically, they may be treated as if they were nouns or footnote numbers, e.g.:

According to [1]; as demonstrated in [2]; as shown by Brown [4], [5]; as mentioned earlier [2], [4], [5], [6], [7], [9]; Smith [4] and Brown and Jones [5]; Wood et al. [7]  

If you're synthesing a number of sources to support your argument you may want to use a number of sources in one citation. Reference ranges in text will not include an en dash. All references will be written out. For example, “[1]–[4]” will now be “[1], [2], [3], [4]”.  

NOTE: Use “et al.” when three or more names are given for a reference cited in the text.

Quotations are word-for-word text included in your work and must be clearly distinguished from your own words and ideas. Quotations are word-for-word text included in your work and must be clearly distinguished from your own words and ideas. You must also include the page number(s) in the citation and reference list entry.

Short quotations (of less than three lines)

Use a brief phrase to introduce the quotation. For example:

In-text:

Reference:

Longer quotations (of three lines or more)

Use block quotation, without quotation marks, but clearly indent the quote to indicate these words are not your own. For example:

In-text:

The in-text citation is given at the end of the quotation and before the punctuation, with a full reference, including page number, in the reference list being given as in the example above.

A secondary reference is given when you are referring to a source which you have not read yourself, but have read about in another source, for example referring to Jones’ work that you have read about in Smith. You should avoid using secondary references and locate the original source and reference that.

It is important to give a page number with a reference in the following circumstances:

• when quoting directly
• when referring to a specific detail in a text (for example, a specific theory or idea, an illustration, a table, a set of statistics).

This might mean giving an individual page number or a small range of pages from which you have taken the information. Giving page numbers enables the reader to locate the specific item to which you refer.

Capitalise the major words of publication titles. Articles (a, an, the) and conjunctions (and, but, for, or) should be in lower case. For example:

It is common in science publications to use standard abbreviations for common words in book and journal titles to give more concise references (for example IEEE Syst. J for the IEEE Systems Journal). 

Some standard abbreviations (and their meanings):

• Appl. (applied)
• Conv. (convention)
• Ed./Eds. (editor/editors)
• et al. (and others)
• Fig. (figure)
• no. (issue number)
• p. (single page)
• pp. (page range)
• Rep. (report)
• Soc. (Society)
• Tab. (table)
• vol. (volume)

For more information and the full list of abbreviations to use, please see the official IEEE Reference Guide.

Information to include:
[#] Initial. Surname, Title of book, edition (if not first). City of publisher, US state if necessary, Country: Abbreviation of publisher, year.

Reference list:

Chapter in an edited book

Information to include:
[#] Chapter author Initial. Surname, "Title of chapter" in Name of book, Editor Initial. Surname, Ed., City of publisher, US state if necessary, Country: Abbreviation of publisher, year, pp. xx-xxx.

Reference list:

Journal article / paper (print copy)

Information to include:
[#] Initial. Surname, "Title of article / paper" Name of journal, vol. #, no. #, pp. #-#, Abbrev. Month. year.

Reference list:

Journal article / paper (electronic)

Information to include:
[#] Initial. Surname, "Title of article / paper" Name of journal, vol. #, no. #, pp. #-#, Abbrev. Month. year. [Online] Available: URL [Accessed: Abbrev. month and day, year].

Reference list:

Include the most precise date of publication given - usually full date for newspaper articles, month and year for magazines.

Newspaper/magazine article (with author)

Information to include:
[#]. Initial. Surname, "Title of article", Name of newspaper/magazine, p. #, Abbrev. Month day, year.

Reference list:

Newspaper/magazine article (no author)

Information to include:
[#]. "Title of article", Name of newspaper/magazine, p. #, Abbrev. Month day, year.

Reference list:

Include the specific date after the name for newspapers and other frequently updated sites.

Website with author

Information to include:
[#] Initial. Surname (year, Mon. day). Title of specific webpage. Name of overall website. [Online]. Available at: URL [Accessed: Abbrev. month and day, year].

Reference list:

Website with no author

Information to include:
[#] Organisation. (year, Mon. day). Title of specific webpage. Name of overall website. [Online]. Available at: URL [Accessed: Abbrev. month and day, year].

Reference list:

Reference list :

Reference list:

If you are reading an English language version of a book originally published in another language follow this example.

Reference list:

Follow this example if you need to reference a book that you read in another language.

Reference list:

The author's or creator's name, followed by a comma, may precede the product name. Additional identifying information such as release date may be included after the product name. A commonly used short version or acronym of the name may be included in parentheses immediately after the product name.

Reference list:

OR

Conference paper (unpublished)

Reference list:

Conference paper (published)

Reference list:

Conference proceedings

Reference list:

Database Online (specific content with author)

Reference list:

Database Online (not referring to specific content, no author)

Reference list:

E-book (online)

If page markers are not available on the e-book version you are using cite the chapter for specific references to the source

Reference list:

E-book (reader)

If viewing an e-book using an e-book reader it is important to reference the specific version of the publication for this reader.

Consider how you will provide any page numbers needed e.g. for a direct quotation. See some suggestions below:

• Kindles allow users to see the location of text, use this as an identifier (Loc.);
• For other formats use chapter (Cha.), section (Sec.) and paragraph (Para.) where possible;
• If none exist, use no pagination.

Reference list:

Personal communications and non-recoverable information, such as an interview, lecture or conversation are not given citation numbers, but should be suitably referred to in the text. For example: “In an email to the author from Samuel Jones…”

Reference list:

In-text: 

After the title of graph/table/figure give the citation number for the source and the page number the item appears on. For example: A Graph [26, p. 10]

Reference list: 

Give the citation number and cite according to the convention for the type of source you are using (book, journal, website).

Reference list: 

Personal communications and non-recoverable information, such as an interview, lecture or conversation are not given citation numbers, but should be suitably referred to in the text. For example: “In a personal interview with James Dyson…”

Reference list: