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How to cite a journal article in IEEE

Short answer

How do you cite a journal article in IEEE?

You need author(s), year, article title, journal name, volume, issue, page range, doi. The reference list entry looks like this:

L. Thomas and M. Hill, "Belonging and continuation among first-generation undergraduates," Studies in Higher Education, vol. 49, no. 3, pp. 412-428, 2024, doi: 10.1080/03075079.2024.2298471.

The matching in-text citation is [1].

Step by step

Building the reference

Do it automatically

  1. Gather the details

    You need: Author(s), Year, Article title, Journal name, Volume, Issue, Page range, DOI. Take them from the source itself, not from a database record, which is often incomplete.

  2. Order the elements

    IEEE is a numeric style, so the reference is numbered in citation order. Follow the pattern in the example below exactly, including its punctuation.

  3. Add the in-text citation

    Every reference needs a matching in-text citation. In IEEE that is [1]. Missing or mismatched in-text citations are penalised more often than formatting slips.

  4. Check against your own guide

    Institutional variants exist, particularly in Harvard. Where your department's published guide differs from any generator, the department's guide wins.

What you need

Details to collect

  • Author(s)
  • Year
  • Article title
  • Journal name
  • Volume
  • Issue
  • Page range
  • DOI

Watch out

Mistakes this pairing invites

  • Leaving out the DOI when the article has one — most styles now require it.
  • Citing the database (JSTOR, ProQuest) instead of the journal.
  • Confusing volume with issue, which changes the citation entirely.
  • Initials come before the surname: J. A. Smith.
  • Bracketed numbers are used in citation order and reused for repeat citations.

Compare

The same journal article in all eight styles

  • Harvard

    Thomas, L. and Hill, M. (2024) 'Belonging and continuation among first-generation undergraduates', Studies in Higher Education, 49(3), pp. 412-428. doi: 10.1080/03075079.2024.2298471.

  • APA 7

    Thomas, L. & Hill, M. (2024). Belonging and continuation among first-generation undergraduates. Studies in Higher Education, 49(3), 412-428. https://doi.org/10.1080/03075079.2024.2298471

  • MLA 9

    Thomas, Liz, and Michael Hill. "Belonging and Continuation Among First-Generation Undergraduates." Studies in Higher Education, vol. 49, no. 3, 2024, pp. 412-428. https://doi.org/10.1080/03075079.2024.2298471.

  • Chicago 17

    Thomas, Liz, and Michael Hill. "Belonging and Continuation Among First-Generation Undergraduates." Studies in Higher Education 49, no. 3 (2024): 412-428. https://doi.org/10.1080/03075079.2024.2298471.

  • Vancouver

    Thomas L, Hill M. Belonging and continuation among first-generation undergraduates. Studies in Higher Education. 2024;49(3):412-428. doi:10.1080/03075079.2024.2298471

  • OSCOLA

    Liz Thomas and Michael Hill, 'Belonging and Continuation Among First-Generation Undergraduates' (2024) 49 Studies in Higher Education 412-428

  • IEEE

    This page

    L. Thomas and M. Hill, "Belonging and continuation among first-generation undergraduates," Studies in Higher Education, vol. 49, no. 3, pp. 412-428, 2024, doi: 10.1080/03075079.2024.2298471.

  • AMA 11

    Thomas L, Hill M. Belonging and continuation among first-generation undergraduates. Studies in Higher Education. 2024;49(3):412-428. doi:10.1080/03075079.2024.2298471

Frequently asked questions

How do you cite a journal article in IEEE?
L. Thomas and M. Hill, "Belonging and continuation among first-generation undergraduates," Studies in Higher Education, vol. 49, no. 3, pp. 412-428, 2024, doi: 10.1080/03075079.2024.2298471. — that is the reference list entry. The matching in-text citation is [1]. You need author(s), year, article title, journal name, volume, issue, page range, doi.
What details do I need to cite a journal article?
Author(s), Year, Article title, Journal name, Volume, Issue, Page range, DOI. If a detail is genuinely unavailable, most styles have a defined substitute — for example 'n.d.' or 'no date' where no publication year exists — rather than simply omitting the element.
What is the in-text citation for a journal article in IEEE?
[1]. The number is assigned by order of first appearance and reused for every later citation of the same source.