How to Cite a DOI in IEEE
Updated August 2026
Citing a doi in IEEE comes down to one template and a handful of rules. Below: the exact numbered style format, a real example produced by our citation engine, and the in-text form — or paste your source into the generator and copy the finished citation.
The IEEE format
A. A. Author and B. B. Author, “Title of paper,” Journal Name, vol. X, no. X, pp. xx-xx, Mon. Year. doi: xxxx.
IEEE (numbered style) formats a DOI source reference as shown above. A real example, generated by our citation engine:
B. Rasch and J. Born, "About sleep's role in memory," Physiological Reviews, vol. 93, no. 2, pp. 681-766, 2013. doi: 10.1152/physrev.00032.2012.
In-text[1]
Finding the pieces
Or skip the hunt: Paste the DOI directly into the generator's DOI tab — any form works (bare, https://doi.org/…, or dx.doi.org), and every field is filled from the source's own record — then select IEEE on the result.
- On the article — first-page header or footer of the PDF
- On the landing page — near the title or in the "Cite" panel
- In databases — PubMed, JSTOR, Scopus, and Google Scholar records all display it
- Via CrossRef — search.crossref.org finds a DOI from a title
IEEE's formatting rules at work
- Initials come before surnames: M. Alvarez
- Paper titles in quotation marks with sentence-style capitalization; containers italicized
- Months abbreviated; DOIs written as doi: 10.xxxx, not links
- Up to six authors listed; more become first author et al.
DOI-specific pitfalls
- A DOI identifies the work — the citation that results is for whatever the work is (almost always a journal article)
- The citation is built from the publisher's registry record, making DOI-based citations the most reliable kind
- When a source has a DOI, every modern style prefers it over a URL
In-text citations in IEEE
IEEE cites in the text with bracketed numbers in order of first appearance: as shown in [1], consolidation requires sleep [2], [5]–[7]. The same number is reused for every later citation of that source, and the reference list is numbered to match — never alphabetized.
Author identity doesn't affect the in-text form — the bracket carries no name. The reference entry starts with whatever author information exists, or the title if none does.
Building the References
Every in-text citation pairs with a full entry on the References page, numbered in order of first citation. Add each citation to your bibliography as you generate it, and the Bibliography Builder assembles and exports the finished page to Word with the title, ordering, and indentation IEEE requires.
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Go Premium — $5/monthFrequently asked questions
- What's the basic IEEE format for a doi?
- A. A. Author and B. B. Author, “Title of paper,” Journal Name, vol. X, no. X, pp. xx-xx, Mon. Year. doi: xxxx. — see the worked example above, generated by the same engine that powers the free citation tool.
- What if my source has no DOI?
- Common for pre-2000 articles and most web content. Cite with the journal's URL or the print details instead — the format is otherwise identical.
- How do I cite a doi in IEEE in-text?
- With a bracketed number assigned at first citation: [1]. The reference list is numbered in citation order.
- Can I get this citation in other styles too?
- Yes — every result in the generator renders APA, MLA, Chicago, Harvard, and IEEE simultaneously. Generate once, switch styles with one click.