Citation Guide

1. Quote vs Paraphrase vs Summary: Which is Better?

Academic writing assignments often require students produce papers that fit into a larger academic
conversation that already exists. This means that in most assignments students cannot merely reveal
their own thoughts and beliefs. Instead, they must refer to ideas of other already published authors,
thus increasing authority of their own arguments and participating in larger academic dialogue.
There are several approaches to incorporating other authors’ works in one’s own writing. Students
may either quote them directly, paraphrase, or summarize them. Let’s discuss quote vs paraphrase
vs summary and find out when each of these methods is particularly appropriate.

Why Use Quotations, Paraphrases, and Summaries?

Before discussing difference between paraphrase and summary, it is important to clarify roles they
play in writing. Quotes, paraphrases, and summaries are methods through which one relates their
own original writing to the sources created or published by other authors. Here are some common
benefits they get when using either one or all mentioned methods:

Putting an argument into a larger academic or social context – for example, discussion of sources can
provide some background information, as well as clarify some particular argument consequences;

Increasing your paper credibility – by mentioning other authors and thinkers, you contribute to their
own authority as writers and researchers;

Making your argument more complex – address ideas that support their perspective, as well as to
ideas that contradict it; this contributes to argument complexity, making it more interesting and
appealing;

Supporting arguments – when citing statistics, facts, others’ documented ideas or experiences,
support their own assumptions, making them more trustworthy.

Despite some common outcomes, students should distinguish summary vs paraphrase vs quotation.
These methods have their own peculiarities you should consider while incorporating sources into
text.

Choosing What is Better for Your Paper

Strong writing usually includes quoting, paraphrasing, and summarizing, but these techniques have
their own peculiarities, and they allow pursuing distinct purposes. Here is a brief explanation of
situations when particular method is more relevant than another one.

Situations when quotations are best used:

The author’s exact words are as important as a meaning they carry;

The idea is presented briefly, and it supports your argument well;

Summary or paraphrase would change author’s original intent or meaning;

Provides your assertion with an expert authority.

Situations in which paraphrasing is better than alternatives:

Original author’s material is too complex and simplification is needed;

You need to provide your own clarifications;

Author’s ideas should be organized in a different manner than they are presented in an original text;

You need to make an emphasis that is slightly different from the original text.

You should summarize when:

You need to omit all the irrelevant information, including only those facts that matter to your
discussion;

Original content is too complex, and significant simplification is necessary;

Readers are already familiar with mentioned content; you just refresh their memories, reminding
them what they already know;

Rather than telling a whole story, you aim at briefly familiarizing readers with some content, without
falling into discussion of irrelevant details.

Paraphrasing vs Quoting vs Summarizing: Practical Usage

No matter which method you use, they should necessarily include citations. Failure to cite a source
of borrowed information results in plagiarism. By citing and referencing works they consult, you
avoid this undesirable academic outcome. There are specific rules authors should follow while using
particular method. Let’s discuss them in greater detail.

Quotations

It is the simplest way to use a source. When quoting vs paraphrasing, use exactly the same words as
author used in the original writing. Most college professors demand students apply this method
sparingly, limiting the amount of direct quotes to no more than 10 percent of their whole text. This
limitation aims at insuring originality of papers. When using this method, you should employ quotes
as a means to support (or sometimes refute) their own argument. They should not substitute your
original ideas. They should merely create context in which the value of your own ideas becomes
particularly evident. In other words, consider using quotes as a foundation or support for your
original conclusions. Good for you, EduBirdie provides all users with a free access to its conclusion
paragraph maker.

Paraphrase versus Summary

As for paraphrases and summaries, use your own words in both cases. Neither paraphrase nor
summary allow borrowing content from source in a word for word manner. Students may only
borrow meanings and ideas, using their own words for meaning mediation. So, how is paraphrasing
different from summarizing? Paraphrase is often of similar length as or slightly shorter or longer than
the original source. Unlike summary, paraphrase follows another author’s original content pretty
closely. While students should use their own wording, they should preserve ideas of paraphrased
author. Paraphrasing is particularly valuable as a means of referral to someone else’s work because
it shows that you understand the material you cite in such a manner. If you have difficulties with
paraphrasing, consider using a paraphrase tool EduBirdie provides for free.

Summary versus paraphrase is significantly shorter than the original text. While students shouldn’t
use exact words summarized authors have used in their writing, they also shouldn’t cite all of their
ideas. Instead, summarizing allows them extract only those points, arguments, or ideas that are
particularly relevant in context of their own argument. Unlike quotes along with paraphrases, which
are used to cite particular lines or passages from cited sources, summaries also allow briefly assess
or mention articles and larger works like novels or books as a whole.

Despite differences, these methods suggest that students will give credit to the original work and its
author(s). Either you summarize, quote, or paraphrase, they should add citations in the text, and
reference mentioned sources in their Bibliographies (this section should be titled either References,
Bibliography, or Works Cited, depending on particular documentation style you use). When citing
paraphrases, summaries, or quotes, consider following guidelines of specific citation style your
professor demands. For more detail, please, use examples that follow. You can also find out how to
cite a paraphrase as well as how to summarize without plagiarizing from previous EduBirdie blog
posts.

Quoting Examples

You can include both short and long quotes in their papers. However, you should know that
formatting as well as citation requirements differ depending on the length. Short quotes (the
maximum length of which is determined based on the requirements of particular formatting style)
should be incorporated into sentences. As for long quotations, which are also known as block,
present them as separate text blocks.

Example of a Short Quote

Turabian (2009) has argued that research paper writing develops not only writing but also critical
thinking skills because “As you learn to do your own research, you also learn to use – and judge p
that of others” (p. 5).

Example of a Block Quote

In her book, she explained why it is important to include shared facts in one’s research or
argumentative papers. Turabian (2009) acknowledged the following:

To be sure, we can reach good conclusions in ways other than through reasons and evidence: we can
rely on tradition an authority or on intuition, spiritual insight, even on our most visceral emotions.
But when we try to explain to others not just why we believe our claims but why they should too, we
must do more than just state an opinion and describe our feelings. (p. 6)

Paraphrasing Example

Now lets talk more about paraphrase vs summary. When paraphrasing, students should not use
quotation marks. But their in-text citations as well as references should be similar to those they use
for direct quotes.

Original Passage:

To be sure, the answer to a conceptual question often turns out to be unexpectedly relevant to
solving a practical problem. And before we can solve any important practical problem, we usually
must do conceptual research to understand it better. But in most of the academic world, the primary
aim of most researchers is only to improve our understanding. (Turabian 8)

Paraphrased Passage:
As Turabian argues, theoretical research can help resolve empirical problems. Scientists require
theoretical proof before they can elaborate and introduce any practical changes. Academic research
predominantly aims at providing such proof (Turabian 8).

Summary Examples

Unlike paraphrases, summaries allow students condense discussed texts significantly. In order to
understand how far students are able to go while summarizing works of others, let’s consider “The
Lottery” by Shirley Jackson, a famous American writer. Here is a very brief summary of this well-
known short story:

In “The Lottery,” Jackson depicts a barbaric tradition that reveals people’s tendency towards
accepting notions shared by the group to which they belong without questioning their
reasonableness.

When summarizing books, stories, novels, article, or any other pieces of text, students concentrate
on features that are relevant to their own writings. For example, in one case, they may need to
summarize a plot, while in another instance, a single theme summary may be relevant.

2. Guidelines and Examples on How to Cite a Paraphrase in MLA and APA

Intellectual rights and author rights in particular are keenly respected in the US – this is a crucial
prerequisite for establishment of normal relationships in various fields: science, education, society,
businesses focused on intellectual property (publication of books), mass media, and many industries
working with verbal or written communication. It can be argued, that in the information society we
witness nowadays, being able to correctly cite and attribute data is of paramount importance.

Referencing written works is not an exception but a must. Each citation style has its own strict rules
with regard to citing quotes or paraphrasing. Below we explore in greater detail how to cite a
paraphrase correctly in two most popular styles in US academic institutions (APA vs MLA) and
provide handy tips for achieving this.

Definition and Purpose

Definition of paraphrasing as listed by general-purpose English dictionaries is using your own words
to express an idea, thought, or piece of information read or heard somewhere else. Alternatively, it
can be defined as simply expressing meaning of some written or spoken material by incorporating
different words or sequences of words than those found in original piece (reformulating).

In the context of source citing, paraphrasing is defined as a way of using text in your writing without
directly quoting it but by still indicating where exactly or who exactly you borrowed this date from.

Direct quoting source material follows much stricter rules and often forces one to carry lots of
unnecessary data in order to convey minute detail. Trying to deliver a complex message just quoting
can easily turn into a nightmare, hence quoting is reserved for just a few special occasions for added
effect.

Paraphrasing is typically more efficient and frequent – purpose is to focus closely on certain aspects
and to recombine pieces of information as desired in order to achieve satisfying information density
and to convey only carefully selected or processed data. In addition, paraphrasing citations are much
easier to integrate in your text compared to quotes. They are very much like summaries, however,
they are typically not as concise.
Tips for Effective Paraphrasing and Avoiding Plagiarism

There are a number of useful tips worth considering:

to avoid very similar rewordings, try first extracting key points from the text, then expanding these
points in your own words and not looking at the original text. Once done, always compare your
result with the original to eliminate accidental similarities that could be regarded as plagiarism.
Check our free paraphrasing tool and cite with ease.

do not use quotation marks – but if you happen to reuse longer sequence of text exactly as it
appears in original work direct quotes incorporated in paraphrases, then put quotation marks for
delimiting this fragment and provide page numbers.

don’t copy an author’s wording or even style – doing so might count as plagiarism even if it’s cited
provided. Style of paraphrase citation should match that of paper.

simply replacing synonyms or adding or deleting incidental or optional words isn’t an option – this
still counts as plagiarism, even if it might not be picked by plagiarism detection tool. Hence, more
complex reformulation methods should be implemented in combination. Such methods for
reformulating phrases include: changing sentence structure, synonyms or similar words, breaking
original sentences into multiple ones or merging multiple sentences, starting sentences differently as
compared to original ones.

never change original meaning in texts you are working with – although this is not plagiarism, it
breaks other important academic honesty norms correctly conveying material.

cite all sources and materials that are not your own words to avoid plagiarism accusations.

Read also: Did I plagiarize? How to understand this?

APA Paraphrase Citation with Correct and Wrong Examples

The format of an associated paraphrase citation differs across various styles. Thus, an APA
paraphrase follows author-date format, without indicating page numbers, they are only indicated for
direct quotes.

There are two ways of delivering such in-text citations. Parenthetical paraphrasing is one in which
information about source, author’s family name followed by publication year, separated by comma,
is indicated at the end of sentence, in parentheses. This differs from an in-text citation which
incorporates author’s name into sentence itself, the year still goes in parentheses.

Below is text treated as an original fragment supposedly written by author Smith in 1992, analyzing
philosophy works (page 43):

Aristotle defines a function as the appropriate natural activity of an organism. By analogy with how
the function of an acorn is to become an oak tree, Aristotle sees the characteristic/ unique function
of human beings represented by reasoning. By contrast, nutrition, growth, or simply living is shared
with all other beings including plants, while sensory perception, for instance, is shared with animals,
hence, these cannot represent human functions given that they are not unique to humans.
Importantly, it is specified that the reasoning must be an active one. Simple possession of reasoning
abilities is not enough – these must be applied in practice.
Correct variant:

According to Smith, a function is defined by Aristotle as the natural activity exhibited by living beings
(1992). For instance, growth, living, nutrition and sensory perception are shared with other living
beings (plants, animals), hence, none can represent the human one. The latter in philosopher’s view
is reasoning which is characteristic to humans alone but it can be considered valid/present only
when actively applied (Smith, 1992).

Incorrect variant – exact long sequences were reused unaltered without any quotation marks, some
sentences are reused after adding, removing, or substituting only few words (this counts as
plagiarism):

Aristotle gives a definition of function as an organism’s natural undertaking (Smith, 1992). Similarly,
with how purpose of an acorn is to grow into tree, he sees reasoning as characteristic purpose of
people. Because growth, nutrition or simply living is common among other beings including plants,
while perception is shared with animals, these cannot represent person ones because they are not
unique.

How to Cite a Paraphrase in MLA with Correct and Wrong Examples

MLA style is more precise than APA in locating information utilized, since page number is indicated
not only for direct quotes but also for any paraphrase. Thus, for parenthetical citation, one would
have to name the author, in particular, family name, along with a page # (without any comma in-
between), while for in-text citations, family names are mentioned inside sentences, while pages – in
parentheses as MLA follows an author-page format.

Below are examples of how to cite paraphrasing correctly and incorrectly in MLA with the same
original paragraph provided earlier.

Correct:

A function, in Aristotle’s view, is the natural role performed by an organism (Smith 43). For an acorn,
it is becoming an oak tree, while for humans, it is reasoning. Indeed, unlike living, eating, growing,
and other, reasoning is uniquely distinguishing humans from all other living creatures.

Incorrect – there are big mistakes here in conveying author’s message:

Aristotle explains function as main undertaking of an organism (Smith 43). Thus, an acorn's purpose
is to become tree, while person's one is to reason. Operations like nutrition, growth, living, or
perceptions cannot be for people because they are less complex/advanced than reasoning.

We hope that these examples of MLA and APA paraphrase citation will be of a great use for your. In
case you need to cite a paraphrase in other formats, check our ASA, APA, Chicago or IEEE format
citation generator.

Legit Paraphrasing and Writing Help

Learning how to quote a paraphrase is a skill of paramount importance since it’s chief method
through which information from external sources is cited within written works. In fact, following
academic honesty standards, one needs to cite virtually all data that cannot be qualified as common
knowledge or personal experience/ reflections (research papers contain a minimum of these two).
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3. Differences between APA vs MLA: What Format to Use?

Academic world is based on strict regulations when it comes to writing, starting with a college essay
and up to science publications. Generally, there are three pretty common citation styles in American
higher education: APA, MLA, and Chicago. Their main goal is to provide proper citations, avoid
plagiarism, create unified paper structure system. Chicago style is used for history and economics,
so, it is usually directly offered together with an assignment. When it comes to APA vs MLA, not
everything can be as clear or easy for students. They both are very common, that’s why have
similarities as well as differences. So how to choose the right one for your assignment and what are
key standards for each one? This article has all necessary information to help you master both APA
and MLA.

History and Standard Guidelines of APA

This style originates in guidelines of the American Psychology Association that created rules for
journal articles publications and books. It was first established in 1929 to help authors to structure
their works, as well as create a unique style of references and citations. Key idea is not to distract a
reader, but to provide the most comprehensive text with proper headlines, works cited list, avoid
plagiarism. APA is commonly used for scientific papers, documents, lab reports. It also dictates
language use standards when it comes to academic works. Its guidelines are being constantly
updated to eliminate sexist, racist or intolerant language. You can always use apa citation generator
free to save some time.

APA standards include:

 Double-spaced lines;
 Times New Roman 12, one-inch for all margins;
 Upper right part of every page has a number + short title of the work;
 Footnotes/endnotes are also double-spaced;
 In-text citations include author, year of publication, page (Slezinger, 2016, p.6) for direct
quotations. Paraphrased idea should include author’s name + year (Slezinger, 2016);
 Reference list is composed in bibliographic order;
 Alphabetical order for authors and then chronological for works (if there is more than one
work of an author);
 Authors’ names in references list are given in formula Last name + First Initial + Middle initial
(Sloss D.M.);
 In periodicals’ titles only the first word is capitalized, no quotation marks;
 Title is centered.
 Include abstract for long papers.
History and Standard Guidelines of MLA

Difference between MLA and APA starts with history of these styles. This one is provided by the
Modern Language Association for literary research and scientific works in the field of humanities.
Key difference is that MLA is more detailed when it concerns references and citations. It is also most
commonly used in present tense of verbs. MLA vs APA have one more significant difference: the first
one is focused on names of authors and treats old sources as well as the new studies. The second
one, on the contrary, is focused on year of referenced book or publications, preferably the newest
and relevant ones.

MLA standards include:

 Double-spaced lines;
 Times New Roman 12, one-inch for all margins;
 Bibliographical list of works cited;
 Alphabetical order for authors and alphabetical order for works (if there is more than one of
one scientist);
 Direct in-text citations have only name and page, without a comma (Slezinger 242); indirect
citations have only page (According to Slezinger (242), technologies evolve…);
 No extra line-break between citations;
 Page number with author’s name on the upper right corner (Moran 3)
 Articles’ titles are taken in quotation marks, every word should be capitalized.

MLA versus APA format: A Comparative table with Examples

One of the key aspects in which MLA is different from APA is the the format of bibliographic citations
and in-text citations (the author-page format for MLA and the author-date format for APA).
Obviously, one can find a set of differences in formatting rules as well.

Here’s a short table of key differences between formats, so you can easily use MLA or APA.

APA MLA
Spacing Double-spacing Double-spacing
Font/margins Times New Roman 12 Times New Roman 12
1” margins 1” margins
Direct in-text (Moran, 2017, p.16) (Moran 16)
quotation
Indirect in-text (Moran, 2017) According to Moran, this is a
quotation controversial case (16).
Bibliography Name References Works Cited
1. Mitchell, M. (1936). Gone with 1. Mitchell, Margaret.
the wind. New York: The Macmillan Group. Gone with the Wind. The
Macmillan Group, 1936.
Order of citations Alphabetical for authors Alphabetical for authors and
Chronological for works for works
Header Title in caps left aligned, page number right Student’s last name and page
aligned. number right aligned:
On the title page: Last Name 1
Running head: TITLE                       1
On other pages:
TITLE                                                2
 First page Used as a Title page: There is no Title page. On the
1. Title upper left corner:
2. Name 1. First and Last Name
3. Academic Institution 2. Professor
3. Class
4. Date
5. Title
  6. Text
Headings/Subheadings Heading and subheadings are used Not recommended, but may
be required
Which is better MLA or APA?

Which of the two formatting styles is better? Well, it depends on the use scenario! When working
with fictional literature (published in large volumes), MLA is more appropriate since in-text citations
refer explicitly to the info by mentioning the specific page. By contrast, when working with short
publications (e. g. academic articles, ofte published online, without page numbering), APA in-text
citations seems more appropriate (thy only help identify the work, but importantly, they mention
the year, which allows to easily track the chronology of research).

APA vs MLA: Does Paper Subject Matters?

Before you decide when to use MLA or APA you need to check assignment – maybe your professor
has depicted citation format already. If not, you can choose one on your own. Generally, they differ
in subjects they are used to. So whether you need to pick APA or MLA is defined by the field of
science you are conducting the research at.

 APA is used for social sciences, such as: Psychology, Sociology, Nursing, Criminology, Social
Work, Business, Education.
 MLA format is used for humanities, such as: History, Literature, Language, Philosophy, Arts,
Theatre, Religion, Anthropology, Law and Politics.

If neither instructions nor the subject informs a choice of a given citation format, juat, think about
which style would work better with your content.

According to the Course and subject guides belonging to the University Library System of the
University of Pittsburgh, Chicago/Turabian style is generally used in the field of Business. If the field
is related to sociology (e. g. management), then APA could be the preferred style.

Example How to Format References/Works Cited in Two Styles

Book:

MLA: Moran, Dylan. Greek Theater. Macmillan Group, 2017.

APA: Moran, D. (2017). Greek Theater. London: Macmillan Group.

An Article:

MLA: Slezinger, Sarah and Julio M. Down. “Cognitive Tools in Children’s Home Education”. American
Psychology, vol.37, no.3, 7 Feb. 2015, pp.110-116. University of Michigan Online Library, doi:
11.12007 / tox.30567. Accessed 11 April 2018.

APA: Slezinger, S., and Down J. (2015). Cognitive tools in children’s home education. American
Psychology, 37(3), 110-116. doi: 11.12007 / tox.30567.
Conclusion

MLA vs APA format is not an impossible choice, especially when one is writing for a particular
subject. However, it may be complicated to apply, as there are so many details that should be
followed. Maybe you think that it’s better to use your time and concentrate on the research itself,
then you can seek professional help with editing. EduBirdie professionals can help you with any
citation format and edit your assignment so that it’s a masterpiece. As an alternative, try free mla
citation generator at EduBirdie on your own. This way you can always be sure that your citations are
in the right place.

The Best Manual Guide for AMA Citation Style

AMA manual style of referencing is drastically different from other styles like the ASA or APA. It was
developed specifically for medicine-related articles, case studies or essay writing submitted to
various medical journals. The American Medical Association manual of style offers a set of important
criteria that are used to determine whether a citation meets the standard for AMA formatting or
not. This manual guide is an effective tool that sheds more light on these criteria.

What is a citation/reference?

A citation is usually a phrase or sentence that points to the source of information used to project
certain ideas in an article. Citations are important as they establish the validity of all ideas being
highlighted. Suggestions are considered more valid when they have a tangible source or have been
applied elsewhere. In general terms, there are two kinds of citations found in any guide:

 In-text references: appear all through the written piece at targeted points. This is because they
point to various sources of information used for specific sentences or ideas. These vary based on
the style. For instance, in the APA style dates are included, while they are excluded in a style like
MLA. Here’s an example:

“And it was discovered that 50% of ladies who used the Diage sanitary pads were at risk for PID
(Marson, 2004, p. 443) and a higher risk for cervical polyps and very rare forms of cervical cancer
(Freeman, 2000, p. 304)” OR

“And it was discovered that 50% of ladies who used the Diage sanitary pads were at risk for PID
(Marson 443) and a higher risk for cervical polyps and very rare forms of cervical cancer (304) as
shown by Freeman (304)”

 Works cited/Reference list: is a compiled list of all sources of information used, usually written at
the end of a paper. The AMA style guide, among others, mentions the use of superscripts when
using this type of referencing. This aids readers to locate a specific sentence that was cited from a
particular source e.g.
1. Marson S. “Sanitary pads and cancer: an alliance or a consequence” BMJ 2004; 245(3):2103-
2107.
2. Freeman K. S “The effect of female hygiene products on gene mutation” RBJ 2000; 342(14):
2305-2406.

Important things to note in AMA style guide

This guide projects a format of specific rules that can guide in AMA formatting. These include the
following:

The AMA references are written in consecutive order, one after the other. This is reinforced by the
use of superscript, according to the guide. This superscript should

Be written at the end of the sentence or ideology being quoted.

Separated by commas and no spaces if the ideology is found in more than one information source.

Example: “The major effects of butane poisoning are targeted at the CNS1 and are a firsthand source
of bone marrow diseases in that community.1, 2, 4-6”

If a source is used more than once, the same number is used throughout all article wherever the
source is used.

In-text quotations are quite common in the AMA style guide. The AMA citation guideline states that
all surnames of the authors be applied along with superscripts. Example:

“…in the town. Johan and Sian2 reported an unusual concentration of …”

A list of referenced works, according to AMA style guide should be written in the order of their
appearance in the article, and at the end of it.

When an author’s work is cited by another author e.g. the original author, Shoan W. had her writing
cited by Andre M, whose article you took up as a reference, the guide states that in the text the
reference should be based on the original author, not the one who cited him/her. Example

“4. Shoan W. ‘…’ cited by: Andre M. ‘…’ “.

When checking how to cite AMA, in addition to these guidelines, students can be advised to check
samples of this style online. We also have an abundance of AMA style quoted works and free
Turabian citation creator on our site and you can buy powerpoint presentation or just order any
paper at essay writing service. Feel free to check it out – we believe they will improve your
knowledge of the manual way to use the AMA citation guide.

IEEE Citation Format Guide For Students

You have landed on this page for a reason! If you study Computer Science, IT or Engineering, your
lecturer may have prescribed you applying IEEE citation format guide to your paper. This format was
created by the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers and is widely used for papers in the
Engineering and Computer Science fields. IEEE reference format is not as easy as it may seem from
the first look, thus to do everything correctly, you’ll have to find a credible IEEE citation guide online.

We have good news for you! We have already created very informative and reader-friendly guide for
students from the Institutes of Electrical and Electronics Engineers all over the world. A nitty-gritty of
IEEE citation format is revealed in this guide.

Maybe you have spent a lot of time researching for the best format, like an ASA, APSA or MLA, but it
gets confusing because different guides offer controversial information.

What is IEEE Citations?

Maybe you have spent a lot of time researching for information about IEEE reference format, but it
gets confusing because different guides offer controversial information. We tried to cover the most
common rules in our guide and make it understandable for an average student. Your professor of
Engineering may ask you to use a specific style formatting for your paper citations and formatting.
Any of such referencing styles helps readers to discover sources that you have used while creating
your project. This way you can avoid plagiarism, and a piece of work becomes authentic and better
researched.

The references provide support for arguments, which have been already added to the text. It helps
when citing authors, books, articles or online sources that you may have used properly. Moreover,
this shows that you have done extensive research while creating your project.

How to create IEEE citations?

The crucial question is – how to cite in IEEE format for learning correctly? There are many
technicalities related to it. However, it is the most valuable style for engineers and computer
experts. An ideal option for you is following a guide your professor provided you with and take
notice of some tips below.

Each university requires comprehending to certain Engineering citation style rules, which is
obligatory to comply. Here you can find the most common rules for this style:

 Unlike MLA, it is obligatory to write the initial name of a writer first before the surname.
 The title of an article indicated must be used in quotation marks, but the title of journals or
books should be italicized. These help a reader to distinguish between types of the cited
source at a glance.
 If there are more than 3 authors cited in the content, you will need to use et al afterward the
name of the first author. But, you should not use a comma before the ‘et.’
 In case there is no date mentioned, you have to write n.d. This abbreviation means, ‘no
date.’ Do note that the references are added as per citation and not in alphabetic order.
 This particular style includes in-text citations, which are numbered in square brackets.

Check out IEEE citation examples that might help you:

Marx [4] mentioned that….

This theory was put forward by Pareto in the year 1918 [6]

These numbers in brackets refer to full reference list, which ends whole paper. But, this list isn’t
made alphabetically, but numerically.

This format needs spending much time on studying it, but with our guide, its use becomes much
clear for electrical and electronics engineer students. But, you must read IEEE citation manual to
grasp all rules, as there are many technicalities that you need to follow. However, by reading our
IEEE format citation guide, it will be much easier for you to decode correct way to use this particular
style.

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Some IEEE format example: