Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) style

The IEEE style is used to cite sources in technical fields such as electronics, computer science, and electrical engineering. It involves the use of numbers (in square brackets) in the in-text citation.

The number used in the in-text citation corresponds with that on the reference list. The reference list has full details about the source.

In-text citation 

Numbers in square brackets such as [2] are used in the in-text citation. They begin with one in ascending order. If a source is allocated a number, the number should be repeated every time the source is cited.

There should be a space before the bracketed numbers.

For example

“According to [5] [6] [9] …..”

If the statement is quoted directly, the page number should also be included.

For example

[5 p.65]

Multiple authors

In cases where the source is written by multiple authors, use et al.

Include the names of the authors on the reference list. Only use et al on the reference list, if the authors are more than six.

Reference list

The reference list contains full details about all the sources cited in the text.

Guidelines for a reference list

  1. It is arranged alphabetically based on the numbers used in the text.
  2. Located at the end of the paper.
  3. The title ‘reference list’ should be aligned to the left or the center of the page.
  4. Titles for books and journals are italicized.
  5. Titles for articles are put in quotation marks.
  6. The number used in the in-text citation (reference number) should be placed on the left margin and enclosed with square brackets.
  7. Use a single space within an entry and double space between the entries.
  8. Indent the references.
  9. The name of the author should be preceded by initials of the first names followed by the last name, for example, John Smith should be J. Smith.
  10. It should contain full information about the source such as the name, title, year of publication, publisher, edition, and other contributors.

Example of a citation in the reference list

[1] J. Smith, Causes of global warming, 2ed. London: My Publisher, 2013.

Citing a book

When citing a book include; the reference number, initials of the first name of the author, surname, title of the source, edition, place of publication, publisher, and the year of publication.

Citing a conference paper

When citing a conference paper include; the reference number, initials of the first name of the author, the surname, the title of the paper, name of the conference, and location.


Chicago manual of style (CMOS)

Chicago manual of style incorporates two methods of citation. This includes the author-date and the notes-bibliography method.  The author-date system is majorly used in sciences while the notes-bibliography system is used in arts, literature, and history.

Author-date style

In-text citation

The author-date method encompasses the use of the author’s surname together with the date of publication in the in-text citation.

For example

(Smith 2016)

If the page number (s) is included, a comma is used to separate the page from the year of publication.

For example

(Smith 2016, 12)

If the name of the author is included in the text, only the year of publication and the page number appears in the parenthesis.

For example

According to James, climate change is a result of deforestation (2016, 2).

Reference list

The reference list has all the details about the sources cited in the in-text citation. This includes the author’s name, date of publication, title, publisher, and other contributors.

For example

Smith James, M. 2015. Effects of deforestation. London: My publisher

 

 

Notes and bibliography in Chicago style

This method of citation uses footnotes and endnotes; it also includes a bibliography at the end of the paper.

Footnotes or endnotes

After every quote or paraphrase from a source, a note is included. Footnotes are added at the end of the page. Endnotes are put at the end of a chapter or the whole document. The notes are preceded by a number followed by a period.

When citing a paper with a bibliography, only the author’s surname name followed by a shortened title (if it is longer than four words), and the page number (s) is incorporated in the notes. However, if the bibliography is not included, the first note of every chapter should have full details about the source.

Example of a footnote

  1. Smith James, The Effects of Climate Change (New York: Viking Press, 1958), 12.

Bibliography

The bibliography appears at the end of the paper before the index. It contains all the details about the sources cited in the notes and others that provide further information about the topic.

The bibliography is arranged alphabetically based on the author’s surname or the title if the author is unknown.

Unlike the footnotes, in the bibliography, the author’s surname comes first. It is separated from the first name using a comma.

In the bibliography section, the titles of articles, chapters, and poems are put in quotation marks while those of books and journals are italicized.

For example

James, Smith. The Effects of Climate Change. New York: Viking Press, 1958.


American Medical Association (AMA) Style

AMA Citation Style was developed by the American Medical Association. It is used to cite sources in medical research papers.

In-text citation

Superscripted Arabic numerals are used to cite sources in the in-text citation. The number should correspond with the number on the reference list.

For example

Physical exercise keeps the body healthy. 8

Two sources

If two sources are cited on the same place, use a hyphen to join the first and the last number, for instance, 5-9

Multiple sources

If there are multiple citations, use commas without a space to separate them, for instance, 4-6,8,9

Punctuation marks

Place the superscripted numbers inside colons and semicolons and outside commas and periods.

For example

Nutrients are essential for a child’s growth. 3

To survive a child requires 9; ….

Page number (s)

If the statement is quoted directly from the source, include the page number.

For example

Children should eat a balanced diet. 9 (p68)

Personal communication and unpublished work

In case you are citing references that have not been published or personal communication, use the parenthesis.

For example

According to Dr. James (November 2009) …

Reference list

In AMA style, the list of references is entitled ‘reference list’

Guidelines for a reference list

  1. It should be arranged alphabetically based on the superscripted numbers used in the in-text citation.
  2. The last name of the author comes first followed by Initials of the first and the middle name. Do not put periods and commas between the last name and the initials.
  3. If there is more than one author, commas are used to separate the names of the authors.
  4. If the middle initial is unknown, omit it.
  5. Abbreviations for a word such as junior (Jr) are put after the names of the author.
  6. Roman numerals such as (II) (I) are used instead of 2end and 3rd.
  7. Titles should be in title case.
  8. The names of journals should be italicized and abbreviated based on the listing in the National Library of Medicine Database.
  9. Periods are used to separate bibliographic groups in the citations.

 

Citing a book

When citing a book include; the author’s last name, initials of the first and middle name, title, edition, country, publisher’s name, and the copyright year.

For example

Smith KM. Benefits of Physical Exercise. New York, NY: Springer; 2010.

Citing a website

When citing a website include; author’s name or organization responsible for the site, title, name of the website, URL, and the date it was accessed.

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