We all have the goal of creating exciting and original research. But even the most revolutionary research is built on previous work. When publishing your research findings, it is critical to cite the work you referenced accurately and fully. This, in turn, assists others in understanding your process.
Proper citation provides the road map necessary for others to follow and build upon your work. There are various citation formats, each with their own nuances and quirks.
“IEEE” stands for The Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers. It is a numbered referencing style, where the citation numbers are used in the text of the paper and provided in square brackets. A full corresponding reference list is mentioned at the end of the paper with the respective citation numbers.
The IEEE citation system is used most often by technical researchers and professionals. Interestingly, it varies from the formats commonly taught in university, such as APA and Chicago Turabian. In this article, we will discuss how to generate IEEE citations using online citation generators.
What is a Citation Generator?
As the internet has connected the world, it has increased the availability and accessibility of research across the globe. Researchers previously had to spend countless hours in libraries digging through stacks of published research work to find what they were looking for. Now, online databases such as JSTOR, the Directory of Open Access Journals, and others have made this process infinitely faster and easier. Citation generators function similarly and save researchers time in correctly citing articles.
Citation generators are websites or tools which allow you to enter certain information, such as the author, title, and year of an article. These generators then provide you with the correct citation in a variety of commonly used citation formats. Google Scholar is one such citation generator which provides accurate and rapid citation in APA, MLA, Chicago, Harvard, and Vancouver formats. However, it can be more difficult to find citation generators for lesser used or more specialized citation formats, such as IEEE.
Why should you consider using a citation generator? For one thing, it can save you time. With citation generators, you don’t need to worry about whether you’ve forgotten to include a comma or period or where the date is supposed to go. Citation generators can also help you in the process of creating bibliographies and reference lists. More complex citation management tools, such as EndNote, can not only generate and format citations, but can also help organize your source list. These advanced tools are helpful for researchers who are writing long and complex articles or books.
What is IEEE Citation?
The Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) is the world’s largest technical organization and aims to advance technology for the benefit of humankind. They have their own citation system, which assists computer scientists, software developers, physicists, medical doctors, and many other types of researchers and professionals in their research. IEEE is used by numerous technical students and professionals. It is based on Chicago Style, but has some major differences, including the absence of author names in the text.
How to Generate IEEE Citations using Online Citation Generators?
There are numerous online citation generators which can produce IEEE citations, including:
- Researchomatic. Researchomatic offers free access to over 4 million articles and claims to be the world’s largest e-library. The citation generator can be used for books, journal or news articles, web pages, and magazines.
- Citation Machine. In addition to books, journal articles, and online sources, this site allows you to search for other types of sources such as film. You can create your IEEE citation with only the author and title.
- Cite This For Me. Offering both free and premium services, Cite This For Me allows you to search for citations for over 30 different types of sources. They also offer citation guides.
- Essay on Time. This site offers citations for books, articles, and online sources, and allows for a simple search using the title, author, or ISBN number.
- Make Citation. This site is simple, but requires more detailed information for sources to generate IEEE citations. Even so, their simple website design is easy to navigate and offers citations for parts of books and print articles as well as those online.
- BibMe. This free resource offers simple citations searchable by title for articles, books, blogs, and even videos.
- EduBirdie. This site offers researchers a handy guide to IEEE citation in addition to a simple citation generator. It can be helpful in explaining rules surrounding in-text IEEE citations.
In some cases, the article or source you are searching for isn’t available in the database of these citation generators. However, these citation generators can still be of use. Citation Machine and Make Citation both allow you to enter all the information from a print source necessary to create an automatic citation.
Is Citation That Important?
Remember, while citation can seem like a time-consuming annoyance, it is a critical part of research. Proper citation allows others to see what type of sources you relied on. It also provides concrete evidence to avoid plagiarism. Correctly and consistently formatted citations throughout your paper make it easy for journal editors or peer reviewers to locate your citations. Without consistent citation formats, it would be difficult to accurately locate the source of claims or research in papers.
With citation generator tools, you can save yourself time and increase the quality of your own papers and research articles. The citation tools described above each have their own pros and cons. What is important is finding the tool that best suits your needs and level of expertise. Rest assured, if you use these simple citation tools, you will never have to worry about properly citing and formatting your sources again!
Do you use citation generators? Which one do you recommend and why? Do you have any tips for ensuring proper citation formatting? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below.
