Citing websites in IEEE format requires more care than citing journals or books, because web content can change or disappear. IEEE has specific rules for handling URLs, access dates, and authorship — including cases where no author or date is available. This guide covers every scenario with examples you can use immediately.
IEEE Website Citation: Basic Structure
[#] A. A. Author. "Page title." Website Name. Accessed: Mon. DD, YYYY. [Online]. Available: https://URLField-by-Field Breakdown
| Field | Rule | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Reference number | Sequential bracket | [1] |
| Author | Initials then last name; if no author, start with page title | J. A. Smith |
| Page title | In quotation marks; sentence case | «Deep learning overview» |
| Website/organization name | Not italicized | IEEE Spectrum |
| Access date | Abbreviated month, day, year | Accessed: Mar. 15, 2025. |
| [Online]. Available: | Fixed label before URL | [Online]. Available: https://… |
Complete Examples
Example 1 — Web page with named author
[1] J. A. Smith. "Understanding transformer architecture in NLP." Towards Data Science. Accessed: Feb. 10, 2025. [Online]. Available: https://towardsdatascience.com/understanding-transformer-architectureExample 2 — Organizational/corporate author
[2] IEEE. "IEEE code of ethics." IEEE. Accessed: Jan. 5, 2025. [Online]. Available: https://www.ieee.org/about/corporate/governance/p7-8.htmlExample 3 — No author listed
When no individual or organization is clearly identified as the author, begin with the page title:
[3] "5G network architecture explained." TechTarget. Accessed: Nov. 20, 2024. [Online]. Available: https://www.techtarget.com/5g-architectureExample 4 — Government or standards body website
[4] National Institute of Standards and Technology. "Post-quantum cryptography." NIST. Accessed: Apr. 1, 2025. [Online]. Available: https://csrc.nist.gov/projects/post-quantum-cryptographyExample 5 — Web page with a publication date
If the page shows a clear publication or last-updated date, include it before the access date:
[5] A. Ng. "Machine learning yearning: Key concepts." DeepLearning.AI, Mar. 2024. Accessed: Apr. 12, 2025. [Online]. Available: https://deeplearning.ai/ml-yearningExample 6 — Wikipedia article
Wikipedia is generally not considered a citable academic source in IEEE contexts. If you must cite it (for example, for a general definition), treat it as a web page with no named author:
[6] "Fourier transform." Wikipedia. Accessed: Mar. 3, 2025. [Online]. Available: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fourier_transformAccess Date: When It’s Required and When It’s Optional
IEEE recommends including an access date for all web sources because URLs change and pages can be removed. It is technically optional when citing a stable document with a DOI or a permanent URL — but for regular web pages, always include it. The format is:
Accessed: Mon. DD, YYYY.Month abbreviations: Jan., Feb., Mar., Apr., May, Jun., Jul., Aug., Sep., Oct., Nov., Dec.
Common Mistakes
| Mistake | Correction |
|---|---|
| Omitting the access date | Always include «Accessed: Month DD, YYYY.» for web pages |
| Writing the URL without [Online]. Available: | IEEE requires the [Online]. Available: label before the URL |
| Italicizing the website name | Website/organization names are not italicized (unlike journal names) |
| Using the full URL in the body text | In-text, only use the bracket number [1] — never paste the URL in the sentence |
| Not including the page title in quotes | The specific page title (not just the site name) must appear in quotation marks |
Website vs. Journal vs. Book: Quick Comparison
| Feature | Website | Journal article | Book |
|---|---|---|---|
| Title format | «Quoted page title» | «Quoted article title» | Italicized Book Title |
| Source name | Website name (plain text) | Abbreviated journal name | Publisher info |
| Access date | Required | Not needed (DOI preferred) | Not needed |
| URL label | [Online]. Available: | doi: 10.XXXX/… or [Online]. | Not required unless e-book |
For more IEEE citation types — including conference papers, theses, and technical reports — see the IEEE Format Center.