APA vs IEEE vs Harvard: Which Citation Style Should You Use?

Citation style is not optional — using the wrong one, or using it inconsistently, is a common reason for mark deductions. Here is a clear breakdown of the three most common styles and when to use each.

APA (American Psychological Association)

APA is the standard in social sciences, psychology, education, and nursing. It uses author-date in-text citations: (Smith, 2022). The reference list is alphabetical by author surname. APA 7th edition is the current version — make sure you are not using the older 6th edition format.

IEEE (Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers)

IEEE is used in engineering, computer science, and electronics. It uses numbered in-text citations [1], [2], [3] in the order they appear. The reference list is numbered in citation order, not alphabetical. IEEE is compact and efficient — ideal for technical papers with many references.

Harvard

Harvard is widely used in UK universities across business, humanities, and sciences. Like APA, it uses author-date citations (Smith, 2022), but the formatting of the reference list differs slightly. Note: there is no single official Harvard standard — different institutions have their own variants.

Which one to use

Always check your assignment brief or supervisor guidelines first. If no style is specified: use APA for social sciences, IEEE for engineering and CS, Harvard for UK business and humanities. When in doubt, ask your supervisor — using the wrong style consistently is better than mixing styles.