Administrator FAQs
IEEE Xplore is about finding answers. Find general user questions and the corresponding answers from the experts.
General information and content coverage
This section covers general information you need to get started with IEEE Xplore
What is IEEE Xplore?
IEEE Xplore is a digital library providing full text access to the world's highest quality technical literature in electrical engineering, computer science, electronics, and related disciplines. IEEE Xplore contains full-text documents from IEEE journals, magazines, conference proceedings, and standards, in addition to eBooks and educational courses. IEEE Xplore also includes content from select other publishers including the Institution of Engineering and Technology (IET), MIT Press, IBM, Nokia Bell Labs, VDE Verlag, Tsinghua University Press, Oxford University Press (OUP), Beijing Institute of Aerospace Information (BIAI), now Publishers, Packt Publishing, River Publishers, IEICE, and more.
What is the content coverage for IEEE periodicals?
IEEE journals, transactions, letters, and magazines are available in IEEE Xplore from 1988 with select content back to 1893.
Is IEEE adding historical content to IEEE Xplore?
Yes, the IEEE began digitizing papers from its technology journals in 2003. Today, the IEEE Journals Archive spans a century of scientific research with more than 410,000 articles from thousands of authors. Find out more about the IEEE Journals Archive.
What is the difference between IEEE Journals, Transactions, Letters, and Magazines?
Journals, Transactions, and Letters are the primary means for publishing technical papers concerning original work in IEEE fields of interest. Journals, Transactions, and Letters may also contain reviews and tutorial papers concerning such work. The primary purpose of Journals, Transactions, and Letters is to disclose and provide a permanent archival record of original technical work that advances the state of the art or provides novel insights. Papers in Journals, Transactions, and Letters should be of lasting value to the professional as judged by the authors' peers through a formal review process. Letters are for the publication of brief papers, usually three to four pages in length. Magazines are characterized by regular and continuing issues with significant technical content in addition to general news and regular columns.
What IEEE conference materials are available in IEEE Xplore?
The IEEE Xplore digital library includes papers presented at IEEE conferences, but not tutorials or workshops. In addition, some articles in IEEE Xplore contain an external file such as multimedia or graphics to help understand the concepts illustrated by the author. To access these materials, select the Multimedia link in the table of contents or in the Abstract or AbstractPlus record. Some conference tutorial content has been modified into online educational modules. These are available in an IEEE product called IEEE eLearning Library. Contact your Account Manager or International Dealer for more information.
What is the content coverage for IEEE conferences?
IEEE conference proceedings are available in IEEE Xplore from 1988 with select content back to 1953.
How long does it take for conference proceedings to be loaded in IEEE Xplore?
IEEE publishes more than 1,700 leading-edge conference proceedings in electrical engineering, computer science, and related fields each year. Conference proceedings appear in IEEE Xplore approximately 30 to 60 days following receipt of the content by IEEE. Please note that conference proceedings often arrive at IEEE several weeks after the conference date. To view the status of a conference, download the IEEE Xplore conference proceedings title list (options at bottom of the page).
What is a standard?
An IEEE standard is a document authored under the IEEE-Standards Association Standards Development Process that sets specifications and procedures based on current scientific consensus through an open process that brings diverse parts of industry together. However, there are other standards distributed via IEEE Xplore, namely C63, C136, etc., standards, that are Accredited Standards Committee (ASC) Standards. An ASC Standard is a document authored by a standards developing organization other than IEEE, for which IEEE holds secretariat responsibility.
What is the IEEE-Standards Association Standards Development Process?
Each IEEE standard follows a set path from concept to completion, which adheres to the principles of due process, openness, and consensus. These principles allow for equity and fair play so no one interest category dominates the process, and any organization or person with a desire to participate in a proposed standard can do so. Learn more about IEEE Standards Development.
How can I find out if a standard has been reaffirmed or if a newer version of a standard exists?
Search the IEEE Standards Status Report to determine if you are using the most current version of a standard.
Is IEEE Xplore content indexed and searchable via Google, abstracting and indexing services, and discovery tools?
Yes, IEEE content is indexed by Google and IEEE has partnerships in place with abstracting and indexing services and discovery tools to include IEEE content. Examples include Thomson Reuters' Web of Science, Ei Engineering Village, Summon, and EBSCO Discovery. Download a list of IEEE Indexing Agreements (PDF, 817 KB).
Does IEEE offer online educational courses via IEEE Xplore?
Yes, the IEEE eLearning Library provides access to hundreds of courses in communications, computing, engineering, power, professional development, and other core and emerging technologies. Browse the IEEE Xplore eLearning Library.
IP authentication
Find out how to set up IP authentication through your organization's computer network. For help setting up IPv6, see our Account Management section: Enabling IPv6
What access methods are available?
IP address authentication is the preferred method of authenticating IEEE Xplore customers and will enable all features and functions for end users. An Internet protocol (IP) address represents a computer's location on the Internet, and it ensures that users are coming from a certain company/university. Once you provide IEEE the IP address range for your institution, your users will not be challenged for access credentials. IEEE Xplore will automatically recognize your users, giving them immediate access to IEEE research.
How do I find out my IP address?
Ask your IT staff for your range, or you can confirm your individual computer IP by visiting one of the following websites:
What is the format of IP addresses?
An IP address is comprised of four three-number octets. Example: 144.240.001.005 You can also represent ranges: Examples: 144.240.001.* where '*' represents [0-255] 144.240.001.[128-192]
My organization uses dynamic IP addresses. Will IP authentication still work?
Yes, as long as they fall within a certain range.
What if the dynamic IPs don't fall within a certain range?
IEEE will work with you to determine the best authentication method for your organization.
Are proxy servers allowed?
Yes. IEEE will need the proxy server IP address in addition to the IP address range for your institution. Firewalls and proxy servers often replace the IP address of the end users' computers with their own. This does not cause a problem with IP authentication as long as you provide IEEE with the global IP address of the firewall or server in your account. One requirement for this is that the firewall/proxy server is not shared publicly with other organizations.
How do I change or add IP addresses?
To add or change an IP address, please complete the IP Address Amendment form or contact onlinesupport@ieee.org.
Remote access
Give employees the ability to access IEEE Xplore when they are out of authentication range.
Is remote mobile access available for IEEE Xplore users?
Yes, IP authenticated institutional customers can use remote access to access IEEE Xplore off-site. This feature is turned OFF by default. Institutions need to contact online support (onlinesupport@ieee.org) to opt-in to this service.
Please note:
- Institutions must have WiFi available to their users.
- The WiFi IP address must be listed on the institution's IEEE Xplore account as an authorized, authenticated IP.
- The WiFi IP address must be accessible only to authorized users and not be available for guests to use.
How does remote access work?
For institutional users to take advantage of remote access, they will need to:
- Bring their device on-site
- Access the institution's WiFi (WiFi IP address must be listed on the customer's IEEE Xplore account as an authorized, authenticated IP)
- Go to IEEE Xplore
- Sign in with an IEEE personal account
- This device can now be used off-site for 90 days to access IEEE Xplore. User must go to IEEE Xplore and log in with their personal account to access the roaming subscription.
- After 90 days, user will be prompted that they must repair their device and must follow the same steps as the initial pairing.
Is there a limit to the number of devices that can be paired?
No, there is no limit to the number of devices a user can pair, but each individual device and browser on the device will need to be paired separately.
Shibboleth and Athens authentication
This section covers third-party authentication alternatives.
Is Shibboleth or Athens authentication access available for IEEE Xplore?
Yes, authentication via Shibboleth or Athens provides IEEE Xplore access to off-site (remote) licensed users while providing staff, students, and researchers with single sign-on access to IEEE Xplore. To date, IEEE is a member of more than 15 federations. IEEE will continue to join access federations to offer Shibboleth authentication to those institutions that require it. To get started with Athens or Shibboleth authentication for IEEE Xplore, please click the link below. OpenAthens / Shibboleth Registration Form
Usage statistics
Find out how your users are accessing content in IEEE Xplore
Does IEEE provide usage statistics?
IEEE makes available a COUNTER-compliant usage statistics site to help subscribing institutions better understand how their users access content in IEEE Xplore. This free service provides secure, password-protected access to subscriber-specific usage information. For more information, visit the Usage Statistics Resources and Help page
Persistent linking
Publish persistent links to IEEE Xplore that will never change.
Can I create links from my library catalog, website, or intranet to IEEE Xplore?
You can create links to the publication pages within IEEE Xplore. The URLs to IEEE publications will remain constant, so users will not encounter broken links as we make changes to the site. For more information, go to the IEEE Xplore Title List.
OpenURL
Register to set up OpenURL in IEEE Xplore.
Is IEEE Xplore an OpenURL source?
Yes. You can establish links between IEEE Xplore and additional resources in your institution through your link resolver. To set up OpenURL in IEEE Xplore, fill out the OpenURL registration form.
Learn more about Open URL Link Resolvers
Federated searching
Set up a federated search portal.
Can I set up my library's federated search portal to target IEEE Xplore?
Yes. IEEE has created an API Portal that enables customers to set up automated searches of IEEE Xplore. Go to the API Portal to request an API key.
Open Access
Find out about Open Access on IEEE Xplore.
What is IEEE's involvement in Open Access?
IEEE is involved in, or supports, several open access initiatives. IEEE allows authors to post the pre-print peer-reviewed copy of their article on personal and institutional websites; as such, we are a RoMEO green publisher. RoMEO is a service provided by SHERPA, an organization that tracks publisher's policies. The majority of IEEE transactions, journals, and letters offer a hybrid option, which permits both traditional subscription-based content and open access, author-pays content. In addition, IEEE has several fully open access journals.
Learn more about IEEE's Open Access publishing options
Member Digital Library
Content access for IEEE members.
What is the IEEE Member Digital Library?
The IEEE Member Digital Library brings IEEE members instant online access to the full text of all IEEE journals, magazines, transactions, letters, and conference papers. You can file, view, and print up to 25 articles each month in your electronic file cabinet. Learn more about the IEEE Member Digital Library. IEEE Member Digital Library subscriptions cannot be used for institutional access to IEEE content. Please contact your Account Manager or International Dealer for more information.
Author resources
Get tools for publishing on IEEE Xplore.
What resources are available for authors?
Learn about resources, such as author tools, publication policies, and submission guidelines.
eBooks MARC records
Learn more about eBook MARC (MAchine-Readable Cataloging) records.
Are MARC records available for libraries?
IEEE has partnered with OCLC to provide MARC records for the eBooks collections on IEEE Xplore. As an eBooks customer, you are able to access these MARC records at no cost.
How do I download MARC records for eBooks?
Access IEEE-Wiley and MIT Press eBooks MARC records.
What information is available in the MARC records?
MARC records contain bibliographic and related information about written or recorded works, formatted in a machine-readable standard known as MARC 21. In addition to familiar data such as ISBN, title, and author, MARC records also contain critical information such as page count, year of publication, language, and subject keywords.
License agreements
Get information on license agreements.
Does IEEE require a signed license agreement?
Yes. All IEEE online product subscriptions require a signed license agreement on file.