Cite the documentation page that explains the behavior you used. Check its responsible organization, direct page URL, access date, and software version before formatting the IEEE reference.
Decide Whether Your Claim Needs Documentation or a Software Release
Suppose a methods section says that fetch() returns a promise that resolves to a Response. The relevant source is the MDN guide that explains this behavior. A citation to the MDN homepage sends the reader searching. A citation to a JavaScript package release would identify code, but would not point to the explanation you used.
The distinction works in the other direction too. If your experiment depended on a particular program build, identify that build with a software reference. Our GitHub software citation guide covers release tags, credited creators, and version DOIs. When you quote or rely on an API description, cite its documentation page. Some papers need both references because the code and the explanation support different statements.
Choose the Specific API Page and the Version You Read
For an IEEE documentation citation, open the page containing the relevant method, parameter, or warning. Record its visible title and direct URL. If a section anchor leads to the exact passage, keep it in your research notes and use it in the reference when your venue permits. A documentation homepage, search result, or product landing page rarely takes the reader to the same statement.
Documentation can change at the same address. MDN's “Using the Fetch API” page currently displays a last-modified date of Aug. 20, 2025. That date describes an edit to the page; your access date records when you checked it. For an online webpage in the IEEE Reference Guide's basic Website pattern, use the access date in the reference. Keep the modified date in your notes if it helps explain which text you saw. Do not quietly replace your access date with the page's edit date.
A versioned manual offers a stronger clue. The Python 3.12 documentation on task groups names asyncio.TaskGroup and states that it was added in Python 3.11. Its URL begins with /3.12/. The unversioned Python documentation URL currently resolves to the latest Python 3 documentation, which may describe later behavior. If your project used Python 3.12, the 3.12 page gives a reader the right version family. That page can still receive maintenance edits, so save a dated copy or an archived snapshot when the exact wording matters.
| Source you consulted | Direct page to cite | Detail to retain |
|---|---|---|
| MDN guide updated in place | Using the Fetch API | Your access date and the page title |
| Python versioned manual | Python 3.12 task groups | The 3.12 URL path and relevant section |
Handle Organization Names and Dates Without Guessing
Read the page header, byline, and footer before filling the author field. MDN credits its contributors collectively on the Fetch guide. The Python documentation is published by the Python Software Foundation. These names describe responsibility for the pages; they do not turn the browser vendor, a package installer, or the documentation domain into an individual author. If a page names a specific writer, use that byline. If it names no responsible person or organization, follow your venue's rule for beginning the entry with the title.
IEEE's basic website pattern gives the responsible author, page title, website title, access date, online label, and direct URL. The examples below apply that pattern to web pages. They are numbered as they might appear in a paper; use the numbers assigned by the order of your own citations. We checked the linked pages on Sep. 26, 2026. Replace that access date with the day you inspect them.
[n] Responsible author. “Specific page title.” Documentation site. Accessed: Mon. day, year. [Online]. Available: https://direct-page-url[1] MDN contributors. “Using the Fetch API.” MDN Web Docs. Accessed: Sep. 26, 2026. [Online]. Available: https://developer.mozilla.org/en-US/docs/Web/API/Fetch_API/Using_Fetch[2] Python Software Foundation. “Coroutines and tasks.” Python 3.12 documentation. Accessed: Sep. 26, 2026. [Online]. Available: https://docs.python.org/3.12/library/asyncio-task.html#task-groupsThe Python entry retains the version in both the documentation name and the URL. The section anchor sends a reader to task groups, while the page title stays faithful to the page itself. The MDN entry records the direct guide URL and the date it was checked. Neither example uses a guessed release date as a publication date. For the full treatment of ordinary web pages, unknown authors, and numbering, see our IEEE website citation guide.
Keep the Link Useful After the Documentation Changes
Test the finished URL in a fresh browser tab. It should open the same page or section named in your reference, without a login, search query, or temporary session token. Write the cited API name and version in your own notes. If the provider offers a version selector, use the version you actually consulted. An access date helps a reader interpret an evolving page, but it cannot restore an earlier revision by itself.
A downloaded PDF may be a separately titled manual with an edition, document number, or revision. Check its cover and publication record before choosing a source pattern. Our PDF identification guide explains that step. For a manufacturer manual or data sheet, preserve the part number and revision with the data sheet guide. A web page that merely links to such a document should not replace the document when the document supplies the claim.
This site's Website citation tool can help format a documentation page that is genuinely a webpage. Enter the page's organization, title, documentation site, access date, and direct URL, then inspect the result. If you are citing a PDF manual or the software itself, select the appropriate source type or finish the reference manually. Keep the version visible even when a generic webpage form has no dedicated version field.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do I cite API documentation in IEEE?
Use the responsible author or organization, the exact API page title, the documentation site, your access date, and the direct page URL. Keep a versioned URL when the documentation provides one.
Should I cite the documentation homepage?
Cite the specific page that supports your statement. A homepage usually gives readers no clear route to the method or behavior you used.
Does the last-updated date replace the access date?
No. The updated date belongs to the page; the access date records when you checked it. IEEE's basic Website pattern uses the access date. Follow any additional instructions from your target venue.
Can I cite a PDF software manual as a website?
Inspect the PDF first. A named manual with a revision or document number may need a manual or report style reference that preserves those fields. Use a webpage pattern for an ordinary HTML documentation page.