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Indigenous sources

Learn how to cite Indigenous sources in IEEE style. Follow respectful practices for oral traditions and cultural knowledge with correct attribution and formatting.

Indigenous cultural heritage belongs to Indigenous Peoples and does not adhere to Western conventions of knowledge ownership. Where possible, collaboration with Indigenous people is recommended to ensure information can be shared and accurately reflects their perspectives.

Before deciding how to cite Indigenous knowledges, please consult the Indigenous Knowledge Attribution Toolkit Decision Tree first to evaluate the content and authorship of the source you wish to use and consider the following:

  • Was the content collected with informed consent? Does it use outdated terminology. Is the content contemporary?
  • Is the author Indigenous themselves? Are there Indigenous authors in the field you could cite instead?
  • If you find sources are problematic but you would still like to use them, make it clear you have considered its limitations and justify why you still intend to use them.

Indigenous Knowledges belong not only to individual authors, but to wider Nations, Countries or Language groups. When citing Indigenous Knowledges, where it is known, include the author’s Nation/Country/Language Group in in the in-text citation and reference list entry.

Terms related to Indigenous Peoples need to be capitalised, such as names of nations or groups (Wurundjeri, Kalkadoon) and words related to Indigenous culture (Oral Traditions, Traditional Custodian), this demonstrates respect for Indigenous Peoples and perspectives.

Additional Information

IEEE Reference Style Manual does not cover Indigenous Knowledges. This content has been adapted from the Indigenous Reference Guidance for Indigenous Knowledges published by CAVAL and the Indigenous Archives Collective which outlines best practice when evaluating and citing Indigenous knowledge.