Summary
There’s no single “right” way to cite standards—only correct, consistent, and complete ones. Whether you’re citing ISO, ANSI, ASTM, IEEE, or the US Code of Federal Regulations (CFR), readers must be able to locate the exact version you used. That means naming the issuing body as the author, giving the full title and standard number, version/edition and year, publisher/place, and—where applicable—DOI or stable URL (with access date if required).
What to include (most cases): Organization → Year → Number + Title → Version/Edition/Amendment → Place: Publisher → DOI/URL (Accessed date if required). Then format that information to the target style (APA, Chicago/Author–Date or Notes, CSE, Harvard, Vancouver/ICMJE, IEEE, ASTM) and match in-text citations accordingly.
Bottom line: standards are precision sources—treat their citations with the same precision. Use the patterns, examples, and copy-paste templates below to build accurate references and in-text citations for ISO, ANSI, CFR, ASTM, IEEE and more, with discipline-specific notes and a field check-list for common pitfalls.
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How To Cite ISO, ANSI, CFR & Other Industry Standards & Guidelines
Accurate, style-compliant references for technical and legal standards
Industry standards and guidelines govern materials, testing, safety, metadata, healthcare practice, software, and more. Because research outcomes and compliance claims hinge on specific versions, your citation must let readers find the exact document you used—not a later revision or local adaptation. This guide shows what information to capture and how to format it for major styles (APA, Chicago Notes & Author–Date, CSE, Harvard, Vancouver/ICMJE, IEEE, ASTM) plus the distinct legal style for the US Code of Federal Regulations (CFR). Copy-paste templates and worked examples included.
0) What to capture for any standard (your “metadata checklist”)
| Field | Example | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Issuing body (author) | International Organization for Standardization | Use the full corporate name; abbreviate in text only after first mention |
| Standard number | ISO 14064-1:2006 | Include series/part and year embedded in number if present |
| Title | Greenhouse gases — Part 1: Specification with guidance … | Preserve punctuation/capitalization per the standard |
| Version/edition/amendment | 2nd ed.; Amd 1:2019 | Include consolidated versions if relevant (e.g., ISO/IEC, EN ISO) |
| Date | 2006 (or 2006 Oct 1) | Some styles want month/day; use approval/publication date |
| Place; Publisher | Geneva: ISO | Use the publisher’s headquarters city per the document |
| DOI/URL | https://www.iso.org/standard/38381.html | Prefer DOI; add access date if the style requires one |
| Jurisdiction (legal) | 40 C.F.R. § 1036.108 (2012) | Title, section, year for CFR/regulatory citations |
1) APA Style (author–date)
Reference list pattern: Organization. (Year). Title of standard (Standard No.). Publisher or “Retrieved from” URL.
Example (ISO):
International Organization for Standardization. (2006). Greenhouse gases — Part 1: Specification with guidance at the organization level for quantification and reporting of greenhouse gases (ISO 14064-1:2006). Retrieved from https://www.iso.org/standard/38381.html
In-text: (International Organization for Standardization, 2006). After first mention, you may use (ISO, 2006) if you’ve defined ISO in the text.
2) ASTM Style (publisher-specified)
ASTM supplies a preferred format:
Pattern: Base Designation with Edition/Version, “Title of Standard,” Publisher, City/State, Year, DOI, URL.
Example:
ASTM B66-15, “Standard Specification for Bronze Castings for Steam Locomotive Wearing Parts,” ASTM International, West Conshohocken, PA, 2015, DOI: 10.1520/B0066-15, www.astm.org
3) CFR (US Code of Federal Regulations) — legal citation
Short form: Title C.F.R. § Section (Year)
Example: 40 C.F.R. § 1036.108 (2012)
Named regulation (optional): Greenhouse Gas Emission Standards, 40 C.F.R. § 1036.108 (2012)
APA in-text: (40 C.F.R. § 1036.108, 2012) or (Greenhouse Gas Emission Standards, 2012) if you used the named version in your reference list.
4) Chicago Style
Notes & Bibliography (treat as a book if stand-alone)
Bibliography pattern: Organization. Title of Standard. Number. Place: Publisher, Date (approval/publication).
Example (ANSI as book):
American National Standards Institute. American National Standard for Information Sciences — Abbreviation of Titles of Publications. ANSI Z39.5-1985. New York, NY: ANSI, approved October 1, 1984.
First note (footnote/endnote):
American National Standard for Information Sciences — Abbreviation of Titles of Publications, ANSI Z39.5-1985 (New York, NY: American National Standards Institute, approved October 1, 1984), 3.
Short note for repeats: Abbreviation of Titles, 6.
Author–Date (Chicago)
Reference list pattern: Organization. Year (month day if given). Title. Number. Place: Publisher.
Example:
American National Standards Institute. 1984 Oct 1. American National Standard for Information Sciences — Abbreviation of Titles of Publications. ANSI Z39.5-1985. New York (NY): ANSI.
In-text: (American National Standards Institute 1984, 7) or narrative “As ANSI (1984) specifies …”.
5) CSE (Council of Science Editors)
Citation–Sequence / Citation–Name (numeric)
Reference pattern: Organization. Title. City (State): Publisher; Year. (Standard Number).
Example:
American National Standards Institute. American national standard for information sciences — abbreviation of titles of publications. New York (NY): ANSI; 1984. (ANSI Z39.5-1985).
In-text: Superscript or bracketed numerals per journal (e.g., 1), assigned by sequence (citation-sequence) or by alphabetical order (citation-name).
Name–Year (CSE)
Reference pattern: Organization. Year Mon Day. Title. City (State): Publisher. (Number).
Example:
American National Standards Institute. 1984 Oct 1. American national standard for information sciences — abbreviation of titles of publications. New York (NY): ANSI. (ANSI Z39.5-1985).
In-text: (American National Standards Institute 1984). If abbreviating the corporate author in-text, bracket the abbreviation at the start of the reference: [ANSI] American National Standards Institute. …
6) Harvard (name–date, variants common)
Reference pattern: Organization. (Year). Number and title. Place: Publisher.
Example (ISO):
International Organization for Standardization. (2006). ISO 14064-1:2006 Greenhouse gases — Part 1: Specification with guidance at the organization level for quantification and reporting of greenhouse gases. Geneva: ISO.
In-text: (International Organization for Standardization, 2006) or narrative “According to ISO (2006) …”. On first use, give the full name before the abbreviation if you plan to use it later: “International Organization for Standardization (ISO, 2006)”.
7) Vancouver / ICMJE (numeric sequential)
Reference pattern: Organization. Standard Number. Title. Place: Publisher; Year.
Example:
International Organization for Standardization. ISO 14064-1:2006. Greenhouse gases — Part 1: Specification with guidance at the organization level for quantification and reporting of greenhouse gases. Geneva: ISO; 2006.
In-text: cite with the number assigned at first mention: “… as defined by ISO3.”
8) IEEE Style (for IEEE standards)
IEEE’s own standards style is concise.
Reference short form: Title of standard, IEEE [Std] Number, Year.
Examples:
IEEE Standard Ontologies for Robotics and Automation, IEEE 1872-2015.
IEEE Std 1872-2015, IEEE Standard Ontologies for Robotics and Automation.
In-text: Use the number in text where appropriate: IEEE Std 1872-2015.
9) Edge cases & discipline notes
- Joint standards: Cite all bodies in the number (e.g., ISO/IEC 27001; EN ISO 13485). In many styles, the author remains the primary issuing body; note joint publication in the title/number.
- Amendments & corrigenda: Include amendment/corrigendum numbers and years (e.g., ISO 14971:2019/Amd 1:2021). If you used a consolidated edition, say so.
- Superseded versions: If your work depended on an earlier version, cite that version explicitly and (optionally) note that it has been superseded.
- Availability: Many standards live behind paywalls (ANSI, ISO, Techstreet, IHS). Provide a stable landing page URL or DOI where possible; add the access date if required by the style.
- Local adoptions: National bodies may adopt ISO as EN/DIN/BS. Cite the version you actually used (e.g., BS EN ISO 9001:2015).
- Regulatory guidance (FDA, EMA, WHO): Treat as corporate author guidance; include guidance number/version and retrieval URL with date.
10) Copy-paste templates (swap placeholders)
| Style | Template |
|---|---|
| APA | Organization. (Year). Title (Standard Number). Retrieved from URL |
| ASTM | ASTM Designation-Edition, "Title," ASTM International, City, State, Year, DOI, URL |
| CFR (legal) | Title C.F.R. § Section (Year) |
| Chicago N&B | Organization. Title. Number. Place: Publisher, Date. |
| Chicago Author–Date | Organization. Year Mon Day. Title. Number. Place: Publisher. |
| CSE Name–Year | Organization. Year Mon Day. Title. City (State): Publisher. (Number). |
| Harvard | Organization. (Year). Number: Title. Place: Publisher. |
| Vancouver | Organization. Number. Title. Place: Publisher; Year. |
| IEEE | Title, IEEE [Std] Number, Year. |
11) In-text citation patterns (at a glance)
| Style | In-text pattern | Example |
|---|---|---|
| APA | (Org, Year) | (International Organization for Standardization, 2006) |
| Chicago Author–Date | (Org Year, page) | (ANSI 1984, 7) |
| CSE Name–Year | (Org Year) | (ANSI 1984) |
| Harvard | (Org, Year) | (ISO, 2006) after defining ISO |
| Vancouver/ICMJE | Superscript/bracketed number | “… as specified by ISO3” |
| IEEE | Bracketed number; or “IEEE Std x-xxxx-yyyy” | “… per IEEE Std 1872-2015” |
| CFR | (Title C.F.R. § Section, Year) | (40 C.F.R. § 1036.108, 2012) |
12) Common pitfalls—and fast fixes
| Pitfall | Why it’s a problem | Fix |
|---|---|---|
| Omitting the standard number | Ambiguity across editions | Always include the full number (series/part/year) |
| Citing the wrong year | Embedded year vs approval date confusion | Use the approval/publication year required by the style; if the year is embedded in the number, still provide year per style |
| Corporate author abbreviated in references | Indexing & clarity suffer | Spell out the corporate author in the reference list; abbreviate only in text after first use |
| Linking to a vendor search page | Unstable URL | Use a standard landing page or DOI; add access date if style requires |
| Using a superseded version accidentally | Compliance risk | Check status (current/superseded) and cite the version actually used; note supersession if relevant |
| Mismatched in-text vs reference format (e.g., named CFR vs numeric) | Reader can’t match entries | Ensure the in-text form corresponds to the chosen reference form |
13) Worked examples (cross-style)
ISO 14064-1:2006 (GHG reporting)
- APA: International Organization for Standardization. (2006). Greenhouse gases — Part 1: Specification with guidance at the organization level for quantification and reporting of greenhouse gases (ISO 14064-1:2006). Retrieved from https://www.iso.org/standard/38381.html
- Harvard: International Organization for Standardization. (2006). ISO 14064-1:2006 Greenhouse gases — Part 1: Specification with guidance at the organization level for quantification and reporting of greenhouse gases. Geneva: ISO.
- Vancouver: International Organization for Standardization. ISO 14064-1:2006. Greenhouse gases — Part 1: …. Geneva: ISO; 2006.
- Chicago N&B (book-like): International Organization for Standardization. Greenhouse gases — Part 1: …. ISO 14064-1:2006. Geneva: ISO, 2006.
ANSI Z39.5-1985 (publication title abbreviations)
- Chicago Author–Date: American National Standards Institute. 1984 Oct 1. American National Standard for Information Sciences — Abbreviation of Titles of Publications. ANSI Z39.5-1985. New York (NY): ANSI.
- CSE Name–Year: American National Standards Institute. 1984 Oct 1. American national standard for information sciences — abbreviation of titles of publications. New York (NY): ANSI. (ANSI Z39.5-1985).
ASTM B66-15 (bronze castings)
- ASTM format: ASTM B66-15, “Standard Specification for Bronze Castings for Steam Locomotive Wearing Parts,” ASTM International, West Conshohocken, PA, 2015, DOI: 10.1520/B0066-15, www.astm.org
IEEE 1872-2015 (robotics ontologies)
- IEEE format: IEEE Standard Ontologies for Robotics and Automation, IEEE 1872-2015.
- Alternate form: IEEE Std 1872-2015, IEEE Standard Ontologies for Robotics and Automation.
CFR 40 § 1036.108 (2012)
- Legal short: 40 C.F.R. § 1036.108 (2012)
- APA in-text: (40 C.F.R. § 1036.108, 2012)
- Named: Greenhouse Gas Emission Standards, 40 C.F.R. § 1036.108 (2012)
14) A simple workflow to build rock-solid citations
- Capture metadata: From the first page of the standard (corporate author, number, edition, date, title, place/publisher). Screenshot or save the cover page to your notes.
- Pick your style: Follow your journal/department guide (APA, Chicago, etc.).
- Assemble the reference: Use the template for your style; include DOI/URL and access date if specified.
- Match in-text form: Numerical (Vancouver/IEEE/CSE numeric) vs name–date (APA/Harvard/Chicago AD) vs legal (CFR). Keep consistent throughout.
- Quality check: Does a colleague unfamiliar with the standard find it via your citation alone? If not, add missing elements (edition, amendment, DOI).
15) Final pre-submission checklist
- [ ] Corporate author spelled out in the reference list; abbreviation defined for in-text use if needed.
- [ ] Full standard number (series/part/year) present; edition/amendment noted.
- [ ] Year/approval date matches style requirements.
- [ ] Place and publisher included (where required by style).
- [ ] DOI or stable URL provided; access date added if required.
- [ ] In-text citation form matches the reference style (numeric, name–date, legal).
- [ ] CFR or other regulations follow legal style (Title C.F.R. § Section (Year)).
- [ ] Consistency across all standards cited (punctuation, capitalization, ordering).
Conclusion
Standards are designed to eliminate ambiguity; your citations should do the same. When you treat the issuing organization as the author, include the full number and exact version, and format details to the target style, reviewers can verify compliance, readers can locate the source, and your manuscript avoids preventable queries. Use the templates above as a quick-start kit, and keep a one-page style memo in your project so every new standard you cite is accurate, thorough, and consistent—every time.
