Software and code should be cited just like any other scholarly resource, giving credit to developers and allowing readers to access the exact tools you used.
Basic Citation Elements
Include these core components when citing software:
- Author/Developer name(s) (individual or organization)
- Software title (with version number)
- Publication year or release date
- Publisher or repository (e.g., GitHub, Zenodo, CRAN)
- URL or DOI for direct access
- Access date (especially for web-based tools)
Format by Citation Style
APA 7th Edition:
Author, A. A. (Year). Software title (Version X.X) [Computer software]. Publisher. https://doi.org/xxxxx
MLA 9th Edition:
Developer Name. Software Title. Version X.X, Publisher, Year, URL.
IEEE:
A. Author, "Software Title," Version X.X, Publisher, City, State, Year. [Online]. Available: URL
Special Cases
For open-source code from repositories like GitHub, cite the specific release version or commit hash to ensure reproducibility. Many repositories now include a CITATION.cff file that specifies exactly how authors want their work cited.
For programming languages themselves (Python, R, etc.), cite the core software with version number—this matters because language updates can affect code behavior.
For code you wrote, deposit it in a permanent repository like Zenodo or Figshare to get a DOI, then cite it as you would any dataset.
Why Proper Citation Matters
Software citations ensure reproducibility—other researchers need exact version numbers to replicate your results. They also give proper credit to developers whose work enables your research, which is particularly important in open-source communities.
When drafting your manuscript, WisPaper's TrueCite feature automatically verifies citation formatting across different styles and checks that all references are properly structured, helping you avoid common citation errors before submission. This is especially useful when managing mixed reference types like journal articles, datasets, and software in a single bibliography.
Always check your target journal's specific guidelines, as some fields have established conventions for software citation that may differ from general style guides.
