Citing The IUCN Red List
Citing The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species™ in general
To cite The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species™ in general, users are advised to follow the format suggested below, changing the dates and version numbers as appropriate.
Within the text use “…IUCN (2022)…” or “…(IUCN 2022)…”.
In a bibliography or reference list, cite The IUCN Red List as follows:
IUCN. 2022. The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Version 2022-2. https://www.iucnredlist.org. Accessed on [day month year].
When citing specific assessments, users should note that many assessments published on The IUCN Red List are available as downloadable PDF documents with DOIs, which are permanently retrievable. The citation format for a webpage version of the assessment differs from the citation for a PDF version of the assessment.
To cite an assessment, users are asked to treat it in the same way as they would a paper in an online scientific journal (The IUCN Red List is a registered online journal). The preferred citation appears at the top of the ‘species’ fact sheet (see the image below). This uses the Assessor(s) name(s) as the author(s), the date the assessment was published, the name of the taxon, in parentheses it should state if this is a regional Red List assessment or a Green Status assessment, The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species as the journal title, followed by the publication year as the volume number.
To cite specific assessments within text, use the assessment authors and the date the assessment was published (for these details, see the preferred citation at the top of the relevant ‘species’ fact sheet). For example, referring to the assessment of Vampyressa melissa, this should be cited as “Ramirez-Chaves et al. (2015)” or “(Ramirez-Chaves et al. 2015)”.
Collette, B. and Heessen, H. 2015. Acanthocybium solandri (Europe assessment). The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2015: e.T170331A18199865. Accessed on 09 December 2022.
Yokes, B., Pollard, D., Kara, M.H. and Francour, P. 2011. Stromateus fiatola (Mediterranean assessment). The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2011: e.T198715A9083306. Accessed on 09 December 2022.
Pérez-Jiménez, J.C. 2021. Sphyrna tiburo (Green Status assessment). The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2021: e.T39387A3938720221. Accessed on 09 December 2022.
Son, S.-W., Kim, Y.-S. and Kim, H. 2016. Abeliophyllum distichum. The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2016: e.T13188339A13189399. https://dx.doi.org/10.2305/IUCN.UK.2016-1.RLTS.T13188339A13189399.en. Accessed on 09 December 2022.
Gobush, K.S., Edwards, C.T.T, Balfour, D., Wittemyer, G., Maisels, F. and Taylor, R.D. 2021. Loxodonta africana. The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2021: e.T181008073A181022663. https://dx.doi.org/10.2305/IUCN.UK.2021-1.RLTS.T181008073A181022663.en. Accessed on 21 July 2022.
Gobush, K.S., Edwards, C.T.T, Balfour, D., Wittemyer, G., Maisels, F. and Taylor, R.D. 2022. Loxodonta africana (amended version of 2021 assessment). The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2022: e.T181008073A223031019. https://dx.doi.org/10.2305/IUCN.UK.2021-1.RLTS.T181008073A223031019.en. Accessed on 09 December 2022.
Note that when citing a PDF version of an assessment, the date of download/access is not included.
Son, S.-W., Kim, Y.-S. and Kim, H. 2016. Abeliophyllum distichum. The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2016: e.T13188339A13189399. Available at: https://dx.doi.org/10.2305/IUCN.UK.2016-1.RLTS.T13188339A13189399.en.
Gobush, K.S., Edwards, C.T.T, Balfour, D., Wittemyer, G., Maisels, F. and Taylor, R.D. 2022. Loxodonta africana. The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2022: e.T181008073A223031019. Available at: https://dx.doi.org/10.2305/IUCN.UK.2021-1.RLTS.T181008073A223031019.en.
Some taxa on The IUCN Red List have corrected assessments published to bring in minor edits that do not affect the assessment category and criteria.
van Dijk, P.P. and Rhodin, A.G.J. 2011. Emydoidea blandingii (errata version published in 2019). The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2011: e.T7709A155088836. https://dx.doi.org/10.2305/IUCN.UK.2011-1.RLTS.T7709A155088836.en. Accessed on 09 December 2022.
Konings, A. and Kazembe, J. 2019. Pseudotropheus elegans (amended version of 2018 assessment). The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2019: e.T61138A148835518. Available at: https://dx.doi.org/10.2305/IUCN.UK.2019-2.RLTS.T61138A148835518.en. Accessed on 09 December 2022.
van Dijk, P.P. and Rhodin, A.G.J. 2011. Emydoidea blandingii (errata version published in 2019). The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2011: e.T7709A155088836. Available at: https://dx.doi.org/10.2305/IUCN.UK.2011-1.RLTS.T7709A155088836.en.
Konings, A. and Kazembe, J. 2019. Pseudotropheus elegans (amended version of 2018 assessment). The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2019: e.T61138A148835518. Available at: https://dx.doi.org/10.2305/IUCN.UK.2019-2.RLTS.T61138A148835518.en.
When citing spatial data (i.e., distribution maps) published on The IUCN Red List, please refer to the citation that appears below the map image in the assessment (see the image below). To cite spatial data within text, use of the author(s) of the spatial data (in the image below, this is “IUCN (International Union for Conservation of Nature)”), and the date that these data were created (in the image below, this is “2019”).
IUCN (International Union for Conservation of Nature). 2019. Ochotona iliensis (spatial data). The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Version 2022-2. https://www.iucnredlist.org. Accessed on 09 December 2022.
IUCN Grouper and Wrasse Specialist Group. 2018. Epinephelus striatus (spatial data). The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Version 2022-2. https://www.iucnredlist.org. Accessed on 09 December 2022.
Wang, D. 2016. Ailuropoda melanoleuca (spatial data). The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Version 2022-2. https://www.iucnredlist.org. Accessed on 09 December 2022.
