What's the difference between NBR 6023 and NBR 10520?

NBR 6023 governs how to format the reference list entries (the full bibliographic information at the end of your paper). NBR 10520 governs in-text citations (how you cite sources within your text, including direct quotes and footnotes).

Can I cite in English while using ABNT?

Yes, but use Portuguese formatting conventions (months, abbreviations, connector words like “In:” and “Disponível em:”). Some Brazilian journals accept English-language references with English punctuation and abbreviations—check your target publication's guidelines.

Should I use NBR 6023:2018 or NBR 6023:2025?

NBR 6023:2025 is the newest edition, released in May 2025. However, some institutions may still reference the 2018 version. Always check your university's specific requirements, as guidelines may take time to update.

Do I use italics or bold for titles in ABNT?

ABNT uses bold for titles, not italics. This differs from APA, MLA, and most international styles. Subtitles following a colon are not bold.

How do I handle sources with no author?

Begin with the title. For in-text citations, use the first significant word(s) of the title in capitals: (ANÁLISE do mercado..., 2023).

How to Cite in ABNT Style: Brazilian Citation Standard (NBR 6023)

This guide will help you understand how to properly cite sources in ABNT format, Brazil's official standard for bibliographic references. Whether you're writing a TCC (trabalho de conclusão de curso), dissertação, or tese for a Brazilian university, following ABNT NBR 6023 rules ensures your academic work meets national requirements.

What Is ABNT?

ABNT (Associação Brasileira de Normas Técnicas / Brazilian Association of Technical Standards) publishes Brazil's official standards for academic writing. Two key standards govern citations:

NBR 6023:2025 — Rules for bibliographic references (3rd edition, released May 2025)
NBR 10520:2023 — Rules for in-text citations and footnotes

These standards are required by virtually all Brazilian universities and academic journals.

Citation Systems

ABNT supports two in-text citation methods:

Author-Date System (Sistema Autor-Data)

The author's surname appears in capitals with the year, separated by a comma:

According to recent research (SILVA, 2023), the phenomenon occurs frequently.
Silva (2023) demonstrated that the phenomenon occurs frequently.

With page numbers:

(SILVA, 2023, p. 45)

Numeric System (Sistema Numérico)

Superscript or bracketed numbers correspond to footnotes or endnotes:

The phenomenon occurs frequently¹.
The phenomenon occurs frequently (1).

Citing Books (Monografias)

Format: SURNAME, First Name. Title: subtitle. Edition. Location: Publisher, Year.

Single author:

FREIRE, Paulo. Pedagogia do oprimido. 50. ed. São Paulo: Paz e Terra, 2011.

Two authors:

LAKATOS, Eva Maria; MARCONI, Marina de Andrade. Fundamentos de metodologia científica. 8. ed. São Paulo: Atlas, 2017.

Three or more authors:

SILVA, João Carlos et al. Metodologia da pesquisa. Rio de Janeiro: Editora FGV, 2020.

Citing Book Chapters

Format: CHAPTER AUTHOR. Chapter title. In: BOOK AUTHOR. Book title. Edition. Location: Publisher, Year. p. X-Y.

SANTOS, Maria. A importância da leitura. In: OLIVEIRA, Carlos (org.). Educação e sociedade. 2. ed. São Paulo: Cortez, 2019. p. 45-67.

Citing Journal Articles

Format: SURNAME, First Name. Article title. Journal Name, Location, v. X, n. X, p. X-Y, month(s). year.

Print journal:

SOUZA, Ana Paula. Mudanças climáticas no Brasil. Revista Brasileira de Meio Ambiente, São Paulo, v. 15, n. 3, p. 234-256, jul./set. 2022.

Online journal with DOI:

COSTA, Roberto. Inteligência artificial na educação. Revista Brasileira de Informática na Educação, v. 30, p. 145-162, 2022. DOI: 10.5753/rbie.2022.2456.

Online journal with URL:

LIMA, Fernanda. Saúde pública no século XXI. Cadernos de Saúde Pública, Rio de Janeiro, v. 38, n. 5, e00123421, 2022. Disponível em: https://www.scielo.br/csp. Acesso em: 15 jan. 2024.

Citing Theses and Dissertations

Format: SURNAME, First Name. Title. Year. Type (Degree)—Institution, Location, Year.

Doctoral thesis:

MARTINS, Carolina. Análise do desenvolvimento sustentável no Brasil. 2021. Tese (Doutorado em Economia)—Universidade de São Paulo, São Paulo, 2021.

Master's dissertation:

ALMEIDA, Pedro. Gestão de recursos hídricos. 2020. Dissertação (Mestrado em Engenharia Ambiental)—Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, 2020.

Undergraduate thesis (TCC):

FERREIRA, Lucas. Marketing digital para pequenas empresas. 2022. Trabalho de Conclusão de Curso (Graduação em Administração)—Universidade Estadual de Campinas, Campinas, 2022.

Citing Websites and Online Documents

Format: AUTHOR or ENTITY. Title. Location, Year. Disponível em: URL. Acesso em: day month. year.

Institutional website:

BRASIL. Ministério da Educação. Diretrizes curriculares nacionais. Brasília, 2023. Disponível em: https://www.mec.gov.br/diretrizes. Acesso em: 20 jan. 2024.

News article:

GLOBO. Economia brasileira cresce 3% em 2023. G1, 15 jan. 2024. Disponível em: https://g1.globo.com/economia. Acesso em: 16 jan. 2024.

Citing Legislation

Format: JURISDICTION. Type Number, Date. Description. Publication, Location, Date.

BRASIL. Lei nº 9.394, de 20 de dezembro de 1996. Estabelece as diretrizes e bases da educação nacional. Diário Oficial da União, Brasília, 23 dez. 1996.

Citing Conference Papers

Format: AUTHOR. Paper title. In: CONFERENCE NAME, Number., Year, Location. Anais [...]. Location: Publisher, Year. p. X-Y.

RODRIGUES, Marcos. Inovação tecnológica na indústria. In: ENCONTRO NACIONAL DE ENGENHARIA DE PRODUÇÃO, 42., 2022, Foz do Iguaçu. Anais [...]. Rio de Janeiro: ABEPRO, 2022. p. 1-12.

Author Formatting Rules

Surnames: always in capitals (SILVA, SANTOS, OLIVEIRA)
First names: can be full or abbreviated (Maria or M.)
Multiple authors: separate with semicolons (;)
Three or more: use "et al." after the first author for in-text citations; list all in references or use "et al." after three
Corporate authors: use the full institutional name in capitals

INSTITUTO BRASILEIRO DE GEOGRAFIA E ESTATÍSTICA. Censo demográfico 2022. Rio de Janeiro: IBGE, 2023.

Key Formatting Elements

Element	ABNT Format
Author surnames	CAPITALS
Titles	Bold
Subtitles	Not bold, after colon
Edition	"2. ed." (not "2nd ed.")
Months	Abbreviated in Portuguese (jan., fev., mar., etc.)
Pages	"p. 45-67"
Access date	"Acesso em: 15 jan. 2024"

Reference List (Referências)

Title the section "REFERÊNCIAS" (centered, bold, all capitals)
Arrange entries alphabetically by author surname
Use single spacing within entries, one blank line between entries
Align entries to the left margin (no indentation)
Do not number entries (unless using the numeric system throughout)

ABNT vs APA

Feature	ABNT	APA
Author format	SURNAME, First Name	Surname, F. N.
Title format	Bold	Italics
Location placement	Before publisher	After publisher
Edition format	"2. ed."	"(2nd ed.)"
Access phrase	"Acesso em:"	"Retrieved from"
Months	Portuguese abbreviations	English

Common Mistakes to Avoid

Wrong author capitalization: surnames must be in capitals (SILVA, not Silva)
Missing bold on titles: book and journal titles require bold formatting
Incorrect edition abbreviation: use "2. ed." not "2ª ed." or "segunda edição"
Wrong date format: use "15 jan. 2024" not "15/01/2024" or "January 15, 2024"
Missing access information: online sources require both URL and access date
Wrong order: location comes before publisher in ABNT (São Paulo: Atlas), unlike APA

References

ASSOCIAÇÃO BRASILEIRA DE NORMAS TÉCNICAS. NBR 6023: informação e documentação: referências: elaboração. 3. ed. Rio de Janeiro: ABNT, 2025.
ASSOCIAÇÃO BRASILEIRA DE NORMAS TÉCNICAS. NBR 10520: informação e documentação: citações em documentos: apresentação. 2. ed. Rio de Janeiro: ABNT, 2023.
GRAFIATI. ABNT NBR 6023:2025 Reference Generator. 2025. Disponível em: https://www.grafiati.com/en/blogs/abnt-nbr-6023-2025-reference-generator/. Acesso em: 4 jan. 2026.