How do I refer to Tektronix products in scientific papers and articles?

How do I refer to Tektronix products in scientific papers and articles?

We at Tektronix are always glad to hear you’ve used our products in your research!

We sometimes get questions on the best way to refer to our products in published work, this FAQ provides some general guidance to make it easier for other researchers to identify the equipment used.

This guidance does not supersede any direction from publishers (or professors for that matter...). While this guidance can be used for citations, different citation formats require different information and organization so this is not a full guide for citing Tektronix products.

A preferred reference includes the brand name, the model number, and the type of product. You should include the specific model number used, not the series of the product i.e. MDO34 not 3 Series MDO or MDO3. For example:

• "Tektronix MSO58B Mixed Signal Oscilloscope
• "Tektronix RSA306B Real-time Spectrum Analyzer"
• "Tektronix AWG70002B Arbitrary Waveform Generator"

Keithley products should include "from Tektronix"; they do not need to include "Instruments". For example:

• "Keithley 2450 Source Measure Unit from Tektronix"
• "Keithley 4200A-SCS Parameter Analyzer from Tektronix"
• "Keithley 6517B Electrometer from Tektronix"

When there are space constraints, shortening the type of product with well-known alternate names or even omitting the type of product all together is acceptable. For example:

• "Mixed Signal Oscilloscope" may be "MSO" or "Oscilloscope" (but never "scope")
• "Digital Multimeter" may be "DMM" or "Multimeter"
• "Source Measure Unit” may be "SMU"
  • SourceMeter® is the name of Keithley SMUs and is not an acceptable replacement for the type of product. You may include it after the model number of Keithley SMUs i.e. "Keithley 2461 SourceMeter SMU", but it is optional. You should never refer to any other manufacturer’s SMU as a SourceMeter.

Company name:

Tektronix may be written as either “Tektronix” or “Tektronix, Inc.”

You should rarely have a reason to refer to Keithley Instruments as a distinct entity. Keithley products should refer to Tektronix as their manufacturer. In rare cases where you need to name Keithley separately, it should be named “Keithley Instruments, a Tektronix Company” in the first instance, thereafter “Keithley Instruments” is acceptable.

Other common questions:

• You do not need to include "model" in the name of any instrument.
• You should include the letter in instruments with a letter suffix, e.g. Keithley 2182A or Tektronix MSO64B, but you do not need to specify the lack of a letter suffix with "non-A" or similar.
• Text or numbers after a hyphen are part of the model number and should be included e.g. Keithley 4200A-SCS or Keithley 2280S-32-6
• If a specific optional feature is required for your work, you may call it out by name after the product reference using "with" e.g. Tektronix AWG5208 Arbitrary Waveform Generator with AC Amplified output.
• The Keithley 4200A-SCS Parameter Analyzer is somewhat uniquely made up of different instruments with their own names. It is usually appropriate to refer to the system overall, though if your results are dependent on a specific instrument, you may name them e.g. Keithley 4200A-SCS with 4215-PMU
• When in doubt on a product’s name or type, use the language in the datasheet.