Before using this guide check with your faculty, school or department for their specific referencing guidelines
Notes:
Follow these examples closely for all layout, punctuation, spacing and capitalisation. These general rules apply to both print and electronic articles.
Enter author's surname followed by no more than 2 initials (full stop).
If more than 1 author: give all authors' names and separate each by a comma and a space.
For articles with 1 to 6 authors, list all authors. For articles with more than 6 authors, list the first 6 authors then add 'et al.'
Only the first word of the article title and words that normally begin with a capital letter are capitalised.
Journal titles are abbreviated (to decipher/find correct abbreviations see: PubMed Journals Database).
Follow the date with a semi-colon;
Abbreviate months to their first 3 letters (no full stop).
Give the volume number (no space) followed by issue number in brackets.
If the journal has continuous page numbering through its volumes, omit month/issue number.
Abbreviate page numbers where possible, e.g.: 123-9.
| Format |
Author AA, Author BB, Author CC, Author DD. Title of article. Abbreviated title of journal. Date of publication YYYY Mon DD;volume number(issue number):page numbers. |
| Example |
Petitti DB, Crooks VC, Buckwalter JG, Chiu V. Blood pressure levels before dementia. Arch Neurol. 2005 Jan;62(1):112-6. |
| Format |
Author AA, Author BB, Author CC, Author DD, Author EE, Author FF, et al. Title of article. Abbreviated title of journal. Date of publication YYYY Mon DD;volume number(issue number):page numbers. |
| Example |
Hallal AH, Amortegui JD, Jeroukhimov IM, Casillas J, Schulman CI, Manning RJ, et al. Magnetic resonance cholangiopancreatography accurately detects common bile duct stones in resolving gallstone pancreatitis. J Am Coll Surg. 2005 Jun;200(6):869-75. |
| Format |
Organisation's name. Title of article. Abbreviated title of journal. Date of publication YYYY Mon DD;volume number(issue number):page numbers. |
| Example |
National Institutes of Health (US). End-of-life care. National Institutes of Health statement on the state of the science. AWHONN Lifelines. 2005 Feb-Mar;9(1):15-22. |
Write the word 'Figure' in full.
Write p. before page number.
| Format |
Author AA, Author BB. Title of article. Abbreviated title of journal. Date of publication YYYY Mon DD;volume number(issue number):page numbers. Figure number, Figure caption; p. number. |
| Example |
Mitchell GF, Pfeffer MA. Evaluation and management of patients with uncontrolled systolic hypertension: is another new paradigm really needed? Am Heart J. 2005 May;149(5):776-84. Figure 3, Regional pressure wave forms in the normal arterial system; p. 780. |
| Format |
Author AA, Author BB, Author CC. Title of article. Abbreviated title of journal. Date of publication YYYY Mon DD;volume number(issue number):page numbers. Table number, table caption; p. number. |
| Example |
Diaz-Cruz ES, Shapiro CL, Brueggemeier RW. Cyclooxygenase inhibitors suppress aromatase expression and activity in breast cancer cells. J Clin Endocrinol Metab. 2005 May;90(5):2563-70. Table 2, Aromatase activity and expression in cell lines; p. 2565. |
The word [Internet] in square brackets should be inserted after the abbreviated journal title.
The date cited [in square brackets] must be included after the date of publication.
The URL (web address) must be included at the end of the reference.
Include the DOI (digital object identifier) at the end of the reference, after the URL.
| Format |
Author AA, Author BB. Title of article. Abbreviated title of Journal [Internet]. Date of publication YYYY Mon [cited YYYY Mon DD];volume number(issue number):page numbers. Available from: URL |
| Example |
Milofsky C, Butto A, Gross M, Baumohl J. Small town in mass society: Substance abuse treatment and urban-rural migration. Contemp Drug Probl [Internet]. 1993 [cited 2021 Aug 12];20(3):433-72. Available from: https://www.proquest.com/scholarly-journals/small-town-mass-society-substance-abuse-treatment/docview/233177988/se-2?accountid=12528 |
| Format |
Author AA, Author BB, Author CC, Author DD, Author EE, Author FF. Title of article. Abbreviated title of Journal [Internet]. Year of publication [cited YYYY Mon DD];volume number(issue number):page numbers. Available from: URL doi: |
| Example |
Kanneganti P, Harris JD, Brophy RH, Carey JL, Lattermann C, Flanigan DC. The effect of smoking on ligament and cartilage surgery in the knee: a systematic review. Am J Sports Med [Internet]. 2012 Dec [cited 2019 Feb 19];40(12):2872-8. Available from: http://ajs.sagepub.com/content/40/12/2872 doi: 10.1177/0363546512458223 |
| Example |
Albert SM, Bix L, Bridgeman MM, Carstensen LL, Dyer-Chamberlain M, Neafsey PJ, Wolf MS. Promoting safe and effective use of OTC medications: CHPA-GSA National Summit. Gerontologist [Internet]. 2014 [cited 2019 Jan 07]; 54(6):909-18. Available from: http://gerontologist.oxfordjournals.org/content/54/6/909.long doi: 10.1093/geront/gnu034 |
| Example |
Bastianelli S, Orr KM, Kelly K. Nonprescription naloxone: pros and cons.J Am Pharm Assoc [Internet]. 2014 Jul-Aug [cited 2019 Jan 5]; 54(4):328-9. Available from: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1544319115302004 doi: 10.1331/JAPhA.2014.14048 |
| Format |
Author AA, Author BB, Author CC, Author DD, Author EE, Author FF. Title of article. Database name [Internet]. Year of publication [cited YYYY Mon DD]; (issue number). Available from: URL |
| Example |
Winter J, Hunter S, Sim J, Crome P. Hands-on therapy interventions for upper limb motor dysfunction following stroke. Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews [Internet]. 2011 [cited 2019 Jun 10]; (6). Available from: http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/14651858.CD006609.pub2/abstract Chapman E, García Diéguez M. Radiotherapy for malignant pleural mesothelioma. Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews [Internet]. 2006 [cited 2019 May 16]; (3). Available from: http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/14651858.CD003880.pub4/abstract |
| Format |
Author AA, Author BB, Author CC, Author DD, Author EE, Author FF. Title of article. Database Name [Internet]. Year of publication [cited YYYY Mon DD]; (issue number). Available from: URL |
| Example |
Konno R, Stern C, Gibb H. The best evidence for assisted bathing of older people with dementia: a comprehensive systematic review. JBI Database of Systematic Reviews and Implementation Reports [Internet]. 2013 [cited 2019 Aug 17]; (11). Available from: http://ovidsp.tx.ovid.com/sp-3.31.1b/ovidweb.cgi?&S=JGNHFPPPJBDDFIJANCEKMDMCMIGAAA00&Complete+Reference=S.sh.18%7c1%7c1 |
Patrias K. Citing medicine: the NLM style guide for authors, editors, and publishers [Internet]. 2nd ed. Wendling DL, technical editor. Bethesda (MD): National Library of Medicine (US); 2007 [updated 2009 Oct 21; cited 2019 Feb 12]. Available from: http://www.nlm.nih.gov/citingmedicine