Use this format if you have an article in a publication that is produced on a regular basis (a "serial" publication), such as a journal or magazine.
You will need (minimum information in bold):
- Author(s)
- Article title (in sentence case - not in italics)
- Journal Abbreviation (in italics, in Title Case)
- Year
- Volume number
- Issue number
- Part or supplement (if relevant)
- Inclusive page numbers
- Accessed date (if online - only if using URL)
- DOI or URL (if online)
Standard Article Pattern (Print)
Author AA, Author BB. Title of article. Journal Abbreviation. Year;volume(issue):pp-pp.
Examples
Chiang HC, Huang V, Cornelius LA. Cancer and itch. Semin Cutan Med Surg. 2011;30(2):107-112.
Nejad AG, Kheradmand A. Five rare psychiatric syndromes co-occurring together. Neurosciences. 2009;14(1):91-3.
Voigt C, Grasse P, Rex K, Hetz S, Speakman J. Bat breath reveals metabolic substrate use in free-ranging vampires. J Comp Physiol B. 2008;178(1):9-16.
Standard Article Pattern (Electronic)
Author AA, Author BB. Title of article. Journal Abbreviation. Year;volume(issue):pp-pp. Accessed Month DD, YYYY. DOI or URL
Examples
Economopoulos KJ, Brockmeier SF. Rotator cuff tears in overhead athletes. Clin Sports Med. 2012;31(4):675-692. doi:10.1016/j.csm.2012.07.005
Finnan RP, Crosby LA. Partial-thickness rotator cuff tears. J Shoulder Elbow Surg. 2010;19(4):609-616. Accessed April 26, 2012. http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1058274609004662
Ho DTN, Le TPT, Wolbers M, et al. Risk factors of Streptococcus suis infection in Vietnam. A case-control study. PLoS One. 2011;6(3):e17604. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0017604
Notes
- There are no spaces between the year, volume, issue number and page numbers.
- Some online journals do not have page numbers. Use the article number instead. Reference 6 is an example.
- If there is a DOI you should always include it at the end of the reference.
- You don't need to include a URL if there is a DOI, and you only need to include an Accessed date if you have used a URL.
- There is no full stop after the DOI or URL
What's a DOI? Read this explanation from Citing Medicine.
