The Citation-Sequence System

A. In-Text Citations

Scientists commonly use a number system in which each source is given a number in the text.  Following the text, full publication information for each numbered source is provided in a list of references.  Entries in this list are given in the order in which they are mentioned in the text.

Example of in-text citation

Scientists are now working to clone a variety of mammals such as pigs, goats, mice and cows1 and even endangered species such as gaurs, bucardos and giant pandas2.

Entry in the reference list (for more examples see below)

1Trefil J. Brave World: Everything You Wanted To Know about Stem Cells, Cloning and Genetic Engineering but Swere Afraid to Ask. Smithonian 2001;83:38-39.

2Lanza RP, Dresser BL, Damiani P. Cloning Noah’s Ark. Sci Am 2000;248:218-220.


B. The Reference List

A reference list at the end of the document (headed "References" or "Cited References") is ordered according to the numbers assigned to the references in the text. References other than text citations appear under other headings:

The following list contains numerous example entries for various different types of sources. Check them out!

 Book

1 Voet D, Voet JG. Biochemistry. New York: J Wiley; 1990.  1223 p.

 [Note: references for books have spaces after colon and semicolon separating city, publisher, date.
Total pages (1223 p) given for whole book.]

Book, Volume with Separate Title

2 Cajori F. A history of mathematical notations. Volume 2,  Notation mainly in higher mathematics. Chicago: Open Court; 1929.

 [Note: no pages given for volume.]

Chapter/Article in Edited Book; Edition

3 Kuret JA, Murad F. Adenohypophyseal hormones and related  substances. In: Gilman AG, Rall TW, Nies AS, Taylor P,editors.   The pharmacological basis of therapeutics. 8th ed. New York: Pergamon;   1990. p 1334-60.

[Note: inclusive pages of chapter/article (p 1334-60) given.]

Journal Article, Single Author

4 Holt WV. Epididymal origin of a coiled-tail sperm  defect in a boar. J Reprod Fertil 1982;64:485-9.

[Note: references for articles have no spaces after semi-colon and colon separating date, volume,
and page; no "p" for page.]

Journal Article,
Two Authors; Discontinuous Pages

5 Crews D, Gartska WR. The ecological physiology of the  garter snake. Sci Am 1981;245:158-64, 166-8.

Journal Article,
Three or
More Authors

6 Wildt DE, Monfort SL, Donoghue AM, Johnston LA, Howard  JG. Embryogenesis in conservation biology--or, how to make an  endangered species embryo.  Theriogenology 1992;37:161-84.

Journal Article, Organization as Author

7 Scandinavian Society for Clinical Chemistry and   Clinical Physiology, Committee on Enzymes. Recommended method  for the determination of y-glutamyltransferase in blood. Scand  J Clin Lab Invest 1976;36:119-25.

Chapter/Article in Edited Book; Edition

8 Kuret JA, Murad F. Adenohypophyseal hormones and   related substances. In: Gilman AG, Rall TW, Nies AS, Taylor P,  editors. The pharmacological basis of therapeutics. 8th ed. New  York: Pergamon; 1990. p 1334-60.

 [Note: inclusive pages of chapter/article (p 1334-60) given.]

Government
Report

10 National Institutes of Health (US) [NIH].  Report of  the Human Fetal Tissue Transplantation Panel, consultants to  the Advisory Committee to the Director, NIH. Final report.  Bethesda (MD): NIH; 1988 Dec. 2 volumes. Available from: NTIS,  Springfield, VA; PB90-155268, PB90-155276.

 

See Quote electronic resources for information on how to quote web sites.