Gleberzon BJ, Killinger LZ. The journal article cookbook. J Manipulative Physiol Ther. 2004 Sep;27(7):481-92.
Green BN, Johnson CD. How to write a case report for publication. J Chiropr Med. 2006 Sum;5(2): 72-82.
Green BN, Johnson CD. Clinical update. How to write a letter to the editor: an author's guide. J Chiropr Med: 2006 Win;5(4):144-147.
Green BN, Johnson CD, Adams A. Writing narrative literature reviews for peer-reviewed journals: secrets of the trade. J Chiropr Med: 2006 Fall;5(3):101-117.
Young M. Writing for the peer-reviewed biomedical literature: Part I. The why and the wherefore. Clin Chiropr: 2003 Sep-Dec;6(3/4):144-150.
Young M. Writing for the peer-reviewed biomedical literature: Part II. The how and the when. Clin Chiropr: 2004 Jun;7(2):90-99.

Citation Format Examples

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Below are examples of correct format in the style most frequently use in biomedical journals. There are other citation styles such as APA. Either style, done correctly, provides all the data needed for readers to find the original material referenced in a paper.

For examples of citations for an e-mail discussion or a DVD, go to the Citing Medicine style guide from the National Library of Medicine.

JOURNAL ARTICLES

Standard

Halpern SD, et al. Solid-organ transplantation in HIV-infected patients. N Engl J Med. 2002 Jul 25;347(4):284-7.

No Author

21st century heart solution may have a sting in the tail. BMJ. 2002;325(7357):184.

Organization as Author

Diabetes Prevention Program Research Group. Hypertension, insulin, and proinsulin in participants with impaired glucose tolerance. Hypertension. 2002;40(5):679-86.

Significant Type of article

Tor M, et al. International approaches to the prescription for long-term oxygen therapy [letter]. Eur Respir J. 2002;20(1):242.

BOOKS

Personal Author

Murray PR, et al. Medical microbiology. 4th ed. St. Louis: Mosby; 2002.

Editor(s)

Gilstrap LC, et al., editors. Operative obstetrics. 2nd ed. New York: McGraw-Hill; 2002.

Chapter in a Book

Meltzer PS, et al. Chromosome alterations in human solid tumors. In: Vogelstein B, Kinzler KW, editors. The genetic basis of human cancer. New York: McGraw-Hill; 2002. p. 93-113.

Conference Proceedings

Harnden P, et al., editors. Germ cell tumours V. Proceedings of the 5th Germ Cell Tumour Conference; 2001 Sep 13-15; Leeds, UK. New York: Springer; 2002.

ELECTRONIC MATERIAL

Journal Article

Abood S. Quality improvement initiative in nursing homes: the ANA acts in an advisory role. Am J Nurs [Internet]. 2002 Jun [cited 2002 Aug 12];102(6). Available from: http://www.nursingworld.org/AJN/2002/june/Wawatch.htm

Book

Foley KM, et al., editors. Improving palliative care for cancer [Internet]. Washington: National Academy Press; 2001 [cited 2002 Jul 9]. Available from: http://www.nap.edu/books/0309074029/html/

Web Site Elements

Author or Responsible organization. Title on page [Internet]. Place of publication: Publisher; [date Web page last updated; date you accessed the Web page]. Available from: http://et cetera.

Web Site Sample

Centers for Disease Control, National Center for Health Statistics. FastStats A to Z: asthma [Internet]. Hyattsville, MD: National Center for Health Statistics; [updated 2006 Aug 18; cited 2006 Oct 10]. Available from: http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/fastats/asthma.htm.

Source: Adapted by Life Chiropractic College West Library from: National Library of Medicine. Citing Medicine [Internet]. Bethesda, MD: the Library; [updated 2007; cited 2008 Feb 8].

Citation Management Software

Researchers can input bibliographical references to journal articles, books, or electronic resources directly into their personal citation management database. They can then easily insert the references into different papers, and adapt them to any format required by the publisher.

This type of software can automatically harvest and import citations along with the abstract from well-established online databases such as PubMed. It can save snapshots of webpages, and link to full text. The user can assign keywords to enhance searching within the personal citation database, and organize each citation into one or more custom folders.

Free Formatting Tools

Recommended for occasional use only

There are dozens of free Web forms that generate a formatted citation, however they do not provide the National Library of Medicine citation style. If your instructor accepts APA style, here are some options for single-citation formatting:

KnightCite from Calvin College - Free Web-based citation creator limited to MLA, Chicago, and APA styles. Generates one citation at a time, and also bibliographies for registered users. Registration is free.

DocsCite from Arizona State University Libraries – Free citation creator for government publications, limited to MLA and APA styles.

Free Citation Database Managers

Recommended for occasional or repeated use

MyNCBI login: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/sites/myncbi/
My NCBI tutorial: http://www.nlm.nih.gov/bsd/disted/pubmedtutorial/070_010.html

Any article indexed in PubMed can be added to a personal collection, and sorted by author among other options. Displaying citations as Summary Text facilitates "copy & paste" into your paper. MyNCBI does not accommodate resources outside of PubMed and other databases associated with the National Center for Biotechnology Information.

Below are the free services that both manage citations from any source, and integrate with word processors. We recommend Mendeley or Zotero. Here are some quick links to help you get started. You might want to compare them first before committing.

Mendeley

1. Download Desktop at http://www.mendeley.com/download-mendeley-desktop/?_section=footer
2. Install Web Importer at http://www.mendeley.com/import/ Drag red Import to Mendeley button to the browser toolbar. This is a “bookmarklet”.
3. To install MS Word Plugin: open your Mendeley Desktop; Click Tools; Install MS Word Plugin
4. Test the function of the word processor plugin

Getting started with Mendeley (PDF) is automatically added to your Library at download
Screencasts at http://www.mendeley.com/videos-tutorials/

Zotero (Firefox only, as of January 2012; Chrome and Safari in development)

1. Download Firefox browser

2. Download web-based tool at http://www.zotero.org/
3. Download Word processor plug in at http://www.zotero.org/support/word_processor_integration
4. Test the function of the word processor plugin

Quick start guide at http://www.zotero.org/support/quick_start_guide
Screencasts at http://www.zotero.org/support/screencast_tutorials

Other services to keep in mind:

CiteULike Free web-based service. Input references to scholarly articles by clicking a button to have a paper on the web added to your collection of citations; organize by assigning tags; use its social features to share citations with others and discover who else has tagged an article.

Connotea Free web-based service. Input references by saving a link to a web page for the reference, whether that be the PubMed entry, the publisher's PDF, or even an Amazon product page for a book. Connotea will, wherever possible, recognize the reference and automatically add in the bibliographic information for you. You assign keywords (or 'tags') to your references.

Easy Bib Free web-based citation generator limited to MLA, APA, Chicago/Turabian styles. Upgrade from the free citation formatting tool to premium version for bibliographies and more styles. Costs under $20 per year (as of 2011).

Commercial Citation Database Managers

Also recommended for for authors and researchers

RefWorks a Web-based service by annual subscription. Very intuitive interface and workflow. Easy to use. Basic subscription does not provide social software functions.

Thomson Reuters offers EndNote or EndNote Web, ProCite, and Reference Manager.

Available for purchase and upgrade. Many buyers of installed software are satisfied to use the same version for many years.

Comparisons of Citation Managers

Tip: Compare screencasts to see which reference manager appeals to you.

Import functions

How to get stuff into Zotero
http://www.zotero.org/support/screencast_tutorials/getting_stuff_into_zotero
vs.
Click on Importing documents into Mendeley at:
http://www.mendeley.com/videos-tutorials/

Word processor functions

Zotero and Word (assumes you have already downloaded the plugin)
http://www.zotero.org/support/screencast_tutorials/zotero_and_word
vs.
Click on Generating citations using Mendeley at:
http://www.mendeley.com/videos-tutorials/

Other resources

Comparisons of commercial and free reference management software In table format. Source: Wikipedia

Compare Mendeley In table format. Source: Mendeley.com

Backing Up Your Managed Data

Regardless of which software you use — have a backup plan.

Familiarize yourself with the backup utility for your manager.
Know that the backup tools provided by each system have limited portability. They use a proprietary format for backing up all aspects of your database, including the citations, how they are organized, annotations, any attachments, and shared groups. What if it crashes, you choose not to renew, or the free service just disappears from the Internet?

Here is how to further protect most of your data:

Periodically, export all citations in BibTex (*.bib) format. This is a very common format, easily imported into many reference managers.
A reference manager that synchronizes your database both to a desktop and online is relatively safe. If you want even more insurance for your invested time and resources, save PDFs and other important files to your hard drive, separate from the manager, using a consistent file naming protocol.

Example: Cagnin_Post traumatic dystonia_2012.pdf

[author_first title words_year]

Instructions for Authors:

When submitting for publication, always verify current instructions for authors. Typically this is found on the publisher or journal website and in some cases printed inside each issue.

The Index to Chiropractic Literature includes links to Web-based instructions for authors. Click on the title of any current journal in the list of Chiropractic Journals Indexed.

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]. Full text electronic book.

Uniform Requirements for Manuscripts Submitted to Medical Journals: Writing and Editing for Biomedical Publication
Provides information about the obligations of publishers and authors in reporting research, and the process of preparing and submitting a manuscript. Refers to NLM’s style guide for formatting bibliographical references.

From International Committee of Medical Journal Editors
Citing Medicine: The NLM Style Guide for Authors, Editors, and Publishers Sample citations for published and unpublished material, in print and electronic formats. Appendix includes guides for abbreviations. From the National Library of Medicine (U.S.)

Library Quick Links