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Citations + Writing

MGH IHP's general guide to citations and writing

General Format of the NLM/Vancouver Style

Like AMA and APA, there must be a one-to-one correspondence between in-text citations and entries in the reference list. Every item cited in the text should be included in the reference list, and every reference listed should be cited in the text. This is a standard practice to ensure that all sources are properly accounted for, avoiding any unreferenced items in the bibliography.

NLM can be tricky to decipher; it's best if you refer to your professor or publisher for confirmation.

In-Text Citations

Unlike APA and AMA, NLM or Vancouver style citations offer three different in-text citation formats:

  1. Citation-sequence: in the citation-sequence format, numbers are assigned to citations and connected to the reference list in order of appearance in the work (like in AMA format).
  2. Citation-name: in citation-name format, numbers are also assigned to citations, however, they appear alphabetically in the reference list (so Fischer would come before Klein, even if Klein was referenced earlier in the work).
  3. Name-year: in the name-year-format, in-text citations are written like in APA, with the author’s last name and the year; however, you don’t use a comma (Fletcher 2023). The reference list is arranged by author’s name, then the year1.

Example References

This guide uses tabs to organize content. Follow the instructions below on how to navigate using tabs.

  1. Browse by Citation Category: Click on any of the tabs above to view links categorized by type.
  2. Switch Between Tabs: Simply click on a different tab to explore other categories. The content for each category will appear directly below.
  3. Find What You Need: Each tab contains basic citation format and examples relevant to its category, making it easier for you to find specific types of information.

If you have any questions, please don't hesitate to reach out to one of our librarians!

Journal Articles

The Basics

Author(s). Article title (sentence case). Abbreviated Journal Title. Date of publication (YYY MMM DD);volume(issue):pagination. DOI, or URL

This is the same style that you can use when citing online journals.

Examples

Morey CC, Cong Y, Zheng Y, Price M, Morey RD. The color-sharing bonus: Roles of perceptual organization and attentive processes in visual working memory. Arch Sci Psychol. 2015 Apr 13;3(1):18-29. doi:10.1037/arc0000014

Mensinger JL, Calogero RM, Stranges S, Tylka TL. A weight-neutral versus weight-loss approach for health promotion in women with high BMI: A randomized-controlled trial. Appetite. 2016 Oct 1;105:364–74. doi:10.1016/j.appet.2016.06.006

Preprints

Preprints are frequently articles that will eventually be published in a peer-reviewed journal, but are uploaded to a preprint server, typically without formatting or editing, such as MedRxiv or bioRxiv.org. Below is an example of how to cite an article found on the MedRxiv preprint server:

Riad R, Denais M, Gennes M de, Lesage A, Oustric V, Cao XN, et al. Automated speech analysis for risk detection of depression, anxiety, insomnia, and fatigue: Algorithm Development and Validation Study. medRxiv [Preprint]. 2024 medRxiv 2024.03.20.24304577 [posted 2024 Sep 23; cited 2024 Sep 24]. Available from: https://www.medrxiv.org/content/10.1101/2024.03.20.24304577v2

Books

Citing an Entire Book:

Author(s). Title. Edition. Secondary author. Place of publication: Publisher; Date of publication. Pagination.

Example

Hollins S. Religions, culture, and healthcare: A practical handbook for use in healthcare environments. 2nd ed. Oxford: Radcliffe; 2009.

Citing Part of a Book:

Author(s). Title. Edition. Secondary author. Place of publication: Publisher; Date of publication. Name of part Number of part, Title of part; Location of part.

Example

Shim RS, Vinson SY. Social (in)justice and mental health. Washington, DC: American Psychiatric Association Publishing; 2021. Chapter 5, Social injustice and the schooling system; p. 64-77.

Online Books

Author(s). Title [Type of medium]. Edition. Secondary author. Place of publication: Publisher; Date of publication [cited YYYY mmm dd]. Extent. Available from: link

Example from Citing Medicine1

Richardson ML. Approaches to differential diagnosis in musculoskeletal imaging [Internet]. Version 2.0. Seattle (WA): University of Washington School of Medicine; c2000 [revised 2001 Oct 1; cited 2006 Nov 1]. Available from: http://www.rad.washington.edu/mskbook/index.html

Databases

Title [Type of medium]. Place of publication: Publisher. Beginning date - ending date, if available [cited YYYY mmm dd]. Available from: link.

Example from Citing Medicine1

Dryad Digital Repository [Internet]. Durham (NC): Dryad. 2008 Jan - [cited 2014 Oct 3]. Available from: http://www.datadryad.org/.

Web Pages

Author(s). Title [Type of medium]. Place of publication: Publisher; Date of publication [date of revision YYYY mmm dd; cited YYYY mmm dd]. Available from: link

Example

Stinson, K. Black/African American Health Resources [Internet]. Boston, MA: MGH Institute of Health Professions - Bellack Library; 2024 [date of revision 2024 Sep 18; cited 2024 Sep 25] Available from: https://libguides.massgeneral.org/black_africanamerican.

Social Media

Citing a full blog

Author. Title “blog” [Type of medium]. Place of publication: Publisher. Date of publication - [date of revision YYYY mmm dd; cited YYYY mmm dd]. Available from: link.

Citing blog post

Author. Title “blog” [Type of medium]. Place of publication: Publisher. Date of publication. Name of part Number of part, Title of part; date of post [date of revision YYYY mmm dd; cited YYYY mmm dd]; [extent]. Available from: link.

Bertagnolli MM. NIH Director’s blog [Internet]. Morgan K, editor. Bethesda, MD: National Institutes of Health. Taking inspiration from art created by a patient’s granddaughter; 2024 Sep 20 [cited 2024 Sep 26]; [2 screens]. Available from: https://directorsblog.nih.gov/2024/09/20/taking-inspiration-from-art-created-by-a-patients-granddaughter/.

Government/Organization Reports

Citing Medicine refers to these types as either scientific or technical reports.

There are three main formats that you can use: 1) “if it is written and published by the sponsoring organization,” 2) “written by the performing organization and published by the sponsoring organization,” and 3) written and published by the performing organization. All of the following examples are from Citing Medicine1.

Sponsoring Organization

Author(s). Title. Place of publication: Publisher; Date of publication. Total number of pages. Report number, if available.

Page E, Harney JM. Health hazard evaluation report. Cincinnati (OH): National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (US); 2001 Feb. 24 p. Report No.: HETA2000-0139-2824.

Written by the performing organization and published by the sponsoring organization

Author(s) (Author affiliation, performing organization). Title. Edition. Place of publication: Publisher; Date of publication. Total number of pages. Report number, if available. Contract number, if available.

Sontag ED (Department of Mathematics, Rutgers University, New Brunswick, NJ). Control of nonlinear systems. Final report 15 Mar 2004-31 Jan 2005. Washington: Army Medical Department (US): 2004. 5 p. Report No.: AFRLSRARTR050271. Contract No.: FA95500410172.

Performing organization

Author(s). Title. Place of publication: Publisher; Date of publication. Total number of pages. Report number, if available. Contract number, if available. Note (e.g. Supported by the Office of Science and Technology Policy).

Moscovice IS. Rural health networks: evolving organizational forms & functions. Minneapolis (MN): University of Minnesota, School of Public Health, Rural Health Research Center; 2003. 47 p. Grant No.: 032659. Supported by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation.

Personal Communications

Unlike with APA and AMA, in NLM style, you cite personal communications that you are referencing in your work.

Verbal Communications

Author (Author affiliation). Conversation with: Recipient (first and last name) (Recipient’s affiliation). Date.

Stinson K (Bellack Library, MGH Institute of Health Professions, Boston, MA). Conversation with: Shokria Ahmadi (Bellack Library, MGH Institute of Health Professions, Boston, MA). 2024 20 Jun.

Email Communications

Author. Title of message [Type of medium]. Message to: Recipient (first and last name). Date of message [cited YYYY mmm dd]. [Extent - how many paragraphs or screens].

Mission, Values, and Community Excellence Office at MGH Institute. MVCE upcoming events October 2024 [Internet]. Message to: Kaitlynn Stinson. 2024 Sep 26 [cited 2024 Sep 26]. [about 6 screens]

ChatGPT or other AI Tools

In the NLM style, there is no official guidance on citing the use of Generative AI tools. However, the general consensus among academic libraries is to cite their usage as if it was a personal communication.

References

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 2015 Oct 2; cited 2024 Sep 24]. Available from: http://www.nlm.nih.gov/citingmedicine