MGH Guides: Scholarly Publishing: Citing & Writing

Citation Software

Citation management or bibliographic software:

Provides a platform to keep track of, organize, and share citations
Creates in-text citations for manuscripts
Automatically generates bibliographies

Options for citation management software, a summary of differences between them, and links to download are below. If you have questions about choosing a software, Ask Us!

	EndNote	Zotero	Mendeley
Cost	$115 after RISC discount	Free	Free and premium options. Free option has limits on file storage and sharing citations.
Browser Plug-in	EndNote Click	Zotero Connector	Mendeley Web Importer
Technical Support	Technical support from Clarivate	User community forum	Elsevier support center
Other Plug-Ins	Word Apple Pages PowerPoint (Windows only) OpenOffice	Word Google Docs LibreOffice	Word LibreOffice
Advantages	"Find Full Text" feature Advanced features for removing duplicates "Find Reference Updates" feature Can create separate libraries for projects Large collection of import filters	"Find Full Text" feature "Magic wand" button that creates a citation using just a PMID or DOI Drag and drop a PDF and Zotero will automatically create a citation for it Harvard has a guide on using Zotero	More user-friendly Drag and drop a PDF and Mendeley will automatically create a citation for it
Disadvantages	Steeper learning curve Libraries will become corrupted if stored in the cloud		Some plug-in incompatibilities with Apple devices

Citation Format Guidance

AMA Manual of Style (11th Edition, 2020)
APA Style Help
American Psychological Association
Instructions to Authors in the Health Sciences
Links to sites providing instructions to authors for over 6,000 journals in the health and life sciences. Use these instructions to determine what citation style should be used for a given journal. Compiled by Mulford Health Science Library, University of Toledo.
Samples of Formatted References for Authors of Journal Articles
Examples of citations formatted based on the recommendations of the International Committee of Medical Journal Editors (ICMJE).
Citing Medicine: the NLM Style Guide for Authors, Editors, and Publishers (2nd ed.)
For those who need more in depth guidance on the ICMJE standards on citing references. This guide from the National Library of Medicine provides detailed instructions on how to cite almost any type of document.
AMA Style Guide
University of Washington Libraries
Purdue Online Writing Lab
Extensive examples of how to write and cite in APA, MLA, and Chicago styles.

Writing Guidance

Resources on improving the writing quality of manuscripts, grant applications, and research proposals.

MGH Center For Faculty Development Writing Support
Includes recommended readings on academic writing, information about MGH Scientific Writing Group's writing support services, templates and samples, webinars and classes.
Library for Health Research Reporting (EQUATOR)
Provides an up-to-date collection of health research reporting guidelines for a wide variety of study and review methodologies. The toolbox section of EQUATOR's website includes useful writing resources and examples of manuscripts with good reporting.
Recommendations for the Conduct, Reporting, Editing, and Publication of Scholarly Work in Medical Journals
The International Committee of Medical Journal Editors (ICMJE) developed these recommendations to review best practice and ethical standards in the conduct and reporting of research and other material published in medical journals.
Writing a Biomedical Research Paper: A Guide to Structure and Style by Brian Budgell, 2009
A practical guide to writing good, publishable biomedical manuscripts. Chapters are arranged according to the sequence of tasks to be completed when writing a manuscript.
Advancing Health Equity: A Guide to Language, Narrative & Concepts, 2021
Provides guidance and promotes a deeper understanding of equity-focused, person-first language and why it matters.
Health Professions Style Manual by Fondiller & Nerone, 2007
A guide for healthcare professionals on improving writing style, grammar and word usage skills. Topics include the principles of effective writing, common writing pitfalls, and avoiding superfluous word usage.
Grant Writing Handbook for Nurses and Health Professionals (3rd ed) by Holtzclaw et al, 2018
A guide to writing for and securing grant funding. While there is an emphasis on securing federal support, the authors outline numerous potential governmental and nongovernmental sources of grant funding.
Writing Winning Proposals for Nurses and Health Care Professionals by Funk and Tornquist, 2015
Includes how to create proposals for dissertations, capstone projects, research funding, fellowships, and career development awards, as well as for educational training, translational research, evidence-based practice, and demonstration projects.
Writing for Publication in Nursing (4th ed) by Oermann & Hays, 2019
Details steps for writing and reporting research, quality improvement, evidence-based initiatives, and literature reviews. Provides examples of excellent writing from a varied selection of nursing journals.