What’s the ‘Right’ Reference Format?

Greetings again. I hope that all is going well for you.

Recently a colleague forwarded an inquiry to me. In it, a researcher listed different ways to cite references in text and asked which one is correct. After writing my response, I realized that it might interest others. Therefore here’s a version of it:

Different journals have different formats for citing references in text. Some use numbers, either on the same line as the text or as superscripts. Other journals use author name and publication year.

In different journals, citations in text can differ in punctuation, including placement in parentheses or square brackets. They can differ in spacing. And they can differ in placement relative to punctuation in the text.

No one way is the single right one. Rather, different journals use different formats—either for different reasons or because of different traditions.

If a journal's Instructions to Authors specifies a format, authors should use it. Otherwise, authors generally should use the format that they see in that journal.

Sometimes journals say to use citation formats stated in particular style manuals or standardized sets of instructions (for example, Citing Medicine). After a paper is accepted, some journals then change the citations into another format for publication.

It might be easier if there were only one way to cite references in text. But different journals have different styles. Thus, all an author can do is follow instructions or examples from the journal. Editors appreciate authors who do so.

Until the next post—

Barbara