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Citation Styles Guide

Overview

Citation styles provide standardized formats for acknowledging sources in scientific writing. Different disciplines prefer different styles, and journals typically specify which style to use. The five most common citation styles in science are AMA, Vancouver, APA, Chicago, and IEEE.

Choosing the Right Style

Style	Primary Disciplines	In-Text Format
AMA	Medicine, health sciences	Superscript numbers¹
Vancouver	Biomedical sciences	Numbers in brackets [1]
APA	Psychology, social sciences, education	Author-date (Smith, 2023)
Chicago	Humanities, history, some sciences	Notes-bibliography or author-date
IEEE	Engineering, computer science	Numbers in brackets [1]
ACS	Chemistry	Superscript numbers¹ or (1)
NLM	Life sciences, PubMed	Numbers in brackets [1]

Default recommendation: When in doubt, check the journal's author guidelines. Most biomedical journals use Vancouver or AMA style.

AMA Style (American Medical Association)

Overview

Used primarily in medical research
Based on the AMA Manual of Style (11th edition, 2020)
Numbered citations appearing as superscripts
References listed numerically in order of appearance

In-Text Citations

Basic format: Superscript numerals outside periods and commas, inside semicolons and colons.

Examples:

Several studies have demonstrated this effect.¹

The results were inconclusive,² although Smith et al³ reported otherwise.

These findings³⁻⁵ suggest a correlation.

One meta-analysis⁶ found significant heterogeneity; however, the pooled effect was significant.⁷

Multiple citations: Use commas or hyphens for ranges

Multiple studies¹,³,⁵⁻⁷ have confirmed this.

Same source cited multiple times: Use the same number throughout

Reference List Format

Journal Articles:

1. Author AA, Author BB, Author CC. Title of article. Journal Name. Year;Volume(Issue):Page range. doi:xx.xxxx

Example:

1. Smith JD, Johnson AB, Williams CD. Effectiveness of cognitive behavioral therapy for anxiety disorders. JAMA Psychiatry. 2023;80(5):456-464. doi:10.1001/jamapsychiatry.2023.0123

Books:

2. Author AA. Book Title. Edition. Publisher; Year.

Book Chapters:

3. Chapter Author AA. Chapter title. In: Editor AA, Editor BB, eds. Book Title. Edition. Publisher; Year:Page range.

Online Resources:

4. Organization Name. Page title. Website name. Published date. Updated date. Accessed date. URL

Special Cases

More than 6 authors: List first 3, then "et al"

Smith JD, Jones AB, Williams CD, et al.

No author: Begin with title

Advance online publication:

Published online Month Day, Year. doi:xx.xxxx

Vancouver Style

Overview

Developed by the International Committee of Medical Journal Editors (ICMJE)
Described in Recommendations for the Conduct, Reporting, Editing, and Publication of Scholarly Work in Medical Journals
Also called "author-number style"
Numbered citations in square brackets
References listed numerically

In-Text Citations

Basic format: Numbers in square brackets after the relevant text, before periods and commas.

Examples:

Several studies have shown this effect [1].

The results were inconclusive [2], although Smith et al [3] reported otherwise.

These findings [3-5] suggest a correlation.

Multiple studies [1,3,5-7] have confirmed this.

Reference List Format

Journal Articles:

1. Author AA, Author BB, Author CC. Title of article. Journal Name. Year;Volume(Issue):Page range.

Example:

1. Smith JD, Johnson AB, Williams CD. Effectiveness of cognitive behavioral therapy for anxiety disorders. JAMA Psychiatry. 2023;80(5):456-464.

Books:

2. Author AA, Author BB. Book title. Edition. Place of publication: Publisher; Year.

Book Chapters:

3. Chapter Author AA, Chapter Author BB. Chapter title. In: Editor AA, Editor BB, editors. Book title. Edition. Place: Publisher; Year. p. Page range.

Electronic Sources:

4. Author AA. Title of page [Internet]. Place: Publisher; Date of publication [cited Date of citation]. Available from: URL

Special Cases

More than 6 authors: List first 6, then "et al."

Journal title abbreviations: Use PubMed/Index Medicus abbreviations

The Journal of the American Medical Association → JAMA
Nature Medicine → Nat Med

No volume or issue: Use year and page numbers only

Article in press: Use "[Epub ahead of print]" notation

APA Style (American Psychological Association)

Overview

Widely used in psychology, education, and social sciences
Based on the Publication Manual of the APA (7th edition, 2020)
Author-date format for in-text citations
References listed alphabetically by author surname

In-Text Citations

Basic format: (Author, Year)

Examples:

One study found significant effects (Smith, 2023).

Smith (2023) found significant effects.

Multiple studies (Jones, 2020; Smith, 2023; Williams, 2024) support this conclusion.

Two authors: Use "&" in parentheses, "and" in narrative

(Smith & Jones, 2023)
Smith and Jones (2023) demonstrated...

Three or more authors: Use "et al." after first author

(Smith et al., 2023)
Smith et al. (2023) reported...

Multiple works by same author(s) in same year: Add letters

(Smith, 2023a, 2023b)

Direct quotations: Include page numbers

(Smith, 2023, p. 45)
"Quote text" (Smith, 2023, p. 45).
Smith (2023) stated, "Quote text" (p. 45).

Reference List Format

Journal Articles:

Author, A. A., Author, B. B., & Author, C. C. (Year). Title of article. Journal Name, Volume(Issue), page range. https://doi.org/xx.xxxx

Example:

Smith, J. D., Johnson, A. B., & Williams, C. D. (2023). Effectiveness of cognitive behavioral therapy for anxiety disorders. JAMA Psychiatry, 80(5), 456-464. https://doi.org/10.1001/jamapsychiatry.2023.0123

Books:

Author, A. A. (Year). Book title: Subtitle (Edition). Publisher. https://doi.org/xx.xxxx

Book Chapters:

Chapter Author, A. A., & Chapter Author, B. B. (Year). Chapter title. In E. E. Editor & F. F. Editor (Eds.), Book title (pp. page range). Publisher.

Websites:

Author, A. A. (Year, Month Day). Page title. Website Name. URL

Capitalization Rules

Sentence case for article and book titles (capitalize only first word and proper nouns)
Title case for journal names (capitalize all major words)

Example:

Smith, J. D. (2023). Effects of stress on cognitive performance: A meta-analysis. Journal of Experimental Psychology: General, 152(3), 456-478.

Special Cases

No author: Move title to author position

Title of work. (Year). Journal Name...

No date: Use (n.d.)

Smith, J. D. (n.d.). Title...

Up to 20 authors: List all authors with "&" before last 21 or more authors: List first 19, then "...", then final author

Chicago Style

Overview

Based on The Chicago Manual of Style (17th edition, 2017)
Two systems: Notes-Bibliography and Author-Date
Notes-Bibliography common in humanities
Author-Date common in sciences

Notes-Bibliography System

In-Text: Superscript numbers for footnotes or endnotes

One study demonstrated this effect.¹

Note format:

1. John D. Smith, Alice B. Johnson, and Carol D. Williams, "Effectiveness of Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for Anxiety Disorders," JAMA Psychiatry 80, no. 5 (2023): 456-64.

Bibliography format:

Smith, John D., Alice B. Johnson, and Carol D. Williams. "Effectiveness of Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for Anxiety Disorders." JAMA Psychiatry 80, no. 5 (2023): 456-64.

Author-Date System

In-Text: Similar to APA

(Smith, Johnson, and Williams 2023)
Smith, Johnson, and Williams (2023) found...

Reference list: Similar to APA but with different punctuation

Smith, John D., Alice B. Johnson, and Carol D. Williams. 2023. "Effectiveness of Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for Anxiety Disorders." JAMA Psychiatry 80 (5): 456-64.

Special Features

Full names in bibliography (not just initials)
Uses "and" not "&"
Different punctuation from APA

IEEE Style

Overview

Used in engineering, computer science, and technology
Published by the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers
Numbered citations in square brackets
References listed numerically

In-Text Citations

Format: Numbers in square brackets

Examples:

Several studies have demonstrated this effect [1].

The algorithm was described by Smith [2] and later improved [3], [4].

Multiple implementations [1]-[4] have been proposed.

Reference List Format

Journal Articles:

[1] A. A. Author, B. B. Author, and C. C. Author, "Title of article," Journal Name, vol. X, no. X, pp. XX-XX, Month Year.

Example:

[1] J. D. Smith, A. B. Johnson, and C. D. Williams, "Effectiveness of cognitive behavioral therapy for anxiety disorders," JAMA Psychiatry, vol. 80, no. 5, pp. 456-464, May 2023.

Books:

[2] A. A. Author, Book Title, Edition. City, State: Publisher, Year.

Conference Papers:

[3] A. A. Author, "Paper title," in Proc. Conference Name, City, State, Year, pp. XX-XX.

Online Sources:

[4] A. A. Author. "Title." Website. URL (accessed Mon. Day, Year).

Special Features

Abbreviated first and middle names
Uses "and" before last author (not comma)
Month abbreviations (Jan., Feb., etc.)
"vol." and "no." before volume and issue
"pp." before page range

Additional Styles

ACS Style (American Chemical Society)

In-Text: Superscript numbers or numbers in parentheses

This reaction has been well studied.¹
This reaction has been well studied (1).

Reference format:

(1) Smith, J. D.; Johnson, A. B.; Williams, C. D. Title of Article. J. Am. Chem. Soc. 2023, 145, 1234-1245.

Features:

Semicolons between authors
Abbreviated journal names
Year in bold
No issue numbers

NLM Style (National Library of Medicine)

Very similar to Vancouver, used by PubMed/MEDLINE

Key differences:

Uses PubMed journal abbreviations
Specific format for electronic publications
PMID or PMCID can be included

Example:

Smith JD, Johnson AB, Williams CD. Effectiveness of cognitive behavioral therapy for anxiety disorders. JAMA Psychiatry. 2023 May;80(5):456-64. doi: 10.1001/jamapsychiatry.2023.0123. PMID: 12345678.

General Citation Best Practices

Across All Styles

When to cite:

Direct quotations
Paraphrased ideas from others
Statistics, data, or figures from other sources
Theories, models, or frameworks developed by others
Information that is not common knowledge

Citation density:

Introduction: Cite liberally to establish context
Methods: Cite when referencing established protocols or instruments
Results: Rarely cite (focus on your own findings)
Discussion: Cite frequently when comparing to prior work

Source quality:

Prefer peer-reviewed journal articles
Cite original sources when possible (not secondary citations)
Use recent sources (within 5-10 years for active fields)
Ensure sources are reputable and relevant

Common mistakes to avoid:

Inconsistent formatting
Missing required elements (DOI, page numbers, etc.)
Citing sources not actually read (citation chaining)
Over-reliance on review articles instead of primary sources
Including uncited references or missing cited references
Incorrect author names or initials
Wrong year of publication
Truncated titles

Managing Citations

Reference Management Software:

Zotero: Free, open-source, browser integration
Mendeley: Free, PDF annotation, social features
EndNote: Commercial, powerful, institutional support
RefWorks: Web-based, institutional subscriptions

Software benefits:

Automatic formatting in multiple styles
In-text citation insertion
Reference list generation
PDF organization
Sharing capabilities

Verifying Citations

Before submission, check:

Every in-text citation has a corresponding reference
Every reference is cited in text
Formatting is consistent throughout
Author names and initials are correct
Titles are accurate
Journal names match required abbreviations
Volume, issue, and page numbers are correct
DOIs are included (when required)
URLs are functional (for web sources)
Citations appear in correct order (numerical styles)

DOI (Digital Object Identifier)

What is a DOI?

A unique alphanumeric string identifying digital content permanently.

Format:

doi:10.1001/jamapsychiatry.2023.0123
or
https://doi.org/10.1001/jamapsychiatry.2023.0123

When to include:

Required by most journals for recent publications
Preferred over URLs because DOIs don't change
Look up DOIs at https://www.crossref.org/ if not provided

Style-specific formatting:

AMA: doi:10.xxxx/xxxxx
APA: https://doi.org/10.xxxx/xxxxx
Vancouver: Often omitted or added at journal's discretion
Chicago: https://doi.org/10.xxxx/xxxxx

Quick Reference: Journal Article Format

Style	Format
AMA	Author AA, Author BB. Title of article. Journal. Year;Vol(Iss):pp. doi:xx
Vancouver	Author AA, Author BB. Title of article. Journal. Year;Vol(Iss):pp.
APA	Author, A. A., & Author, B. B. (Year). Title of article. Journal, Vol(Iss), pp. https://doi.org/xx
Chicago A-D	Author, A. A., and B. B. Author. Year. "Title." Journal Vol (Iss): pp.
IEEE	A. A. Author and B. B. Author, "Title," Journal, vol. X, no. X, pp. XX-XX, Mon. Year.

Common Abbreviations

Journal Abbreviations

Follow the journal's specified system (usually Index Medicus or ISO):

The Journal of Biological Chemistry → J Biol Chem
Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences → Proc Natl Acad Sci USA
Nature Medicine → Nat Med

Month Abbreviations

Jan., Feb., Mar., Apr., May, June, July, Aug., Sept., Oct., Nov., Dec.
Some styles use three-letter abbreviations without periods

Edition Abbreviations

1st ed., 2nd ed., 3rd ed., etc.
Or: 1st edition, 2nd edition

Special Publication Types

Preprints

APA: Author, A. A. (Year). Title [Preprint]. Repository Name. https://doi.org/xx.xxxx

Theses and Dissertations

APA: Author, A. A. (Year). Title [Doctoral dissertation, University Name]. Repository Name. URL

Conference Proceedings

IEEE: A. A. Author, "Title," in Proc. Conf. Name, City, Year, pp. XX-XX.

Software/Code

APA: Author, A. A. (Year). Title (Version X.X) [Computer software]. Publisher. URL

Datasets

APA: Author, A. A. (Year). Title of dataset (Version X) [Data set]. Repository. https://doi.org/xx.xxxx

Transitioning Between Styles

When converting between citation styles:

Use reference management software for automatic conversion
Check these elements that vary by style:
- In-text citation format (numbered vs. author-date)
- Author name format (initials vs. full names)
- Title capitalization (sentence case vs. title case)
- Journal name formatting (abbreviated vs. full)
- Punctuation (periods, commas, semicolons)
- Use of italics and bold
- Order of elements
Manually verify after automatic conversion
Check journal guidelines for specific requirements

Journal-Specific Citation Styles and Requirements

How to Identify a Journal's Citation Style

Step 1: Check Author Guidelines

Every journal provides author instructions (usually "Instructions for Authors" or "Author Guidelines")
Citation style is typically specified in "References" or "Citations" section
Look for example references formatted in the journal's style

Step 2: Review Recent Publications

Examine 3-5 recent articles from your target journal
Note the in-text citation format (numbered vs. author-date)
Compare reference list formatting
Check for journal-specific variations

Step 3: Verify Journal-Specific Variations Some journals use modified versions of standard styles:

Abbreviated vs. full journal names
DOI inclusion requirements
Article titles in title case vs. sentence case
Maximum number of authors before "et al."

Common Journals and Their Citation Styles

Journal	Citation Style	Key Features
JAMA, JAMA Network journals	AMA	Superscript numbers, abbreviated journal names, no issue numbers
New England Journal of Medicine	Modified Vancouver	Numbered brackets, abbreviated journals, limited authors (3 then et al)
The Lancet	Vancouver	Numbered brackets, PubMed abbreviations
BMJ	Vancouver	Numbered in-text, DOIs required when available
Nature, Nature journals	Nature style (numbered)	Numbered superscripts, abbreviated journals, no article titles in some journals
Science	Science style (numbered)	Numbered in-text, abbreviated format
Cell, Cell Press journals	Cell style (author-year)	Author-date, specific formatting for multiple citations
PLOS journals	Vancouver	Numbered brackets, full journal names in some PLOS journals
Journal of Biological Chemistry	JBC style (numbered)	Numbered in-text, specific abbreviation rules
Psychological journals	APA	Author-date, DOIs required
IEEE journals	IEEE	Numbered brackets, specific format for conference papers
ACS journals	ACS	Superscript or numbered, semicolons between authors

Journal Family Consistency

Journals from the same publisher often share citation styles:

Elsevier journals:

Vary widely; check specific journal
Many use numbered Vancouver-style
Some allow author-date

Springer Nature journals:

Nature journals: Nature style (numbered, abbreviated)
Springer journals: Often numbered or author-date depending on field
BMC journals: Vancouver with full journal names

Wiley journals:

Varies by field
Many biomedical journals use Vancouver
Psychology/social science journals often use APA

American Chemical Society (ACS):

All ACS journals use ACS style
Consistent across Journal of American Chemical Society, Analytical Chemistry, etc.

High-Impact Journal and Conference Preferences

Venue	Field	Citation Preference	Key Features
Nature/Science	Multidisciplinary	Numbered, abbreviated	Space-saving, broad readability
Cell family	Life sciences	Author-date or numbered	Attribution visibility
NEJM/Lancet/JAMA	Medicine	Vancouver/AMA numbered	Medical standard
NeurIPS/ICML/ICLR	Machine Learning	Numbered [1] or (Author, Year)	Varies by conference, check template
CVPR/ICCV/ECCV	Computer Vision	Numbered [1], IEEE-like	Compact format
ACL/EMNLP	NLP	Author-year (ACL style)	Attribution-focused

Adapting Citations for Different Target Journals

When switching journals after desk rejection or withdrawal:

Use reference management software:

Import references into Zotero, Mendeley, or EndNote
Select target journal's citation style from software library
Regenerate citations and reference list automatically
Manually verify formatting matches journal examples

Key elements to check when converting:

In-text format (switch numbered ↔ author-date)
Journal name abbreviation style
Article title capitalization
Author name format (initials vs. full names)
DOI format and inclusion
Issue number inclusion/exclusion
Page number format

Manual verification essential for:

Preprints and non-standard sources
Software/datasets citations
Conference proceedings
Dissertations and theses

Venue-Specific Evaluation Criteria

Content expectations:

High-impact journals: >50% citations from last 5 years; primary sources preferred
Medical journals: Recent clinical evidence; systematic reviews valued
ML conferences: Recent papers (last 2-3 years); preprints (arXiv) acceptable
Self-citation: Keep <20% across all venues

Format compliance (often automated):

Match venue citation style exactly
All in-text citations have corresponding references
Include DOIs when required (journals) or arXiv IDs (ML conferences)
Use correct abbreviations (PubMed for medical, standard for ML)

ML conference specifics:

NeurIPS/ICML/ICLR: ArXiv preprints widely cited; recent work heavily valued
Page limits strict: Citation formatting affects space
Supplementary material: Can include extended bibliography
Double-blind review: Avoid obvious self-citation patterns during review

Citation Density by Venue Type

Venue Type	Expected Citations	Key Notes
Nature/Science research	30-50	Selective, high-impact citations
Medical journals (RCT)	25-40	Recent clinical evidence
Field-specific journals	30-60	Comprehensive field coverage
ML conferences (8-page)	20-40	Space-limited, recent work
Review articles	100-300+	Comprehensive coverage

ML conference citation practices:

NeurIPS/ICML: 25-40 references typical for 8-page papers
Workshop papers: 15-25 references
ArXiv preprints: Widely accepted and cited
Related work: Concise but comprehensive; often moved to appendix
Recency critical: Cite work from last 1-2 years when relevant

Pre-Submission Citation Checklist

Content:

≥50% citations from last 5-10 years (or 2-3 years for ML conferences)
<20% self-citations; balanced perspectives
Primary sources cited (not citation chains)
All claims supported by appropriate citations

Format:

Style matches venue exactly (check template)
All in-text citations in reference list and vice versa
DOIs/arXiv IDs included as required
Abbreviations match venue style

ML conferences additional:

ArXiv preprints properly formatted
Self-citations anonymized if double-blind review
References fit within page limits

Resources for Citation Styles

Official Manuals

AMA: https://www.amamanualofstyle.com/
Vancouver/ICMJE: http://www.icmje.org/
APA: https://apastyle.apa.org/
Chicago: https://www.chicagomanualofstyle.org/
IEEE: https://ieeeauthorcenter.ieee.org/

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Citation Styles Guide

Overview

Choosing the Right Style

AMA Style (American Medical Association)

Overview

In-Text Citations

Reference List Format

Special Cases

Vancouver Style

Overview

In-Text Citations

Reference List Format

Special Cases

APA Style (American Psychological Association)

Overview

In-Text Citations

Reference List Format

Capitalization Rules

Special Cases

Chicago Style

Overview

Notes-Bibliography System

Author-Date System

Special Features

IEEE Style

Overview

In-Text Citations

Reference List Format

Special Features

Additional Styles

ACS Style (American Chemical Society)

NLM Style (National Library of Medicine)

General Citation Best Practices

Across All Styles

Managing Citations

Verifying Citations

DOI (Digital Object Identifier)

What is a DOI?

When to include:

Style-specific formatting:

Quick Reference: Journal Article Format

Common Abbreviations

Journal Abbreviations

Month Abbreviations

Edition Abbreviations

Special Publication Types

Preprints

Theses and Dissertations

Conference Proceedings

Software/Code

Datasets

Transitioning Between Styles

Journal-Specific Citation Styles and Requirements

How to Identify a Journal's Citation Style

Common Journals and Their Citation Styles

Journal Family Consistency

High-Impact Journal and Conference Preferences

Adapting Citations for Different Target Journals

Venue-Specific Evaluation Criteria

Citation Density by Venue Type

Pre-Submission Citation Checklist

Resources for Citation Styles

Official Manuals

Journal-Specific Style Guides

Quick Reference Guides

Reference Management

Journal Citation Style Databases

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