We already know a referencing style for each discipline and the type of journal that the paper or article is likely to be published in. The popular ones used by students of humanities, social sciences, or psychology are the Chicago Manual of Style (CMS) and the American Psychological Association (APA), respectively.
What is NLM academic referencing style
A common style among students and practitioners of medicine is the National Library of Medicine (NLM). The International Committee of Medical Journal Editors (ICMJE) has put the guide together.
In this article, we will take a brief look at the NLM reference style. Here are a few quick reminders on how to go about in-text citations, spellings, references, and so on.
In-text citations
- When providing in-text citations, be aware of the source you are citing. If you have referred to an online journal article, don’t mention it as print.
- You may choose one from three available formats for in-text citations. It should be either the author’s last name and the date, a sequencing system, or an author-sequence system.
Reference List
The page should be titled ‘References’.
Titles and abbreviations
- Abbreviate the title of the journal. However, you don’t need to do that if the title is a single word. You can refer to the PubMed list of abbreviations in case of doubt. Titles must be abbreviated according to the NLM Catalog of Journals.
- Unlike a few other styles, under the NLM referencing style, you mention dates in the [year] [month] [date] format. For instance, 2003 Oct 3. However, if the date is followed by something else, like the volume or the issue of the journal, then finish with a semicolon.
NLM Referencing style
Page numbers and abbreviations in NLM referencing style
- Again, the NLM referencing style is slightly different when it comes to page numbers. You needn’t use the letter ‘p’ to indicate page numbers if you cite an article. You also need to abbreviate page numbers. For instance, pages 200-205 must be written as 200-5.
- Something to keep in mind is that you must list all the authors in the order they appear. You must include the names of all authors.
Authors (Books)
- List all authors. Start with the last name, then the initials (first name, then the middle name, if any). You must also use a comma to separate each author’s name.
- Then make a mention of the full title and capitalize only the first word and any proper nouns.
- You must also add the edition. Abbreviate using ‘ed’.
- Also mention the place of publication, the publisher and the year of publication.
- You must also provide the page numbers. In this case, use the letter ‘p.’
Articles sourced from the Internet.
- You must include the word ‘Internet’ like this [Internet] after the title of the journal, followed by the date of publication. Next, mention the date of citation in square brackets as well.
- Use an estimate if the page numbers are unavailable.
- Use the phrase “Available from:” and insert the URL.
More about NLM style here