Marilyn Oermann and colleagues including staff member Sathya Amarasekara recently published an article entitled "Guidance Provided to Authors on Citing and Formatting References in Nursing Journals" in Journal for Nurses in Professional Development. Co-authors include Leslie Nicoll (Editor), Peggy Chinn (Editor), Jamie Conklin, Duke Medical Center Librarian and Mimi McCarty (Duke Clinical Research Coordinator). 

Abstract

Reference citations should be accurate, complete, and presented in a consistent format. This study analyzed information provided to authors on preparing citations and references for manuscripts submitted to nursing journals (n = 209). Half of the journals used the American Psychological Association reference style. Slightly more than half provided examples of how to cite articles and books; there were fewer examples of citing websites and online journals. Suggestions on improving accuracy of references are discussed.