PhD in Translational Health Sciences: Citation Management

American Psychological Association (APA) style is commonly used for citing references in student papers in science, medical, public health, health sciences and nursing as well as the social science.

 The purpose of documentation is to:

• Identify (cite) other people’s ideas and information used within your essay or term paper.
• Indicate the authors or sources of these in a References list at the end of your paper.

This guide is based on the APA Manual (6th ed.) that was published in 2009.

The following sections provide you with information and examples that will help you to cite the sources that you come across during your research. 

General Style Guidelines

Books

Journal/Magazine Articles

Web Sites

Audiovisual Media

Figures/Images

Other Sources

For more examples and information, consult the following publications:

APA Manual (6th ed.)

What is RefWorks? RefWorks is an online research management, writing and collaboration tool. It is designed to help researchers easily gather, manage, store and share all types of information, as well as generate citations and bibliographies.

Why should you use RefWorks?

• One "click" and you can generate bibliographies in any citation style format. (APA, AMA, MLA and more!)
• Allows you to create & organize your own personal database of references.
• Import your references directly from databases, journals or the library catalog and avoid emailing or the need to save to a USB flashdrive.
• Makes collaboration easier during group projects allowing you to share your RefWorks folder of references.
• Click here for more information on creating a RefWorks account

What is a DOI? A DOI (digital object identifier) is a unique alphanumeric string assigned by a registration agency (the International DOI Foundation) to identify content and provide a persistent link to its location on the internet. 

NOTE: It is regarded as the most important part of the citation because it will accurately direct users to the specific article.

Think of it as a "digital fingerprint" or an article's DNA!

FYI - Updated rules on using DOI:

Correct:  

• https://doi.org/10.1186/1471-2288-12-114

Incorrect:     

• doi:10.1186/1471-2288-12-114
• doi:http://doi:10.1186/1471-2288-12-114
• Retrieved from http://doi:10.1186/1471-2288-12-114

(Above information from The APA blog on DOI. This is APA's official blog and their staff provides excellent examples on APA formatting/citations.)

How do I cite an article I found using an iPhone app?

It is irrelevant whether you read it on your iPhone, IPad, Android, Blackberry, MAC, laptop or in the library. Creating references is not about documenting "how" you located the information but providing the reader a direct path to the "original" source of the material.

Remember - the "iPhone app" is not the source of the article - the "journal" is your source. Cite it as you would any journal article.