Chapter 16Journals in Audiovisual Formats

Box 1Surnames with hyphens and other punctuation in them

• Keep hyphens within surnames

  • Estelle Palmer-Canton   becomes   Palmer-Canton E
  • Ahmed El-Assmy   becomes   El-Assmy A
• Keep particles, such as O', D', and L'

  • Alan D. O'Brien   becomes   O'Brien AD
  • Jacques O. L'Esperance   becomes   L'Esperance JO
  • U. S'adeh   becomes   S'adeh U
• Omit all other punctuation in surnames

  • Charles A. St. James   becomes   St James CA

Box 2Other surname rules

• Keep prefixes in surnames

  • Lama Al Bassit   becomes   Al Bassit L
  • Jiddeke M. van de Kamp   becomes   van de Kamp JM
  • Gerard de Pouvourville   becomes   de Pouvourville G
• Keep compound surnames even if no hyphen appears

  • Sergio Lopez Moreno   becomes   Lopez Moreno S
  • Jaime Mier y Teran   becomes   Mier y Teran J
  • Virginie Halley des Fontaines   becomes   Halley des Fontaines V
  • [If you cannot determine from the article whether a surname is a compound one or a combination of a middle name and a surname, look to the table of contents of the issue or an annual or other index for clarification. For example, Elizabeth Scott Parker may be interpreted to be Parker ES or Scott Parker E.]
• Ignore diacritics, accents, and special characters in names. This rule ignores some conventions used in non-English languages to simplify rules for English-language publications.

  • Treat a letter marked with diacritics or accents as if it were not marked

    • Å   treated as   A
    • Ø   treated as   O
    • Ç   treated as   C
    • Ł   treated as   L
    • à   treated as   a
    • ĝ   treated as   g
    • ñ   treated as   n
    • ü   treated as   u
  • Treat two or more letters printed as a unit (ligated letters) as if they were two letters

    • æ   treated as   ae
    • œ   treated as   oe

Box 3Given names containing punctuation, a prefix, a preposition, or particle

• Disregard hyphens joining given (first or middle) names

  • Jean-Louis Lagrot   becomes   Lagrot JL
• Use only the first letter of given names and middle names when they contain a prefix, a preposition, or other particle

  • D'Arcy Hart   becomes   Hart D
  • W. St. John Patterson   becomes   Patterson WS
  • De la Broquerie Fortier   becomes   Fortier D
  • Craig McC. Brooks   becomes   Brooks CM
• Disregard traditional abbreviations of given names. Some non-US publications use abbreviations of conventional given names rather than single initials, such as St. for Stefan. Use only the first letter of the abbreviation.

  • Ch. Wunderly   becomes   Wunderly C
  • C. Fr. Erdman   becomes   Erdman CF
• For non-English names that have been romanized (written in the roman alphabet), capitalize only the first letter when the original initial is represented by more than one letter

  • Iu. A. Iakontov   becomes   Iakontov IuA
  • G. Th. Tsakalos   becomes   Tsakalos GTh

Box 4Degrees, titles, and honors before or after a personal name

• Omit degrees, titles, and honors that follow a personal name, such as M.D.

  • James A. Reed, M.D., F.R.C.S.   becomes   Reed JA
  • Katherine Schmidt, Ph.D.   becomes   Schmidt K
  • Robert V. Lang, Major, US Army   becomes   Lang RV
• Omit rank and honors that precede a name, such as Colonel or Sir

  • Sir Frances Hildebrand   becomes   Hildebrand F
  • Dr. Helga Eberhard   becomes   Eberhard H
  • Captain R. C. Williams   becomes   Williams RC

Box 5Designations of rank in a family, such as Jr and III

• Place family designations of rank after the initials, without punctuation
• Convert roman numerals to arabic ordinals
  Examples :

  • Vincent T. DeVita, Jr.   becomes   DeVita VT Jr
  • James G. Jones II   becomes   Jones JG 2nd
  • John A. Adams III   becomes   Adams JA 3rd
  • Henry B. Cooper IV   becomes   Cooper HB 4th

Box 6Names in non-roman alphabets (Cyrillic, Greek, Arabic, Hebrew, Korean) or character-based languages (Chinese, Japanese)

Romanization, a form of transliteration, means using the roman (Latin) alphabet to represent the letters or characters of another alphabet. A good authority for romanization is the ALA-LC Romanization Tables.

• Romanize names in Cyrillic (Russian, Bulgarian, etc.), Greek, Arabic, Hebrew, Korean, or character-based languages, such as Chinese and Japanese
• Capitalize only the first letter of romanized names when the original initial is represented by more than one letter

  • Iu. A. Iakontov   becomes   Iakontov IuA
  • G. Th. Tsakalos   becomes   Tsakalos GTh
• Ignore diacritics, accents, and special characters in names. This rule ignores some conventions used in non-English languages to simplify rules for English-language publications.

  • Treat a letter marked with diacritics or accents as if it were not marked

    • Å   treated as   A
    • Ø   treated as   O
    • Ç   treated as   C
    • Ł   treated as   L
    • à   treated as   a
    • ĝ   treated as   g
    • ñ   treated as   n
    • ü   treated as   u
  • Treat two or more letters printed as a unit (ligated letters) as if they were two letters

    • æ   treated as   ae
    • œ   treated as   oe

Box 7Organizations as author

An organization such as a university, society, association, corporation, or governmental body may serve as an author.

• Omit "The" preceding an organizational name

  • The American Cancer Society   becomes   American Cancer Society
• If a division or other part of an organization is included in the publication, give the parts of the name in descending hierarchical order, separated by commas

  • American Medical Association, Committee on Ethics.
  • International Union of Pure and Applied Chemistry, Organic and Biomolecular Chemistry Division.
  • American College of Surgeons, Committee on Trauma, Ad Hoc Subcommittee on Outcomes, Working Group.
• When citing organizations that are national bodies such as government agencies, if a nationality is not part of the name, place the country in parentheses after the name, using the two-letter ISO country code (see Appendix D)

  • National Academy of Sciences (US).
  • Royal Marsden Hospital Bone-Marrow Transplantation Team (GB).
• Separate two or more different organizations by a semicolon

  • Canadian Association of Orthodontists; Canadian Dental Association.
  • American Academy of Pediatrics, Committee on Pediatric Emergency Medicine; American College of Emergency Physicians, Pediatric Committee.
• If both individuals and an organization(s) appear on the title page of an article as authors, give both, in the order they appear in the article, and separate them by a semicolon

  • Sugarman J, Getz K, Speckman JL, Byrne MM, Gerson J, Emanuel EJ; Consortium to Evaluate Clinical Research Ethics.
  • Pinol V, Castells A, Andreu M, Castellvi-Bel S, Alenda C, Llor X, Xicola RM, Rodriguez-Moranta F, Paya A, Jover R, Bessa X; Spanish Gastroenterological Association, Gastrointestinal Oncology Group.
  • Margulies EH; NISC Comparative Sequencing Program; Maduro VV, Thomas PJ, Tomkins JP, Amemiya CT, Luo M, Green ED.
• For names of organizations in languages other than English:

  • Give names in languages using the roman alphabet (primarily European languages, such as French, Italian, Spanish, German, Swedish, etc.) as they appear in the publication. Whenever possible follow a non-English name with a translation. Place all translations in square brackets.

    • Istituto di Fisiologia Clinica del CNR.
    • Universitatsmedizin Berlin.
    • Nordisk Anaestesiologisk Forening [Scandinavian Society of Anaesthesiologists].
  • Romanize (write in the roman alphabet) or translate names of organizations in Cyrillic, Greek, Arabic, Hebrew, or Korean. A good authority for romanization is the ALA-LC Romanization Tables. Whenever possible follow a non-English name with a translation. Place all translations in square brackets.

    • Rossiiskoe Respiratornoe Obshchestvo [Russian Respiratory Society].
    • [Russian Respiratory Society].
  • Translate names of organizations in character-based languages such as Chinese and Japanese. Place all translations in square brackets.

    • [Chinese Medical Society].
  • Ignore diacritics, accents, and special characters in names. This rule ignores some conventions used in non-English languages to simplify rules for English-language publications.

    • Treat a letter marked with diacritics or accents as if it were not marked

      • Å   treated as   A
      • Ø   treated as   O
      • Ç   treated as   C
      • Ł   treated as   L
      • à   treated as   a
      • ĝ   treated as   g
      • ñ   treated as   n
      • ü   treated as   u
    • Treat two or more letters printed as a unit (ligated letters) as if they were two letters

      • æ   treated as   ae
      • œ   treated as   oe

Box 8Editor instead of an author

• If no person or organization can be found as the author but an editor is present, begin the reference with the name of the editor. Follow the same rules used for author names, but end the list of names with a comma and the word editor or editors.

  • Sanger JM, Sanger JW, editors. Cell motility and the cytoskeleton. Cell Motil Cytoskelet Video Suppl [videocassette]. 1998;(5):[60 min.]. 1 videocassette: sound, color with black & white, 1/2 in.
• If no person or organization can be identified as the author and no editors are given, begin the reference with the title of the article. Do not use anonymous.

  • OPO certification. Transpl Video J [videocassette]. 2000 Fall;(12):[presentation 2, 8 min.]. 1 videocassette: sound, color, 1/2 in.

Box 9No author can be found

• If no person or organization can be found as the author but editors or translators are present, begin the reference with the names of the editors or translators. Follow the same rules used for author names, but end the list of names with a comma and the specific role, that is, editor or translator.

  • Sanger JM, Sanger JW, editors. Cell motility and the cytoskeleton. Cell Motil Cytoskelet Video Suppl [videocassette]. 1998;(5):[60 min.]. 1 videocassette: sound, color with black & white, 1/2 in.
• If no person or organization can be identified as the author and no editors or translators are given, begin the reference with the title of the article. Do not use anonymous.

  • OPO certification. Transpl Video J [videocassette]. 2000 Fall;(12):[presentation 2, 8 min.]. 1 videocassette: sound, color, 1/2 in.

Box 10Options for author names

The following formats are not NLM practice for citing authors, but are acceptable options:

• Full first names of authors may be given. Separate the surname from the given name or initials by a comma; follow initials with a period; separate successive names by a semicolon.

  • Takagi, Yasushi; Harada, Jun; Chiarugi, Alberto M.; Moskowitz, Michael A.
  • Mann, Frederick D.; Swartz, Mary N.; Little, R.T.
• If space is a consideration, the number of authors may be limited to a specific number, such as the first three authors or first six authors. Follow the last named author by a comma and "et al." or "and others."

  • Rastan S, Hough T, Kierman A, et al.
  • Adler DG, Baron TH, Davila RE, Egan J, Hirota WK, Leighton JA, and others.

Box 11Abbreviations in affiliations

• Abbreviate commonly used words in affiliations, if desired. Follow all abbreviated words with a period.

  • Examples:

    • Acad. for Academy
    • Assoc. for Association
    • Co. for Company
    • Coll. for College
    • Corp. for Corporation
    • Dept. for Department
    • Div. for Division
    • Inst. for Institute or Institution
    • Soc. for Society
    • Univ. for University
  • See Appendix C for more abbreviations of commonly used English words.
• Abbreviate names of US states and Canadian provinces using their official two-letter abbreviations. See Appendix E for a list of these.
• Abbreviate names of countries outside of the US and Canada using the two-letter ISO country code, if desired. See Appendix D for codes of selected countries.
• Be consistent. If you abbreviate a word in one reference, abbreviate the same word in all references.

Box 12E-mail address included

• Follow the US state, Canadian province, or country of the author with a period and a space
• Insert the e-mail address as it appears in the publication
• Do not end an e-mail address with a period
• Place the e-mail address within the closing parenthesis for the author affiliation
  Example:

  • Patrias K (Reference Section, National Library of Medicine, Bethesda MD. [email protected]), de la Cruz FF (Mental Retardation and Developmental Disabilities Branch, National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, Bethesda, MD. [email protected]).

Box 13Organizational names not in English

• Give the affiliation of all authors or only the first author
• Begin with the department and name of the organization, followed by the city, the two-letter abbreviation for the US state or Canadian province (see Appendix E), and the country name or two-letter ISO country code (see Appendix D) if non-US
• Ignore diacritics, accents, and special characters in names. This rule ignores some conventions used in non-English languages to simplify rules for English-language publications.

  • Treat a letter marked with diacritics or accents as if it were not marked

    • Å   treated as   A
    • Ø   treated as   O
    • Ç   treated as   C
    • Ł   treated as   L
    • à   treated as   a
    • ĝ   treated as   g
    • ñ   treated as   n
    • ü   treated as   u
  • Treat two or more letters printed as a unit (ligated letters) as if they were two letters

    • æ   treated as   ae
    • œ   treated as   oe
• For non-English organizational names in the roman alphabet (primarily European languages, such as French, German, Spanish, Italian, Swedish, etc.), provide the name in the original language

  • Carpentier AF (Service de Neurologie, Hopital de la Salpetriere, Paris, France), Moreno Perez D (Unidad de Infectologia e Inmunodeficiencias, Departamento de Pediatria, Hospital Materno-Infantil Carlos Haya, Malaga, Spain).
  • Pinet LM (Departamento de Servicios de Salud de Emergencia, Escuela de Posgrado, Universidad de Maryland, Condado de Baltimore, USA. [email protected]).
• Romanize (write in the roman alphabet) or translate organizational names in Cyrillic, Greek, Arabic, Hebrew, or Korean. A good authority for romanization is the ALA-LC Romanization Tables.

  • Barbulescu M (Clinica Chirurgicala, Spitalul Clinic Coltea, Bucuresti), Burcos T, Ungureanu CD, Zodieru-Popa I.
  • Grudinina NA (Institute of Experimental Medicine, Russian Academy of Medical Sciences, St. Petersburg, Russia), Golubkov VI, Tikhomirova OS, Brezhneva TV, Hanson KP, Vasilyev VB, Mandelshtam MY.
• Translate organizational names in character-based languages (Chinese, Japanese)

  • Susaki K (First Department of Internal Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, Kagawa University, Takamatsu, Japan), Bandoh S, Fujita J, Kanaji N, Ishii T, Kubo A, Ishida T.
• Use the English form of names for cities and countries whenever possible. For example, Vienna for Wien and Spain for Espana. However, the name found on the publication may always be used.

Box 14Names for cities and countries not in English

• Use the English form for names of cities and countries whenever possible. However, the name as found on the publication may always be used

  • Moskva   becomes   Moscow
  • Wien   becomes   Vienna
  • Italia   becomes   Italy
  • Espana   becomes   Spain

Box 17Translated article titles ending in punctuation other than a period

• Most article titles end in a period. When a translation of an article title is provided, place it in square brackets. Place the closing period outside the brackets.

  • [A new, safe and simple breath test for the diagnosis of impaired digestion].
  • or
  • Un nuovo, sicuro e semplice breath test per la diagnosi di maldigestione [A new, safe and simple breath test for the diagnosis of impaired digestion].
• If a translated article title ends in another form of punctuation, keep that punctuation. Place it within the square brackets for the translation and end title information with a period outside the brackets.

  • [Quality criteria in medicine: which limits?].
  • or
  • Les criteres de qualite en medecine: jusqu' ou aller? [Quality criteria in medicine: which limits?].

Box 15Article titles not in English

• Translate article titles not in English. Place all translated titles in square brackets. Indicate the particular language after the pagination.

  • Baraldini M, Ventrucci M, Cipolla A, Conci T, Calliv R, Roda A, Roda E. [A new, safe and simple breath test for the diagnosis of impaired digestion]. Video Riv Ital Med Chir [videocassette]. 1993 Sep-Dec;6(3):[article 2, 16 min.]. 1 videocassette: sound, color, 1/2 in. Italian.
• Whenever possible, place the original language title or romanized title before the translation

  • Capitalize only the first word of the title, proper nouns, proper adjectives, acronyms, and initialisms unless the conventions of a particular language require other capitalization

    • Neue Nifedipin-Zubeitung ermoglicht tagliche Einmalgabe [New nifedipine preparation makes single daily dose possible].
  • Ignore diacritics, accents, and special characters in titles. This rule ignores some conventions used in non-English languages to simplify rules for English-language publications.

    • Treat a letter marked with diacritics or accents as if it were not marked

      • Å   treated as   A
      • Ø   treated as   O
      • Ç   treated as   C
      • Ł   treated as   L
      • à   treated as   a
      • ĝ   treated as   g
      • ñ   treated as   n
      • ü   treated as   u
    • Treat two or more letters printed as a unit (ligated letters) as if they were two letters

      • æ   treated as   ae
      • œ   treated as   oe
  Example:

  • Baraldini M, Ventrucci M, Cipolla A, Conci T, Calliv R, Roda A, Roda E. Un nuovo, sicuro e semplice breath test per la diagnosi di maldigestione [A new, safe and simple breath test for the diagnosis of impaired digestion]. Video Riv Ital Med Chir [videocassette]. 1993 Sep-Dec;6(3):[article 2, 16 min.]. 1 videocassette: sound, color, 1/2 in. Italian.

Box 16Article titles in more than one language

• If an article appears in English as well as other languages, give the English language version of the article title. Indicate all languages of publication after the location (pagination) and separate them by commas.
• If an article appears in more than one language and none of them is English, translate the title into English and place the translation in square brackets. Indicate all languages of publication after the location (pagination) and separate them by commas.
• As an option, if an article title is presented in two equal languages, as often occurs in Canadian publications, give both titles in the order in which they are presented, with an equals sign between them. Indicate all languages of publication after the location (pagination) and separate them by commas.

  • Prise en charge des thrombocytopenies induites par l'heparine = Management of heparin-induced thrombocytopenia.

Box 18Article titles containing a Greek letter, chemical formula, or another special character

• Capitalize the first word of an article title unless the title begins with a Greek letter, chemical formula, or another special character that might lose its meaning if capitalized

  • von Willebrand disease.
  • p53 and its downstream proteins.
• If a title contains a Greek letter or some other symbol that cannot be reproduced with the type fonts available, substitute the name for the symbol. For example, Ω becomes omega.

  • Influence of seed extract of Syzygium cumini (Jamun) on mice exposed to different doses of γ-radiation.
  • may become
  • Influence of seed extract of Syzygium cumini (Jamun) on mice exposed to different doses of gamma-radiation.
• If a title contains superscripts or subscripts that cannot be reproduced with the type fonts available, place the superscript or subscript in parentheses

  • Human Rhesus-associated glycoprotein mediates facilitated transport of NH₃ into red blood cells.
  • may become
  • Human Rhesus-associated glycoprotein mediates facilitated transport of NH(3) into red blood cells.

Box 19Article titles with headers

• Journal articles sometimes contain a header at the top (such as news, case report, or clinical study) to indicate a section of the issue. Do not include a header as part of the article title unless the table of contents for the journal issue indicates that it is.

Box 20No article title can be found

• Occasionally an article does not appear to have any title; the article simply begins with the text. In this circumstance, create a title from the first few words of the text and place it in square brackets. Use enough words to make the constructed title meaningful.

  • [US transplant games]. Transpl Video J [videocassette]. 2000;Suppl:[11 min.]. 1 videocassette: sound, color, 1/2 in.

Box 21Abbreviation rules for journal titles

• Abbreviate and capitalize significant words in a journal title and omit other words, such as articles, conjunctions, and prepositions. For example: of, the, at, in, and, L'.

  • Practical Reviews in Dermatology   becomes   Pract Rev Dermatol [audiocassette].
  • Video Revista Italiana di Medicina e Chirurgia   becomes   Video Rev Ital Med Chir [videocassette].
  • Drugs & Devices   becomes   Drugs Devices [videocassette].
  • [A list of the abbreviations for common English words used in journal titles is in Appendix A. See Appendix B for other sources.]
• Do not abbreviate journal titles that consist of a single word or titles written in a character-based language such as Chinese and Japanese

  • Gastroenterology   becomes   Gastroenterology [audiocassette].
  • Momaku Fukuijutsu   becomes   Momaku Fukuijutsu [videocassette].
• Do not include journal subtitles as part of the abbreviated title

  • Resource: a Monthly Audio Digest of Current Issues in Health Care   becomes   Resource [audiocassette].
• Omit any punctuation found in a title

  • Audio-digest Anesthesiology   becomes   Audio Dig Anesthesiol [audiocassette].
• Some bibliographies and online databases show a place of publication after a journal title, such as Emerg Med (Glendale, Calif). This practice is used to show that two or more journal titles with the same name reside in a library collection or database; the name of the city where the journal is published distinguishes the titles. The city or state/country is usually shown in abbreviated format following the same rules as for words in journal titles, as Calif for California in the example above. If you use a bibliography or database to verify your reference and a place name is included, you may keep it if you wish.
• See also Construction of National Library of Medicine Title Abbreviations

Box 22Single word journal titles

• Do not abbreviate journal titles consisting of a single word, regardless of language

  • Dermatology.   becomes   Dermatology [audiocassette].

Box 23Non-English journal titles

• For non-English journal titles appearing in the roman alphabet (French, German, Spanish, Italian, etc.), provide the name in the original language. Abbreviate it according to the Abbreviation rules for journal titles and capitalize all remaining title words, including abbreviations. Indicate the language of the article after the location (pagination).

  • Baraldini M, Ventrucci M, Cipolla A, Conci T, Calliv R, Roda A, Roda E. [A new, safe and simple breath test for the diagnosis of impaired digestion]. Video Riv Ital Med Chir [videocassette]. 1993 Sep-Dec;6(3):[article 2, 16 min.]. 1 videocassette: sound, color, 1/2 in. Italian.
• For a journal title in a non-roman alphabet:

  • Romanize (write in the roman alphabet) the title if it is in Cyrillic, Greek, Arabic, Hebrew, or Korean. Abbreviate it according to the Abbreviation rules for journal titles and capitalize all remaining title words, including abbreviations. Indicate the language of the article after the pagination.

    • Nervn Perevoz [audiocassette].
  • Romanize the title if in a character-based language (Chinese, Japanese). Do not abbreviate any of the words or omit any words; use the capitalization system of the particular language. Indicate the language of the article after the pagination.

    • Momaku Fukuijutsu [videocassette].
    • [It is not NLM practice, but you may translate journal titles in character-based languages. If you do, abbreviate the title according to the Abbreviation rules for journal titles and indicate the language of the article after the pagination.]
    • Retin Surg [videocassette].
  • A good authority for romanization is the ALA-LC Romanization Tables
• Ignore diacritics, accents, and special characters in titles. This rule ignores some conventions used in non-English languages to simplify rules for English-language publications.

  • Treat a letter marked with diacritics or accents as if it were not marked

    • Å   treated as   A
    • Ø   treated as   O
    • Ç   treated as   C
    • Ł   treated as   L
    • à   treated as   a
    • ĝ   treated as   g
    • ñ   treated as   n
    • ü   treated as   u
  • Treat two or more letters printed as a unit (ligated letters) as if they were two letters

    • æ   treated as   ae
    • œ   treated as   oe

Box 24Multiple language journal titles

• For a journal title appearing in more than one language, use the title in the first language found, in order of preference: on the title page of the issue, on the issue cover, or on the masthead

Box 25Journals appearing in different editions

• If a journal is published in more than one edition, include the edition information after the title
• Abbreviate and capitalize all significant words and omit the other words, such as articles, conjunctions, and prepositions. For example: of, the, at, in, and, L'.
• Omit any punctuation found
• Separate the edition from the title itself by a space and place it in parentheses
• Do not follow abbreviated words by a period, but end all title information with a period

  • First Image. OB/GYN Edition   becomes   First Image (OB GYN Ed) [videocassette].
• See the Abbreviation rules for editions for more information

Box 26Options for journal titles

The following forms are not NLM practice for citing journal titles, but are acceptable options:

• Periods may be placed after each abbreviated word in the title

  • Video J Orthop [videocassette].   may become   Video. J. Orthop. [videocassette].
• The title may be written out in full

  • Video Journal of Orthopaedics [videocassette].

Box 27Abbreviation rules for editions

• Use the same rules for abbreviating the words in an edition statement as for the words in journal titles, because an edition is considered a part of the title in journal citations
• Abbreviate and capitalize all significant words and omit the other words, such as articles, conjunctions, and prepositions. For example: of, the, at, in, and, L'. See Appendix A for a list of commonly abbreviated English words in journal titles. See Appendix B for other sources.
• Omit any punctuation found
• Separate the edition from the title by a space and place it in parentheses
• Do not follow abbreviated words with a period, but end all the title information with a period
  Example:

  • First Image. OB/GYN Edition   becomes   First Image (OB GYN Ed) [videocassette].

Box 28Non-English words for editions

• For non-English edition statements written in the roman alphabet (French, German, Spanish, Italian, etc.):

  • Provide the name in the original language
  • Abbreviate and capitalize all significant words and omit the other words, such as articles, conjunctions, and prepositions. For example: de, der, y, les, and, L'.

    • Sources for word abbreviations are:

      • List of Journals Indexed for MEDLINE
      • PubMed Journals Database
      • Appendix B for non-NLM sources
  • Ignore diacritics, accents, and special characters in words. This rule ignores some conventions used in non-English languages to simplify rules for English-language publications.

    • Treat letters marked with a diacritic or accent as if they are not marked

      • Å   treated as   A
      • Ø   treated as   O
      • Ç   treated as   C
      • Ł   treated as   L
      • à   treated as   a
      • ĝ   treated as   g
      • ñ   treated as   n
      • ü   treated as   u
    • Treat two or more letters printed as a unit (ligated letters) as if they are two letters

      • æ   treated as   ae
      • œ   treated as   oe
  • Separate the edition from the title itself by a space and place it in parentheses
  • Do not follow abbreviated words with a period, but end all the journal title information with a period
• For an edition statement written in Cyrillic, Greek, Arabic, Hebrew, or Korean

  • Romanize (write in the roman alphabet) the words for edition. A good authority for romanization is the ALA-LC Romanization Tables.
  • Abbreviate and capitalize all significant words and omit the other words, such as articles, conjunctions, and prepositions. For example: de, la, por, der, and L'.

    • Sources for word abbreviations are:

      • List of Journals Indexed for MEDLINE
      • PubMed Journals Database
      • Appendix B for non-NLM sources
  • Ignore diacritics, accents, and special characters in words. Treat letters marked with a diacritic or accent as if they are not marked. This rule ignores some conventions used in non-English languages to simplify rules for English-language publications.

    • Example: ĉ or ç   becomes   c
  • Separate the edition from the title proper by a space and place it in parentheses
  • Do not follow abbreviated words with a period, but end all journal title information with a period
• For an edition statement written in a character-based language such as Chinese and Japanese.

  • Transliterate the words for edition
  • Do not abbreviate any of the words or omit any words
  • Use the capitalization system of the particular language
  • Ignore diacritics, accents, and special characters in words. Treat letters marked with a diacritic or accent as if they are not marked. This rule ignores some conventions used in non-English languages to simplify rules for English-language publications.
    Examples:

    • ŏ   becomes   o
    • ū   becomes   u
  • Separate the edition from the title proper by a space and place it in parentheses
  • End all title information with a period
    It is not NLM practice, but you may translate such journal titles and their editions. If you do, abbreviate them according to the Abbreviation rules for journal titles.
• Below is a brief list of Non-English words for editions with their abbreviations, if any (n.a. = not abbreviated):

  View in own window

  Language	Word	Abbreviation
  Danish	oplag	n.a.
  Dutch	uitgave	Uitg
  	editie	Ed
  Finnish	julkaisu	Julk
  French	edition	Ed
  German	Ausgabe	Ausg
  Greek	ekdosis	Ekd
  Italian	edizione	Ed
  Norwegian	publikasjon	Publ
  Portuguese	edicao	Ed
  Russian	izdanie	Izd
  Spanish	edicion	Ed
  Swedish	upplaga	n.a

Box 29Both an edition and a type of medium

• If a journal has both an edition and a type of medium, follow the title with the edition, then the type of medium

  • First Image (OB GYN Ed) [videocassette].

Box 34No volume or issue following the date

A volume number usually follows the date of publication. Occasionally a journal is published in a series of issues without volumes or is published with a supplement, part, or special number to a date of publication rather than to a volume or issue.

• If there are issues only, no volume numbers, follow the date of publication with a semicolon and the issue number, placed in parentheses. End with a colon.

  • 1995;(4):
  • 2003 Apr-Jun;(3-4):
• If a journal publishes a supplement, part, or special number to a date of publication rather than to a volume or issue:

  • Follow the date of publication with a semicolon
  • Capitalize and abbreviate the words used for such divisions, but do not end the abbreviated words with a period

    • Supplement = Suppl
    • Part = Pt
    • Special Number = Spec No
  • Follow the words with any accompanying letter or number found, as Suppl 1 and Pt A
  • Place parts only in parentheses
  • End supplement, part, or special number information with a colon
    Examples:

    View in own window

    2005;Suppl:	2005;(Pt 3):	2005;Spec No:
    2005;Suppl A:	2005;(Pt B):	2005;Spec No 2:
    2005;Suppl 1:	2005 Jan;(Pt 1):	2005 Jan;Spec No:
    2005 Jan;Suppl:
    2005;Abstr Suppl:

• If there are no volume numbers, issue numbers, supplements, parts, or special numbers, follow the date information with a colon and the location (pagination) and extent of the article

  • 2000:Side A [program 2, 34 min.].
  • 2004 Jan:[presentation 3, 12 min].
  • 2005 Winter:[article 1, 22 min.].

Box 30Further divisions to a date other than volume or issue

A journal may publish a supplement, part, or special number to a date of publication rather than to a specific volume or issue.

• Capitalize and abbreviate the words used for such divisions, but do not end the abbreviated words with a period

  • Supplement = Suppl
  • Part = Pt
  • Special Number = Spec No
• Translate non-English words. See the following examples:

  View in own window

  Language	Suppl	Spec No	Pt
  French	supplement	nombre speciale	partie
  	annexe		part
  German	Beiblatt	spezielle Zahl	Teil
  	Beilage
  	Erganzung
  	Zusatz
  Italian	supplemento	numero speciale	parte
  Russian	prilozenie	specialnaja	cast'
  	dopolnenie
  Spanish	adjunto	numero especial	parte
  	suplemento
  	anejo

• Follow words with any number or letter found, as Suppl 1 and Pt A
• If a supplement is given a name rather than the usual letter or number, abbreviate significant words and omit other words such as articles, conjunctions, and prepositions. Use the word abbreviations lists found in Appendix A and Appendix B.

  • Abstract Supplement   becomes   Abstr Suppl
  • Supplement: Dementia   becomes   Suppl Dementia
  • Supplement: AIDS in Children   becomes   Suppl AIDS Child
• Separate words with any accompanying number, letter, or name from the date by a semicolon
• Place parts only in parentheses
• End with a colon
  Examples:

  View in own window

  2005;Suppl:	2005;(Pt 3):	2005;Spec No:
  2005;Suppl A:	2005;(Pt B):	2005;Spec No 2:
  2005;Suppl 1:	2005 Jan;(Pt 1):	2005 Jan;Spec No:
  2005 Jan;Suppl:
  2005;Abstr Suppl:

Box 31Multiple years, months, or days of publication

• For multiple years of publication, separate the first and last year of publication by a hyphen. Do not shorten the second of the two years to the last two digits.

  • 2002-2003
  • 1997-1998
  • 1999-2000
• If months and days of the month are given, place them after the year. Use English names for months and abbreviate them using the first three letters.

  • 1999 Oct-2000 Mar
  • 2002 Dec 7-2003 Jan 9
• Separate multiple months of publication and multiple days of the month by a hyphen

  • 2005 Jan-Feb
  • 1999 Dec-2000 Jan
  • 2005 Feb 1-7
  • 2004 Jan 25-31
• Separate multiple seasons by a hyphen, such as Fall-Winter. Do not abbreviate names of seasons.

Box 32Non-English names for months

• Translate names of months into English
• Abbreviate them to the first three letters
• Capitalize them
  For example:

  • mayo = May
  • luty = Feb
  • brezen = Mar

Box 33Seasons instead of months

• Translate names of seasons into English
• Capitalize them
• Do not abbreviate them
  For example:

  • balvan = Summer
  • outomno = Fall
  • hiver = Winter
  • pomlad = Spring
• Separate multiple seasons by a hyphen, such as Fall-Winter

Box 35Options for dates

It is not NLM practice, but the date of publication may follow the author names in the list of references when the name-year system of in-text references is used.

• Use the year of publication only
• Enter the year after the last named author
• Place the volume number immediately following the type of medium
  NLM citation:

  • Wilson JH, Singhoffer JH. Paradoxical embolus in evolution: report of a case. Dyn Cardiovasc Imaging [videocassette]. 1990;3(1):[presentation 2, 4 min.]. 1 videocassette: sound, color, 1/2 in.
  Name-year system citation:

  • Wilson JH, Singhoffer JH. 1990. Paradoxical embolus in evolution: report of a case. Dyn Cardiovasc Imaging [videocassette]. 3(1):[presentation 2, 4 min.]. 1 videocassette: sound, color, 1/2 in.

Box 36Further divisions to a volume other than an issue

A journal may publish a supplement, part, or special number to a volume.

• Capitalize and abbreviate the words used for such divisions, but do not end the abbreviated words with a period

  • Supplement = Suppl
  • Part = Pt
  • Special Number = Spec No
• Translate non-English words. See the following examples:

  View in own window

  Language	Suppl	Spec No	Pt
  French	supplement	nombre speciale	partie
  	annexe		part
  German	Beiblatt	spezielle Zahl	Teil
  	Beilage
  	Erganzung
  	Zusatz
  Italian	supplemento	numero speciale	parte
  Russian	prilozenie	specialnaja	cast'
  	dopolnenie
  Spanish	adjunto	numero especial	parte
  	suplemento
  	anejo

• Follow words with any number or letter found, as Suppl 1 and Pt A
• If a supplement is given a name rather than the usual letter or number, abbreviate significant words and omit other words such as articles, conjunctions, and prepositions. Use the word abbreviations lists found in Appendix A and Appendix B.

  • Abstract Supplement   becomes   Abstr Suppl
  • Supplement: Dementia   becomes   Suppl Dementia
  • Supplement: AIDS in Children   becomes   Suppl AIDS Child
• Separate words with any accompanying number, letter, or name from the volume number by a space except for parts
• Place parts only in parentheses
• End with a colon
  Examples:

  View in own window

  2005;15 Suppl:	2004;16(Pt 2):	2003;6 Spec No:
  2005;45 Suppl A:	2004;5(Pt A):	2003;2 Spec No 2:
  2005 Mar;87 Suppl 1:	2004 Dec;24(Pt A):	2003 Jan;10 Spec No:
  2005;3 Suppl Dementia:

Box 37Non-English names for volume

• To help locate volumes, see the following list for the words and abbreviations used for volume in a variety of languages:

  • aarg.   aargang   année   anno   año   årg.   årgang   band   bd.   bind
  • évf.   évfolyam   g.   god   god.   godina   godišté   jaarg.   jaargang
  • jahrg.   jahrgang   köt.   kötet   r.   ročník   rocznik   rok   sv.   svazek
  • svezak   t.   tom   tom.   tome   tomo   tomus   vol.   volumen   zv.   zväzok   zvezek
• Omit these names when creating a citation; use the number only

Box 38No volume number present

A volume number usually follows the date of publication. Occasionally a journal will publish a series of issues without volumes or will publish a supplement, part, or special number to a date of publication rather than to a volume or issue.

• If there are issues only, no volume numbers, follow the date of publication with a semicolon and the issue number. Place the issue number in parentheses.

  • 1995;(4):
• If a journal publishes a supplement, part, or special number to a date of publication rather than to a volume or issue:

  • Follow the date of publication with a semicolon
  • Capitalize and abbreviate the words used for such divisions, but do not end the abbreviated words with a period

    • Supplement = Suppl
    • Part = Pt
    • Special Number = Spec No
  • Follow the words with any accompanying letter or number found, as Suppl 1 and Pt A
  • Place parts only in parentheses
  • End supplement, part, or special number information with a colon
    Examples:

    View in own window

    2005;Suppl:	2005;(Pt 3):	2005;Spec No:
    2005;Suppl A:	2005;(Pt B):	2005;Spec No 2:
    2005;Suppl 1:	2005 Jan;(Pt 1):	2005 Jan;Spec No:
    2005 Jan;Suppl:
    2005;Abstr Suppl:

• If no volume numbers, issue numbers, supplements, parts, or special numbers are given, follow the date of publication with a colon and the location (pagination) and extent of the article

  • 2000:Side A [program 2, 34 min.].
  • 2004 Jan:[presentation 3, 12 min].
  • 2005 Winter:[article 1, 22 min.].

Box 39Further divisions to an issue

A journal may publish a supplement, part, or special number to an issue.

• Capitalize and abbreviate the words used for such divisions, but do not end the abbreviated words with a period

  • Supplement = Suppl
  • Part = Pt
  • Special Number = Spec No
• Translate non-English words. See the following examples:

  View in own window

  Language	Suppl	Spec No	Pt
  French	supplement	nombre speciale	partie
  	annexe		part
  German	Beiblatt	spezielle Zahl	Teil
  	Beilage
  	Erganzung
  	Zusatz
  Italian	supplemento	numero speciale	parte
  Russian	prilozenie	specialnaja	cast'
  	dopolnenie
  Spanish	adjunto	numero especial	parte
  	suplemento
  	anejo

• Follow words with any number or letter found, as Suppl 1 and Pt A
• If a supplement is given a name rather than the usual letter or number, abbreviate significant words and omit other words such as articles, conjunctions, and prepositions. Use the word abbreviations lists found in Appendix A and Appendix B.

  • Abstract Supplement   becomes   Abstr Suppl
  • Supplement: Dementia   becomes   Suppl Dementia
  • Supplement: AIDS in Children   becomes   Suppl AIDS Child
• Separate words with any accompanying number, letter, or name from the issue number by a space and place them in the parentheses used for the issue number
• End with a colon
  Examples:

  View in own window

  2005;15(2 Suppl):	2004;16(2 Pt 2):	2003;6(3 Spec No):
  2005;45(3 Suppl A):	2004;5(4 Pt A):	2003;2(1 Spec No 2):
  2005 Mar;87(4 Suppl 1):	2004 Dec;24(1 Pt A):	2003 Jan;10(2 Spec No):
  2005;3(2 Suppl Dementia):

Box 40Non-English names for issue

• To help locate issues in languages other than English, see the following list of words and abbreviations used for issue (usually variations on the word number) in a variety of languages:

  • čís.   číslo   fasc.   fascicle   fascicule   fasciculus   heft   knižka
  • no.   nommernr.   numer   número   nummer   sveska   sz.   szám
  • vypusk   zesz.   zeszyt    zošit
• Omit these names when creating a citation; use the number only

Box 41No volume number present

• If there are issues only, no volume numbers, follow the date of publication with a semicolon and the issue number in parentheses

  • 1995;(4):

Box 42No issue number present

• If no issue number is found, follow the volume number with a colon and the location (pagination) and extent of the article

  • 2003;61:[program 4, 45 min.].
• If no issue or volume is found, follow date information with a colon and the location (pagination) and extent of the article

  • 2005 Jan:Side 3 [presentation 2; 14 min.].

Box 43Article comprises the entire issue/cassette

• Location in a citation to an article on videocassette usually begins with an indication of the placement of the article in the cassette, such as program 2 or segment 3
• Location in a citation to an article on audiocassette begins with an indication of the side or sides of the cassette on which the article resides, such as Side A or Side 1, followed by placement information, such as program 2 or segment 3
• Use arabic numbers only, so that Program One or Side I become Program 1 and Side 1
• If the entire issue of the journal is devoted to a single article, omit placement information and enclose in square brackets the total run time of the cassette in minutes or hours
  Examples:

  • Hawkins RJ, Fowler PJ, Steadman JR. Anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction: bone-tendon-bone or hamstring. Issue Orthop [videocassette]. 1999;9:[2 hrs.]. 2 videocassettes: sound, color, 1/2 in.
  • Belvedere PC. Cosmetic placement, indirect inlays, and resin reinforced bridges. Video J Dent [videocassette]. 1997;6(4):[90 min.]. 1 videocassette: sound, color, 1/2 in.
  • Dunlevy C, Fix KN, Siegel AM, Hardin JC Jr, Kreisberg RE. Nicotine intervention in the hospital setting: reviews. Clin Adv Cardiorespir Care [audiocassette]:1994 Nov;6(2):Side 1-2 [42 min.].

Box 44Audiocassette article appears on more than one side

• Location in a citation to an article on audiocassette begins with an indication of the side or sides of the cassette on which the article resides, such as Side A or Side 1, followed by placement information, such as program 2 or segment 3
• When an article appears on more than one side of an audiocassette, give the letters or numbers of both sides, separated by a hyphen, such as Side A-B and Side 1-2. Use arabic numbers only, so that Side II or Side Two becomes Side 2.
  Examples:

  • Olsen RC. Irritable bowel syndrome. Audio Dig Fam Pract [audiocassette]. 1995 Oct 2;43(37):Side A-B [presentation 2, 34 min.]. 1 audiocassette: 1 7/8 ips.
  • Dunlevy C, Fix KN, Siegel AM, Hardin JC Jr, Kreisberg RE. Nicotine intervention in the hospital setting: reviews. Clin Adv Cardiorespir Care [audiocassette]:1994 Nov;6(2):Side 1-2 [42 min.].

Box 45Language for describing physical characteristics

When a journal volume or issue is published on videocassette or audiocassette, follow the location with information on the physical characteristics of the cassette. Physical description is optional in a reference, but it may be included to provide useful information. For example, the size of an audiovisual indicates what equipment is needed to view it. Note that the words used in description are taken from ISO 832:1994 - Rules for the abbreviation of bibliographic terms and reflect standard library practice. See Appendix C for a list of commonly used English words and their abbreviations.

• Describe videocassettes using terms for the number of cassettes, whether or not it has sound or is silent, is filmed in color or black and white, and its size in inches
• Describe audiocassettes in terms of the number of inches per second (ips). The standard audiocassette is 2 in. x 4 in. and 1 7/8 ips. While audiocassettes are produced in a number of sizes, the standard size is used for scientific journals. Thus size is usually omitted from description of audiocassettes unless it deviates from the standard.
• Follow the number and type of cassette with a colon and a space. Separate other types of information by commas. End with a period.
  Typical words used to describe videocassettes include:

  • sound
  • silent

  • color
  • black & white
  • color with black & white

  • 1/2 in. (standard videocassette size)
  • 3/4 in. (non-standard videocassette size)
  Examples of complete physical description statements for videocassettes:

  • 1 videocassette: sound, color, 1/2 in.
  • 1 videocassette: sound, color with black & white, 1/2 in.
  • 2 videocassettes: sound, color, 1/2 in.
  • 1 videocassette: silent, black & white, 3/4 in.
  Typical words used to describe audiocassettes include:

  • 1 7/8 ips. (standard audiocassette speed)
  • 15/16 ips. (standard speed for microcassettes)
  Examples of complete physical description statements for audiocassettes:

  • 1 audiocassette: 1 7/8 ips.
  • 2 audiocassettes: 1 7/8 ips.

Box 46Articles appearing in more than one language

• If an article is written in English as well as other languages:

  • Give the English language version of the article title
  • Indicate all languages of publication after the location (pagination), separated by commas
  • End the list of languages with a period
    Example: English, French, Spanish.
• If an article is written in more than one language and none of them is English:

  • Translate into English the version of the title that appears first
  • Place the translation in square brackets
  • Indicate all languages of publication after the location (pagination), separated by commas
  • End the list of languages with a period
    Example: Spanish, Italian.
• As an option, when an article title is written in two or more equal languages as often occurs in Canadian publications:

  • Give all titles in the order in which they are presented
  • Separate them with an equals sign with a space on either side
  • Indicate the languages after the location (pagination), separated by a comma
  • End the list of languages with a period
    Example:

    • Prise en charge des thrombocytopenies induites par l'heparine = Management of heparin-induced thrombocytopenia.

Box 47Article accompanied by a booklet or other type of material

• If an audiovisual journal article has supplemental material accompanying it in the form of a booklet, syllabus, pre- or post-test, or other material, begin by citing the article. Add the phrase "Accompanied by: " followed by a description of the material.

  • Reeder JD. MRI of osseous neoplasm. MRI Updates Musculoskelet MRI [videocassette]. 2003;16(5):[presentation 3, 35 min.]. 1 videocassette: sound, color, 1/2 in. Accompanied by: 1 syllabus.
  • Olsen RC. Irritable bowel syndrome. Audio Dig Fam Pract [audiocassette]. 1995 Oct 2;43(37):Side A-B [presentation 2, 34 min.]. 1 audiocassette: 1 7/8 ips. Accompanied by: booklet with post-test.

Box 48Other types of material to include in notes

The notes element may be used to provide any information that the compiler of the reference feels is useful. For example:

• If the audiovisual article was sponsored by or prepared for a particular organization

  • Baim DS, Sketch MH Sr. Four to six year outcome of Palmaz-Schatz stenting. ACCEL [audiocassette]. 1996 Jun;28(6):Side 3 [presentation 2]. 1 audiocassette: 1 7/8 ips. ACCEL is published by the American College of Cardiology.
• If the journal being cited is not a common one, the name of a library or other archive where it may be found, including any finding number. Begin with the phrase "Located at" followed by a colon and a space

  • CAPOTEN: captopril. Drugs Devices [videocassette]. 1984 May;2(3):[presentation 4, 16 min.]. 1 videocassette: sound, color, 3/4 in. Located at: National Library of Medicine, Bethesda, MD; W1 DR892EG.
• If the audiovisual article contains material of particular interest to the audience that may not be apparent from the title

  • Wolf JE Jr. Effect of low-fat diet on skin cancer. Dialogues Dermatol [audiocassette]. 1995 Dec;37(3):Side 2 [16 min.]. 1 audiocassette: 1 7/8 ips. Accompanied by: booklet with learning objectives, quiz, and bibliography. Interviewed by Stewart M. Brown.

Box 49Journal titles not in English

• For non-English journal titles appearing in the roman alphabet (French, German, Spanish, Italian, etc.), provide the name in the original language

  • Video-Revista de Cirugia [videocassette].
• For a journal title in a non-roman alphabet:

  • Romanize (write in the roman alphabet) the title if it is in Cyrillic, Greek, Arabic, Hebrew, or Korean, or in a character-based language (Chinese, Japanese)

    • Nervnaia Perevozka [videocassette].
    • Momaku Fukuijutsu [videocassette].
    • [It is not NLM practice, but you may translate journal titles in character-based languages.]
    • Retinal Surgery [videocassette].
  • A good authority for romanization is the ALA-LC Romanization Tables
• For a journal appearing in two equal languages, as often occurs with Canadian journals:

  • Begin with the title in the language appearing first in the publication
  • Include an equals sign with a space on either side
  • End with the title in the second language
• Ignore diacritics, accents, and special characters in titles. This rule ignores some conventions used in non-English languages to simplify rules for English-language publications.

  • Treat a letter marked with diacritics or accents as if it were not marked

    • Å   treated as   A
    • Ø   treated as   O
    • Ç   treated as   C
    • Ł   treated as   L
    • à   treated as   a
    • ĝ   treated as   g
    • ñ   treated as   n
    • ü   treated as   u
  • Treat two or more letters printed as a unit (ligated letters) as if they were two letters

    • æ   treated as   ae
    • œ   treated as   oe
• Provide an English translation after the original language title whenever possible; place translations in square brackets

  • Video Rivista Italiana di Gastroenterologia (Edizione Endoscopia Digestiva) [Italian Video Review of Gastroenterology (Digestive Endoscopy Edition)] [videocassette].

Box 50Journals appearing in more than one language

• For a journal appearing in two equal languages, as often occurs with Canadian journals:

  • Begin with the title in the first language found, in order of preference: on the opening screens of the issue, on the carrying case, or on accompanying printed material
  • Include an equals sign with a space on either side
  • End with the title in the second language followed by a space and the type of medium, placed in square brackets
  • List all languages after the date of publication (and Physical Description, if found). Separate the languages by commas; end the list with a period.
    Example:

    • Canadian Family Physician = Medecin de Famille Canadien [videocassette].
• For a journal title appearing in multiple languages:

  • Give the title in the first language found, in order of preference: on the opening screens of the issue, on the carrying case, or on accompanying printed material
  • List all languages of publication after the date of publication (and Physical Description, if found). Separate the languages by commas; end the list with a period.
    Example:

    • Video-Revista de Cirugia [videocassette]. Barcelona: Asociacion Europea de Video-Cirugia. Vol. 1, 1984 -   . Videocassettes: sound, color, 1/2 in. Spanish, English, French, Italian.

Box 51Journals appearing in different editions

If a journal is published in more than one edition:

• Capitalize all significant words in edition information
• Separate the edition from the title proper by a space and place it in parentheses
• End all title information with the medium of the journal, placed in square brackets, followed by a period
  Examples:

  • Video Rivista Italiana di Gastroenterologia (Edizione Endoscopia Digestiva) [videocassette].
  • First Image: the Video Journal of Medicine (OB/GYN Edition) [videocassette].

Box 52Non-English words for editions

• For non-English edition statements written in the roman alphabet (French, German, Spanish, Italian, etc.):

  • Give the name in the original language
  • Separate the edition from the title proper by a space and place it in parentheses
  • End all the title information with the medium of the journal, placed in square brackets, followed by a period
    Example:

    • Video Rivista Italiana di Gastroenterologia. Edizione Endoscopia Digestiva.
    • becomes
    • Video Rivista Italiana di Gastroenterologia (Edizione Endoscopia Digestiva) [videocassette].
• For an edition statement written in Cyrillic, Greek, Arabic, Hebrew, Korean or in a character-based language such as Chinese and Japanese:

  • Romanize (write in the roman alphabet) the words for edition. A good authority for romanization is the ALA-LC Romanization Tables
  • Separate the edition from the title proper by a space and place it in parentheses
  • End all title information with the medium of the journal, placed in square brackets, followed by a period
  • It is not NLM practice, but you may translate journal titles and their editions in a character-based language
• Ignore diacritics, accents, and special characters in titles. This rule ignores some conventions used in non-English languages to simplify rules for English-language publications.

  • Treat a letter marked with diacritics or accents as if it were not marked

    • Å   treated as   A
    • Ø   treated as   O
    • Ç   treated as   C
    • Ł   treated as   L
    • à   treated as   a
    • ĝ   treated as   g
    • ñ   treated as   n
    • ü   treated as   u
  • Treat two or more letters printed as a unit (ligated letters) as if they were two letters

    • æ   treated as   ae
    • œ   treated as   oe
• To help identify editions in other languages, below is a brief list of Non-English words for editions with their abbreviations, if any (n.a. = not abbreviated):

  View in own window

  Language	Word	Abbreviation
  Danish	Oplag	n.a.
  Dutch	Uitgave	Uitg
  	Editie	Ed
  Finnish	Julkaisu	Julk
  French	Edition	Ed
  German	Ausgabe	Ausg
  Greek	Ekdosis	Ekd
  Italian	Edizione	Ed
  Norwegian	Publikasjon	Pub
  Portuguese	Edicao	Ed
  Russian	Izdanie	Izd
  Spanish	Edicion	Ed
  Swedish	Upplaga	n.a.

Box 53Names not in English

• Give names in languages using the roman alphabet (primarily European languages, such as French, Italian, Spanish, German, Swedish, etc.) as they appear in the publication
• Romanize names in Cyrillic (Russian, Bulgarian, etc.), Greek, Arabic, Hebrew, Korean, or character-based languages, such as Chinese and Japanese. Romanization, a form of transliteration, means using the roman (Latin) alphabet to represent the letters or characters of another alphabet. A good authority for romanization is the ALA-LC Romanization Tables.
• Capitalize only the first letter of romanized names when the original initial is represented by more than one letter

  • Iu. A. Iakontov
  • G. Th. Tsakalos
• Ignore diacritics, accents, and special characters in names. This rule ignores some conventions used in non-English languages to simplify rules for English-language publications.

  • Treat a letter marked with diacritics or accents as if it were not marked

    • Å   treated as   A
    • Ø   treated as   O
    • Ç   treated as   C
    • Ł   treated as   L
    • à   treated as   a
    • ĝ   treated as   g
    • ñ   treated as   n
    • ü   treated as   u
  • Treat two or more letters printed as a unit (ligated letters) as if they were two letters

    • æ   treated as   ae
    • œ   treated as   oe
• To assist in identifying editors, below is a brief list of non-English words for editor:

  View in own window

  Language	Word for Editor
  French	redacteur
  	editeur
  German	redakteur
  	herausgeber
  Italian	redattore
  	curatore
  	editore
  Russian	redaktor
  	izdatel
  Spanish	redactor
  	editor

Box 54Non-US cities

• Use the anglicized form for the name of a city, e.g., Rome for Roma and Moscow for Moskva
• Follow Canadian cities with the two-letter abbreviation for the name of the province

  • Montreal (QC):
  • Ottawa (ON):
• If the city is not well known or could be confused with another city of the same name, follow the city with name of the country, either written out or as the two-letter ISO country code (see Appendix D). Use the anglicized form of the name, e.g., Spain for Espana. Place the country name or code in parentheses.

  • London:
  • Rome:
  • Paris:
  • Madrid:
  • but
  • Malaga (Spain):   or   Malaga (ES):
  • Basel (Switzerland):   or   Basel (CH):
  • Oxford (England):   or   Oxford (GB):
• As an option, use the country name after all cities not in the US or Canada

Box 55Multiple places of publication

• If a journal has changed publishers over the years or if the publisher has changed its location, give the place of publication of the current (or last) publisher
• If more than one place of publication is found, use the first one or the one set in the largest type or in bold type. Do not give multiple places.
• As an option, if one place is a US city and the others are not, use the US one

Box 56No place of publication can be found

• If no place can be found but one can be reasonably inferred, such as Chicago as the place of publication for a journal of the American Medical Association, put the place name in square brackets
• If no place of publication can be found or inferred, use the words "place unknown" in square brackets

  • Drugs & Devices [videocassette]. [place unknown]: International Therapeutics Update Ltd. Vol. 1, No. 1, 1983 - Vol. 2, No. 4, 1984. Videocassettes: sound, color, 3/4 in.

Box 57aAbbreviated words in publisher names

• Abbreviate commonly used words in publisher names, if desired

  • Examples:

    • Acad. for Academy
    • Assoc. for Association
    • Co. for Company
    • Coll. for College
    • Corp. for Corporation
    • Dept. for Department
    • Div. for Division
    • Inst. for Institute or Institution
    • Ltd. for Limited
    • Soc. for Society
    • Univ. for University
  • See Appendix C for more abbreviations of commonly used English words.
• Be consistent. If you abbreviate a word in one reference in a list of references, abbreviate the same word in all references.
• Follow all abbreviated words with a period

Box 57Non-English publishers

• Give publisher names appearing in the roman alphabet (French, Spanish, Italian, etc.) in their original language

  • Rome: Societa Editrice Universo.
  • Lisbon: Imprensa Medica.
• Romanize names presented in Cyrillic, Greek, Arabic, Hebrew, Korean, and character-based languages (Chinese, Japanese)

  • Sofia (Bulgaria): Sofia Medizina i Fizkultura.
• If the name of a division or other part of an organization is included in the publisher information, give the names in hierarchical order from highest to lowest

  • Valencia (Spain): Universidade de Valencia, Instituto de Historia de la Ciencia y Documentacion Lopez Pinero.
• Ignore diacritics, accents, and special characters in names. This rule ignores some conventions used in non-English languages to simplify rules for English-language publications.

  • Treat letters marked with diacritics or accents as if they are not marked

    • Å   treated as   A
    • Ø   treated as   O
    • Ç   treated as   C
    • Ł   treated as   L
    • à   treated as   a
    • ĝ   treated as   g
    • ñ   treated as   n
    • ü   treated as   u
  • Treat two or more letters printed as a unit (ligated letters) as if they are two letters

    • æ   treated as   ae
    • œ   treated as   oe
• If desired, follow a non-English name with a translation. Place all translated publisher names in square brackets.

  • Aarhus (Denmark): Aarhus-Universitetsforlag [Aarhus University Press].
• As an option, you may translate all publisher names not in English

  • Aarhus (Denmark): Aarhus University Press.

Box 58Government agencies and other national and international bodies as publisher

• When citing publishers that are national bodies such as government agencies, if a nationality is not part of the name, place the country in parentheses after the name, using the two-letter ISO country code (see Appendix D)

  • National Cancer Institute (US).
  • National Society on Alcoholism and Drug Dependence (NZ).
  • Royal Society of Medicine Press Ltd. (GB).
  • Royal College of Physicians (AU), Paediatrics & Child Health Division.
• Do not confuse the publisher with the distributor of documents for the publisher. The most common distributors of US government publications are the US Government Printing Office (GPO) and the National Technical Information Service (NTIS). Designate the agency making the publication available as the publisher and include distributor information as a note.

  • European Video Journal of Cardiology [videocassette]. [place unknown]: ESC. Vol. 1, No. 1, 1992 - Vol. 4, No. 6, 1996. Videocassettes: sound, color, 1/2 in. Distributed by Kluwer Academic Publishers, Hingham, MA.

Box 59Multiple publishers

• If a journal has changed publishers over the years, give the name of the current (or last) publisher
• If more than one publisher is found in a document, use the first one given or the one set in the largest type or set in bold
• An alternative is to use the publisher likely to be most familiar to the audience of the reference list, e.g., an American publisher for a US audience and a London publisher for a British one
• Do not list multiple publishers. For publications with joint or co-publishers, use the name provided first as the publisher and include the name of the second as a note, if desired, such as "Jointly published by the Canadian Pharmacists Association".
• End publisher information with a period

Box 60Joint publication

• For publications with joint or co-publishers, use the name provided first as the publisher
• Include the name of the second publisher as a note, if desired
• Do not list multiple publishers
• End publisher information with a period

Box 61No publisher can be found

• If no publisher can be determined, use the words "publisher unknown" placed in square brackets

Box 62Non-English names for volume

• Use only the English word for volume and abbreviate it to "Vol."
• To help locate volumes, see the following list for the words and abbreviations used for volume in a variety of languages:

  • aarg.   aargang   année   anno   año   årg.   årgang   band   bd.   bind
  • évf.   évfolyam   g.   god   god.   godina   godišté   jaarg.   jaargang
  • jahrg.   jahrgang   köt.   kötet   r.   ročník   rocznik   rok   sv.   svazek
  • svezak   t.   tom   tom.   tome   tomo   tomus   vol.   volumen   zv.   zväzok   zvezek

Box 63No volume number present

• If no volume number is present, follow the publisher with the issue number

  • Perspectives: the Joint Commission Television Journal [videocassette]. Chicago: New Year Productions. No. 1, 1987 - No. 4, 1988. Videocassettes: sound, color, 1/2 in.
• If no volume number or issue number is present, follow the publisher with the beginning year of publication. Precede the year with the name and day of the month or season, if provided.

  • Health Plans, HIPAA, and COBRA Update: Current ERISA, Tax, and Other Issues for Attorneys, Administrators, Insurers, and Consultants [videocassette]. Philadelphia: American Law Institute-American Bar Association Committee on Continuing Professional Education. 1998 -   . Videocassettes: sound, color, 1/2 in.
  • AMT video digest [videocassette]. Chicago: American Medical Association. Aug 1991-Sep 1992. Videocassettes: sound, color, 1/2 in.

Box 64Non-English names for issue

• Use only "number", the English word for issue, and abbreviate it to "No."
• To help locate issues in languages other than English, see the following list of words and abbreviations used for issue (usually variations on the word number) in a variety of languages:

  • čís.   číslo   fasc.   fascicle   fascicule   fasciculus   heft   knižka
  • no.   nommernr.   numer   número   nummer   sveska   sz.   szám
  • vypusk   zesz.   zeszyt    zošit

Box 65No volume number present

• If no volume number is present, follow the publisher with the issue number:

  • Perspectives: the Joint Commission Television Journal [videocassette]. Chicago: New Year Productions. No. 1, 1987 - No. 4, 1988. Videocassettes: sound, color, 1/2 in.
• If no volume number or issue number is present, follow the publisher with the beginning year of publication. Precede the year with the name and day of the month or season, if provided.

  • Health Plans, HIPAA, and COBRA Update: Current ERISA, Tax, and Other Issues for Attorneys, Administrators, Insurers, and Consultants [videocassette]. Philadelphia: American Law Institute-American Bar Association Committee on Continuing Professional Education. 1998 -   . Videocassettes: sound, color, 1/2 in.
  • AMT video digest [videocassette]. Chicago: American Medical Association. Aug 1991-Sep 1992. Videocassettes: sound, color, 1/2 in.

Box 66No issue number present

• If no issue number is present but a volume number can be found, follow the publisher with the volume number and beginning date

  • Waltham forum video for small animal practitioners [videocassette]. Lawrenceville (NJ): Veterinary Learning Systems Co. Vol. 1, 1991 -   . Videocassettes: sound, color, 1/2 in.
• If no volume number or issue number is present, follow the publisher with the beginning year of publication. Precede the year with the name and day of the month or season, if provided.

  • Health Plans, HIPAA, and COBRA Update: Current ERISA, Tax, and Other Issues for Attorneys, Administrators, Insurers, and Consultants [videocassette]. Philadelphia: American Law Institute-American Bar Association Committee on Continuing Professional Education. 1998 -   . Videocassettes: sound, color, 1/2 in.
  • AMT video digest [videocassette]. Chicago: American Medical Association. Aug 1991-Sep 1992. Videocassettes: sound, color, 1/2 in.

Box 67Options for issues

• If a journal began publishing with volume one, number one, you may omit the issue number:

  • Gastroenterology [audiocassette]. Glendale (CA): Audio-Digest Foundation. Vol. 1, No. 1, Apr 30, 1987 -   . Audiocassettes: 1 7/8 ips.
  • or
  • Gastroenterology [audiocassette]. Glendale (CA): Audio-Digest Foundation. Vol. 1, Apr 30, 1987 -   . Audiocassettes: 1 7/8 ips.

Box 68Multiple years, months, or days of publication

• For multiple years of publication, separate the first and last year of publication by a hyphen. Do not shorten the second of the two years to the last two digits.

  • 2002-2003
  • 1997-1998
  • 1999-2000
• If months and days of the month are given, place them before the year. Use English names for months and abbreviate them using the first three letters.

  • Oct 1999-Mar 2000
  • Dec 7, 2002-Jan 9, 2003
• Separate multiple months of publication and multiple days of the month by a hyphen

  • Mar-Apr 2005
  • Dec 1999-Jan 2000
  • Feb 1-7, 2005
  • Jan 25-31, 2001
• Separate multiple seasons by a hyphen, as Spring-Summer. Capitalize names of seasons; do not abbreviate them.

  • Spring-Summer 1994 - Fall-Winter 1995.
  • Spring 1987 - Fall-Winter 1990.

Box 69Non-English names for months

• Translate names of months into English
• Abbreviate them using the first three letters
• Capitalize them
  Examples:

  • mayo = May
  • luty = Feb
  • brezen = Mar

Box 70Seasons instead of months

• Translate names of seasons into English
• Capitalize them
• Do not abbreviate them
  Examples:

  • balvan = Summer
  • outomno = Fall
  • hiver = Winter
  • pomlad = Spring
• Separate multiple seasons by a hyphen, such as Fall-Winter

  • Spring-Summer 1994 - Fall-Winter 1995.

Box 71Options for dates

• If both volume and issue numbers are present, you may omit the name of the months or seasons:

  • Practical Reviews in Dermatology [audiocassette]. Birmingham (AL): Educational Reviews, Inc. Vol. 1, No. 1, Jan-Feb 1989 - Vol. 7, No. 6, Nov-Dec 1995. Audiocassettes: 1 7/8 ips.
  • or
  • Practical Reviews in Dermatology [audiocassette]. Birmingham (AL): Educational Reviews, Inc. Vol. 1, No. 1, 1989 - Vol. 7, No. 6, 1995. Audiocassettes: 1 7/8 ips.

Box 72Language for describing physical characteristics

Physical description of a journal in audiovisual format is optional in a reference but may be included to provide useful information to the reader. For example, the size of an audiovisual indicates what equipment is needed to view it.

Note that the words used in description are taken from ISO 832 and reflect standard library practice. See Appendix C for a list of commonly used English words and their abbreviations.

• Give the type of medium on which the audiovisual journal appears, in plural form, followed by a colon and a space. Examples: "Videocassettes:" and "Audiocassettes:"
• Include physical characteristics, such as color and size. For example, videocassettes are usually either 1/2 in. or 3/4 in. in size. The standard audiocassette is 2 in. x 4 in. Audiocassettes are produced in a number of other sizes, but the standard size is used for scientific journals. Size is usually omitted from the description of audiocassettes unless it deviates from the standard. The speed of the audiocassette, provided in terms of inches per second, is used in the description instead.
• Abbreviate common words for measurement, such as in. for inches and ips. for inches per second
• Separate types of information by commas
  Typical words used include:

  • sound
  • silent

  • color
  • black & white
  • color with black & white

  • 1/2 in. (standard videocassette size)
  • 3/4 in. (non-standard videocassette size)

  • 1 7/8 ips. (standard speed for compact audiocassettes)
  • 2 x 2 in. (standard slide size)
  • 2 3/4 x 4 in. (non-standard slide size)
  Examples of complete physical description statements:

  • Videocassettes: sound, color, 1/2 in.
  • Videocassettes: sound, color with black & white, 1/2 in.
  • Videocassettes: sound, color, 3/4 in.

  • Audiocassettes: 1 7/8 ips.
  • Slides: color, 2 x 2 in.

Box 73Journals appearing in more than one language

• If a journal is published in multiple languages:

  • Give the title in the first language found, in order of preference: on the opening screens of the issue, on the carrying case, or on accompanying print material
  • Indicate all languages of publication after the date(s) of publication (and Physical Description if provided)
  • Separate the languages by commas
  • End the list with a period
  Example:

  • Video-Revista de Cirugia [videocassette]. Barcelona: Asociacion Europea de Video-Cirugia. Vol. 1, 1984 -   . Videocassettes: sound, color, 1/2 in. Spanish, English, French, Italian.
• If a journal is published in two equal languages, as often occurs with Canadian journals:

  • Begin with the title in the language appearing first in the publication
  • Include an equals sign with a space on either side
  • Enter the title in the second language
  • End all title information with the medium of the journal, placed in square brackets, and a period
  • Give all languages of publication after the date(s) of publication (and Physical Description if provided), separated by commas. End language information with a period.

Box 74Other types of material to include in notes

• The name under which a journal was previously published, preceded by. "Continues: "

  • Clinical Advances in Cardio-respiratory Care [audiocassette]. Birmingham (AL): Educational Reviews. Vol. 5, No. 5, 1994 - Vol. 6, No. 3, 1994. Audiocassettes: 1 7/8 ips. Continues: In Service Reviews in Respiratory Therapy.
  • VideoUrology Times [videorcassette]. New York: VideoUrology Times. Vol. 4, No. 1, 1991 - Vol. 12, No. 4, 1999. Videocassettes: sound, color with black & white, 1/2 in. Continues: VideoUrology.
• The name under which a journal continues to be published, preceded with "Continued by: "

  • Dynamic Cardiovascular Imaging [videocassette]. Silver Spring (MD): Dynamedia, Inc. Vol. 1, No. 1, Spring 1987 - Vol. 3, No. 4, Oct 1990. Videocassettes: sound, color, 1/2 in. Continued by: Video Journal of Echocardiography.
  • VideoUrology [videocassette]. New York: P.C. Communications, Inc. Vol. 1, No. 1, 1988 - Vol. 3, No. 4, 1990. Videocassettes: sound, color, 1/2 in. Continued by: VideoUrology Times.
• If a journal is also available in another format:

  • General Surgery [audiocassette]. Glendale (CA): Audio-Digest Foundation. Vol. 37, 1990 -   . Audiocassettes: 1 7/8 ips. Continues: Audio-digest. Surgery. Also available on CD-ROM.
• The sponsorship of the journal if the sponsor is not also the publisher:

  • Practical Reviews in Dermatology [audiocassette]. Birmingham (AL): Educational Reviews, Inc. Vol. 1, No. 1, Jan-Feb 1989 - Vol. 7, No. 6, Nov-Dec 1995. Audiocassettes: 1 7/8 ips. Sponsored by the Albert Einstein College of Medicine and Montefiore Medical Center.
• Frequency of publication of the journal:

  • Video Journal of Cardiothoracic Surgery [videocassette]. St. Louis (MO): Medical Video Productions. Vol. 10, No. 1, Jan 1996 - Vol. 15, No. 4, 2001. Videocassettes: sound, color, 1/2 in. Bimonthly.
• The International Standard Serial Number (ISSN) of the journal:

  • Video Journal of Cardiothoracic Surgery [videocassette]. St. Louis (MO): Medical Video Productions. Vol. 10, No. 1, 1996 - Vol. 15, No. 4, 2001. Videocassettes: sound, color, 1/2 in. ISSN: 1086-6841.
• If the journal is an unusual one, the name of a library or other archive where it may be found, preceded by the words "Located at: "

  • Leadership in Hospital Governance [videocassette]. Chicago: American Hospital Association. Vol. 1, No. 1, 1992 - Vol. 1, No. 6, 1992. Videocassettes: sound, color, 1/2 in. Located at: National Library of Medicine, Bethesda, MD; W1 LE11M.
• If the journal is usually accompanied by printed or other material, provide this information preceded by the words "Accompanied by: "

  • Pulse: Emergency Medical Update [videocassette]. Easton (PA): Radiological Society of North America. Vol. 1, 1996 -   . Videocassettes: sound, color, 1/2 in. Accompanied by: Training objective/instructors guide.
  • Gastroenterology [audiocassette]. Glendale (CA): Audio-Digest Foundation. Vol. 1, No. 1, Apr 30, 1987 -   . Audiocassettes: 1 7/8 ips. Accompanied by: Study guide and post test.
• Any other information that would be useful:

  • European Video Journal of Cardiology [videocassette]. [place unknown]: ESC. Vol. 1, No. 1, 1992 - Vol. 4, No. 6, 1996. Videocassettes: sound, color, 1/2 in. ESC is the European Society of Cardiology.