Citation Management

Systematic citation management for accurate referencing in scientific and medical content.

Triggers

• User needs to format citations
• User asks for references in a specific style
• User needs to verify citation accuracy
• User wants to build a bibliography
• User is managing references for an article

Core Capabilities

Citation Discovery

Search Strategies by Database:

Metadata Extraction

From any identifier, extract:

• Authors (full names, order)
• Title (exact, including subtitles)
• Journal (official name, abbreviation)
• Year, volume, issue, pages
• DOI
• PMID (for PubMed articles)

Citation Style Formats

AMA (American Medical Association) - Used by JAMA, NEJM:

Yusuf S, Pitt B, Davis CE, et al. Effect of enalapril on survival in patients with reduced left ventricular ejection fractions and congestive heart failure. N Engl J Med. 1991;325(5):293-302. doi:10.1056/NEJM199108013250501

Vancouver (Numbered) - Common in medical journals:

1. Yusuf S, Pitt B, Davis CE, et al. Effect of enalapril on survival in patients with reduced left ventricular ejection fractions and congestive heart failure. N Engl J Med 1991;325:293-302.

APA 7th Edition:

Yusuf, S., Pitt, B., Davis, C. E., Hood, W. B., & Cohn, J. N. (1991). Effect of enalapril on survival in patients with reduced left ventricular ejection fractions and congestive heart failure. New England Journal of Medicine, 325(5), 293-302. https://doi.org/10.1056/NEJM199108013250501

Nature Style:

Yusuf, S. et al. Effect of enalapril on survival in patients with reduced left ventricular ejection fractions and congestive heart failure. N. Engl. J. Med. 325, 293-302 (1991).

BibTeX Format

@article{yusuf1991effect,
  author = {Yusuf, Salim and Pitt, Bertram and Davis, Clarence E and Hood, William B and Cohn, Jay N},
  title = {Effect of enalapril on survival in patients with reduced left ventricular ejection fractions and congestive heart failure},
  journal = {New England Journal of Medicine},
  volume = {325},
  number = {5},
  pages = {293--302},
  year = {1991},
  doi = {10.1056/NEJM199108013250501},
  pmid = {2057034}
}

Citation Validation

Required Checks

• DOI resolves correctly
• Author names spelled correctly
• Year matches publication
• Journal name official (not abbreviated incorrectly)
• Page numbers accurate
• No duplicate entries

Common Errors to Catch

• Incorrect author order
• Missing co-authors (et al. threshold varies by style)
• Wrong publication year
• Journal abbreviation vs full name inconsistency
• Missing DOI when available
• PMID/DOI mismatch

Workflow Integration

For Newsletter Writing

1. Identify claims needing citation
2. Search PubMed for supporting evidence
3. Extract DOI/PMID from best sources
4. Format in consistent style (usually AMA for medical)
5. Verify each citation before publishing

For Academic Content

1. Maintain running bibliography as you write
2. Use consistent identifier (DOI preferred)
3. Cross-reference with literature-review skill
4. Verify against CrossRef before submission
5. Format per target journal requirements

Quick Reference

Convert DOI to Citation

1. Go to doi.org/[DOI]
2. Extract metadata from landing page
3. Format per required style
4. Verify author count and order

Convert PMID to Citation

1. Search PubMed with PMID
2. Use "Cite" button for formatted output
3. Select desired format
4. Verify completeness

Handling Preprints

• Note preprint server (bioRxiv, medRxiv)
• Include "Preprint" designation
• Add DOI (preprint DOIs differ from published)
• Update citation if peer-reviewed version publishes

Best Practices

1. Always include DOI when available
2. Verify primary sources - don't cite citations
3. Update preprint citations when published
4. Use consistent style throughout document
5. Check et al. thresholds - varies by style (3, 6, or 7 authors)
6. Include access dates for online-only sources
7. Note retractions - check Retraction Watch