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RESEARCH
Abstract
Background
References serve as an important tool in providing credibility to the published literature and to assist retrieval of the cited and related information. This study was done to observe the accuracy of references in articles published in Australasian Medical Journal.
Method
Fifty references were randomly selected from two different issues of Australasian Medical Journal (AMJ): Volume 3, Number 11, 2010 and Volume 3, Number 10, 2010. The instructions for authors of this journal were examined. References from each article were compared with the original for accuracy, using the following six elements: 1) authors; including spelling, initials, order and number; 2) title, including spelling and punctuation; 3) journal name, including use of correct abbreviation as listed in Index Medicus; 4) year; 5) volume; and 6) page numbers, including first and last page numbers. Citations were considered incorrect if there was an error in any of these six elements. References not cited from indexed journals were excluded. Statistical analysis was done by using frequency and percentage.
Results
Results show that 14.0% references in AMJ were inaccurate. Most common errors were author's name and journal name. Author's names were found to be incorrect in 10.0% references while journal name (either incorrect abbreviations or incorrect instructions or punctuation errors) were found to be incorrect in 4.0%. Least common error was found in writing the title of the article (2.0%). There were no errors found in other elements.
Conclusion
Errors in citing the references are also found in the AMJ. The quoted error in this study (14.0%) is comparable to other international literature. The majority of errors are avoidable. So, the authors, editors and the reviewers have to check for any errors seriously before publication in the journal.
Key Words
References; accuracy; Australasian Medical Journal
Background
References serve as an important tool in providing credibility to the published literature and to assist retrieval of the cited and related information. The accuracy of journal article references should be a priority to all authors, reviewers and readers. References provide the evidence that supports background material [1].
It is very important for the references to be correct as incorrect references frustrate the reader while searching for related articles [2] and may prevent the original data being identified. Despite...