How to format reference lists

• List the surnames followed by initials, without periods (full stops) or spaces between initials.
• If there are more than six authors, list the first three, followed by et al. Note that on a curriculum vitae, it is acceptable to list all authors.
• When the author is an organization (or a government agency or other entity), spell out the full name of the organization each time it is used in a reference list. For example:
  • World Health Organization (WHO). Title. WHO; 2020.
  • World Health Organization (WHO). Different Title. WHO; 2021.
• When the author is a country ministry of health, list the author as Ministry of Health, and then, in the publication information list the country—for example:
  • Ministry of Health. Title. Ministry of Health, United Republic of Tanzania; 2023.

• For titles of books, journals, and other standalone publications, italicize the title and capitalize it using title case (that is, capitalize all words except articles, prepositions of fewer than four letters, coordinating conjunctions, or the to in infinitives; do capitalize all verbs, including two-letter verbs such as is).
• For journal article titles, use sentence case capitalization with one exception: do not capitalize the first letter following a colon (the beginning of the subtitle) unless it is a proper noun. Do not italicize the article title.
• For titles of websites, use title case; for web pages, use sentence case. Do not italicize or use quotation marks for either.

• For articles in serial publications, include the year of publication (note: month and day are optional), volume number, issue number, and page numbers. All digits should be given in the page range—for example, 465–469, not 465–9. Use an en dash, rather than a hyphen, to indicate the range.
• For books and other stand-alone publications, include the place of publication, name of publisher, year of publication, and, when the chapter of a book is cited, the page range. If a book is a second or later edition, use Arabic numerals to indicate the edition (e.g., 8th ed.).
• Uniform resource locators (URLs) (website addresses) and digital object identifiers (DOIs) are optional but encouraged in a reference. If DOI is available (e.g., https://doi.org/10.2147/IJN.S62630), it is preferable to a URL that is not the location of the DOI (e.g., https://www.dovepress.com/preparation-characterization-and-optimization-of-primaquine-loaded-sol-peer-reviewed-fulltext-article-IJN). Do not provide both.

Gates B. This doctor/novelist is tackling malnutrition. Gates Notes blog. February 25, 2020. Accessed September 30, 2021. https://www.gatesnotes.com/Health/Heroes-in-the-Field-Dr-Kopano-Matlwa-Mabaso

Note: for an op-ed, type op-ed instead of blog.

Jackson S. Take Me With You. SelectBooks; 2017.

Van de Wijgert J, Elias C. Defining reproductive tract infections and other gynaecological morbidities. In: Jejeebhoy S, Koenig M, Elias C, eds. Reproductive Tract Infections and Other Gynaecological Disorders: A Multidisciplinary Research Approach. Cambridge University Press; 2003:11–29.

A Phase 1 dose escalating study of double mutant heat-labile toxin LTR192G/L211A (dmLT) from enterotoxigenic Escherichia coli (ETEC) by sublingual or oral immunization to determine safety and immunogenicity of a multi-dose regimen in adult humans. ClinicalTrials.gov identifier. NCT02052934. Accessed September 10, 2018. https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT02052934

Online Mendelian Inheritance in Man. Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine; 2018. Accessed April 24, 2018. https://www.omim.org/

Surname I. Rather than cite an actual title, here we're using a placeholder. Journal Name. Forthcoming 2023.

Omwoyo WN, Ogutu B, Oloo F, et al. Preparation, characterization, and optimization of primaquine-loaded solid lipid nanoparticles. International Journal of Nanomedicine. 2014;9(1):3865–3874. https://doi.org/10.2147/IJN.S62630

Note: the exact format of the DOI can vary; in formats such as doi:10.1056/NEJMoa1515257, PATH prefers no space after the colon.

Bhutta ZA, Chopra M, Axelson H, et al. Countdown to 2015 decade report (2000–10): taking stock of maternal, newborn, and child survival. The Lancet. 2010;375(9730):2032–2044. https://www.thelancet.com/journals/lancet/article/PIIS0140-6736(10)60678-2/fulltext

Note: in journal article titles, do not capitalize the first letter following a colon unless it is a proper noun.

Zimmer C. Inside Johnson & Johnson’s nonstop hunt for a coronavirus vaccine. The New York Times. July 17, 2020. Accessed September 30, 2021. https://www.nytimes.com/2020/07/17/health/coronavirus-vaccine-johnson-janssen.html

Castro W, Gage J, Gaffikin L, et al. Effectiveness, Safety, and Acceptability of Cryotherapy: A Systematic Literature Review. PATH; 2003. Cervical Cancer Prevention Issues in Depth, No. 1.

Guiliano K, Kapur R, inventors; Cellomics Inc., assignee. System for cell-based screening. US patent 6,875,578. April 5, 2005.

Correal A. The Daily. This Covid surge feels different. January 11, 2022. Accessed January 12, 2022. https://www.nytimes.com/2022/01/11/podcasts/the-daily/omicron-surge-hospitals.html

Alvarado MR, Cowling K, Lozano R, Gakidou E. Reduction of inequalities in child mortality through maternal education: An individual-level analysis. Poster presented at: Global Health Metrics and Evaluation conference; March 15, 2011; Seattle, WA.

Primo Braga CA. The future of information and communication technologies for development. Presented at: ICT Development Forum; May 21, 2003; Petersberg, Germany.

Dramatic fall in cases of meningitis A in three West African nations after new vaccine introduction. Press release. PATH; June 9, 2011. http://www.path.org/news/press-room/246/

PATH. People-Centered Primary Health Care for All. PATH; 2022. https://www.path.org/resources/people-centered-primary-health-care-for-all/

Deelstra J. Meet the health workers who will co-create solutions for vaccine delivery. PATH. August 22, 2019. Accessed September 30, 2021. https://www.path.org/articles/meet-health-workers-who-will-co-create-solutions-vaccine-delivery/

Malaria Vaccine Initiative. Vaccine development. Accessed April 20, 2018. http://www.malariavaccine.org/malaria-and-vaccines/vaccine-development

Malaria Vaccine Initiative. Accessed April 20, 2018. http://www.malariavaccine.org/

If none of the above apply, here are two basic templates:

Author. Title in sentence case. Publisher; Year of copyright. URL or DOI

Author. Title in Title Case, Italics. Publisher; Year of copyright. URL or DOI

Do not include personal communications in a reference list. Instead, cite the source in the text, providing the date and indicating whether the communication was oral or written. Be sure to obtain written permission from the person whose communication is cited:

• In a conversation with John Smith (October 2022) …
• According to a letter from John Smith in October 2022 …
• Similar views were expressed by John Smith (written communication, October 2022).

For non-English-language titles, you have two options:

• Provide the title in the original language. Use English for all other elements.
• Provide the English-translated title. State the type of publication and the original language (e.g., Article in Vietnamese). Include the original title. All other elements are in English.