Skip to main content
British Medical Journal (Clinical Research Ed.) logoLink to British Medical Journal (Clinical Research Ed.)
. 1985 Sep 28;291(6499):884–886. doi: 10.1136/bmj.291.6499.884

How accurate are quotations and references in medical journals?

G de Lacey, C Record, J Wade
PMCID: PMC1416756  PMID: 3931753

Abstract

The accuracy of quotations and references in six medical journals published during January 1984 was assessed. The original author was misquoted in 15% of all references, and most of the errors would have misled readers. Errors in citation of references occurred in 24%, of which 8% were major errors--that is, they prevented immediate identification of the source of the reference. Inaccurate quotations and citations are displeasing for the original author, misleading for the reader, and mean that untruths become "accepted fact." Some suggestions for reducing these high levels of inaccuracy are that papers scheduled for publication with errors of citation should be returned to the author and checked completely and a permanent column specifically for misquotations could be inserted into the journal.

Full text

PDF
884

Selected References

These references are in PubMed. This may not be the complete list of references from this article.

  1. Bassler T. J. Cardiomythology. Lancet. 1984 Apr 7;1(8380):788–789. doi: 10.1016/s0140-6736(84)91294-7. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  2. Glass A. R. Should letters be reviewed? N Engl J Med. 1983 May 19;308(20):1232–1232. doi: 10.1056/NEJM198305193082020. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  3. Issenman J., Nolan M. F., Rowley J., Hobby R. Transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation for pain control after spinal fusion with Harrington rods. A clinical report. Phys Ther. 1985 Oct;65(10):1517–1520. doi: 10.1093/ptj/65.10.1517. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  4. Key J. D., Roland C. G. Reference accuracy in articles accepted for publication in the Archives of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation. Arch Phys Med Rehabil. 1977 Mar;58(3):136–137. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  5. Lock S. Two cheers for the computer? Br Med J (Clin Res Ed) 1985 Jun 1;290(6482):1609–1610. doi: 10.1136/bmj.290.6482.1609. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  6. McKinn E. J., Johnson E. D. Techniques of Online Citation Verification in NLM Databases. Med Ref Serv Q. 1983;2(3):1–23. doi: 10.1300/J115v02n03_01. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  7. Relman A. S. How reliable are letters? N Engl J Med. 1983 May 19;308(20):1219–1219. doi: 10.1056/NEJM198305193082009. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  8. Roland C. G. Thoughts about medical writing. XXXVII. Verify your references. Anesth Analg. 1976 Sep-Oct;55(5):717–718. doi: 10.1213/00000539-197609000-00023. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]

Articles from British Medical Journal (Clinical research ed.) are provided here courtesy of BMJ Publishing Group

RESOURCES