Citation and Reference Style

In-text citations

JDHAB uses consecutively numbered references. Use Arabic numerals as superscripts, assigned in order of first appearance, and place each citation immediately after the punctuation that closes the cited clause or sentence. Do not place the citation before the punctuation.

JDHAB house-style examples: The outcome was reproducible.¹ The protocol was validated; subsequent studies confirmed the finding.^2,3 A consecutive citation range is written with an en dash, for example ^4–6.

This superscript-after-punctuation presentation is the journal’s house style. It is not a universal Vancouver/ICMJE rule: the current ICMJE recommendations identify in-text references with Arabic numerals in parentheses. Authors should follow JDHAB’s stated presentation for submissions. ICMJE recommendations and the National Library of Medicine’s Citing Medicine guide the reference sequence and bibliographic description; the journal’s superscript presentation is a consistent local editorial convention.

Reference list

Number references in the order in which they are first cited in the text. Reuse the same number whenever a source is cited again. References first cited in a table or figure legend follow the order in which that table or figure is first mentioned in the main text. Format bibliographic entries according to the JDHAB Instructions for Authors, ICMJE recommendations, and NLM Citing Medicine, including NLM journal abbreviations and DOI links when available.

Editorial implementation

Effective 28 September 2026, this rule applies to new submissions. Manuscripts already in review may be normalized during copyediting after acceptance, with author proof review as part of the usual production process. Previously published articles and metadata will not be reformatted solely to apply this prospective style rule.

For detailed submission requirements, consult the Instructions for Authors and the Manuscript Preparation Guide.