The appropriate use of references in a scientific research paper.

References have an important and varied role in any scientific paper. Unfortunately, many authors do not appreciate this importance and errors within reference lists are frequently encountered. Most reference errors involve spelling, numerical and punctuation mistakes, although the use of too many, too few or even inappropriate references is often seen. The consequences of reference errors include difficulty in reference retrieval, limitation for the reader to read more widely, failure to credit the cited authors, and inaccuracies in citation indexes. This paper discusses the value of accurate reference lists and provides guidelines for their preparation.