Modern-day considerations for references in scientific writing.

R are a vital component of scientific research articles.1 Unfortunately, errors in references are common in scientific writing. These errors can compromise a manuscript’s integrity and can make it difficult for readers to access source documents.1,2 Because it is primarily authors who are responsible for the accuracy and completeness of references,1,2 we would like to help authors with this potentially tedious but nonetheless critical section of research articles. According to the AMA Manual of Style,1 references have 3 primary purposes: documenting previous studies to support an argument, acknowledging the work of others, and directing readers to sources. In the present article, I examine these 3 purposes and describe ways authors can adhere to scientific guidelines associated with each.