This is one section that every single author will need to do and provides your reviewers with the selection of literature that supports the feasibility of your project and the immediate proposal in the reviewer’s hands. The bibliography includes every reference cited from within the application.
- Assure that the majority of your references are primary literature, and not reviews.
- Present the references in alphabetical order based on the last name of the first author on the paper. You can number the references or use a hanging-indent format, and do not use a separating open line between references.
- If a specific method is not indicated in the instructions, use a standard and consistent format for each entry, including full pagination.
- Ensure that books or other large documents have specific page numbers associated with them.
- Do not reference any material that would be nearly impossible for a reviewer to find on their own, such as a conference preceeding that was not published.
- Include PMCID numbers at the end of citations.
- All suitable articles that are cited in NIH applications, proposals, and progress reports that were authored or co-authored by an NIH awardee, must have a PubMed Central reference number (PMCID).
- You can locate PMCID’s in PubMed Central, in PubMed, or through the PubMed ID number. PubMed Central (http://www.pubmedcentral.nih.gov).
- Use the PMID/PMCID Converter (http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/sites/pmctopmid) found on the lower right of the PMC home page to obtain the corresponding PMCIDs and/or NIHMS IDs if they exist.
- If the PMCID is not available because the paper has not been published yet, authors should use the NIH Manuscript Submission reference number (e.g., NIHMS97531).
- If the PMCID is not available because the Journal submits articles directly to PMC on behalf of their authors, applicants should indicate “PMC Journal – In Process.”
- Place the Literature Citations in the appropriate location. The appropriate locations for literature citations vary depending on the application type.
- Example of Citation
- Sala-Torra O, Gundacker HM, Stirewalt DL, Ladne PA, Pogosova-Agadjanyan EL, Slovak ML, Willman CL, Heimfeld S, Boldt DH, Radich JP. Connective tissue growth factor (CTGF) expression and outcome in adult patients with acute lymphoblastic leukemia. Blood. 2007 April 1; 109(7): 3080–3083. PMCID: PMC1852221
- Example, before the PMCID is available:
- Sala-Torra O, Gundacker HM, Stirewalt DL, Ladne PA, Pogosova-Agadjanyan EL, Slovak ML, Willman CL, Heimfeld S, Boldt DH, Radich JP. Connective tissue growth factor (CTGF) expression and outcome in adult patients with acute lymphoblastic leukemia. Blood. [a publication date within 3 months of when the application, proposal or report was submitted to NIH]. PMCID: PMC Journal – In Process
