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Leeds Numeric: Journal article

Reference examples

Include the full title of the journal in your reference. Abbreviated titles are not used in the Leeds Numeric style.

Use p. to reference a single page, and pp. for a range of pages.

If you are referencing a journal article which you have read online (on a website or as a PDF), you should include [online], the DOI if available (or the URL if no DOI is available), and the access date in your reference. DOIs can be identified as a long code starting with “10.” and should be presented in your reference as a link, as shown in the examples on this page. This advice was updated in September 2024. 

One author

Family name, INITIAL(S). Title of article. Journal Title. [Online]. Year, Volume(issue number), page numbers. [Date accessed]. Available from: DOI (or URL if no DOI available)

Example:
Pajunen, K. Institutions and inflows of foreign direct investment: a fuzzy-set analysis. Journal of International Business Studies. [Online]. 2008, 39(4), pp.652-669. [Accessed 3 April 2024]. Available from: https://doi.org/10.1057/palgrave.jibs.8400371

Two authors

Family name, INITIAL(S) and Family name, INITIAL(S). Title of article. Journal Title. [Online]. Year, Volume(issue number), page numbers. [Date accessed]. Available from: DOI (or URL if no DOI available)

Example:
Gencturk, B. and Hosseini, F. Evaluation of reinforced concrete and reinforced engineered cementitious composite (ECC) members and structures using small-scale testing. Canadian Journal of Civil Engineering. [Online]. 2015, 42(3), pp.164-177. [Accessed 4 September 2024]. Available from: https://doi.org/10.1139/cjce-2013-0445 

More than two authors

Family name, INITIAL(S), Family name, INITIAL(S), Family name, INITIAL(S) and Family name, INITIAL(S). Title of article. Journal Title. [Online]. Year, Volume(issue number), page numbers. [Date accessed]. Available from: DOI (or URL if no DOI available)

Example:
MacNaughton, S.J., Stephen, J.R., Venosa, A.D.,  Davis, G.A., Chang, Y.J. and White, D.C. Microbial population changes during bioremediation of an experimental oil spill. Applied and Environmental Microbiology. [Online]. 1999, 65(8), pp.3566-3574. [Accessed 4 September 2024]. Available from: https://doi.org/10.1128/aem.65.8.3566-3574.1999

Articles that use article numbers

Family name, INITIAL(S). Title of article. Journal Title. [Online]. Year, Volume, article no: article number [no pagination]. [Date accessed]. Available from: DOI (or URL if no DOI available) 

Example:
Chou, C.L., Teherani, A., Masters, D.E., Vener, M., Wamsley, M. and Poncelet, A. Workplace learning through peer groups in medical school clerkships. Medical Education Online. [Online]. 2014, 19, article no: 25809 [no pagination]. [Accessed 4 September 2024]. Available from: https://doi.org/10.3402/meo.v19.25809

Articles published in supplements

Some journals publish “supplements”, which are occasional extra issues of a volume which fall outside the normal publishing schedule. These are usually indicated by a different issue number eg “S1” or “Supp”, and may have different page numbers eg “S1-S24” or “E335-E400”. There could be more than one supplement in one volume of a journal.

Family name, INITIAL(S). Title of article. Journal Title. [Online]. Year, Volume(Supp. number if more than one), page numbers. [Date accessed]. Available from: DOI (or URL if no DOI available)

Example:
Ruth, B.J. and Marshall, J.W. A history of social work in public health. American Journal of Public Health. [Online]. 2017, 107(Supp. 3), pp. S236-S242. [Accessed 4 September 2024]. Available from: https://doi.org/10.2105/AJPH.2017.304005 

Pre-print and post-print articles 

A pre-print is an journal article that has not yet undergone peer review. A post-print is also known as an “accepted author manuscript” and is an article that has been peer reviewed and accepted by the publisher, but not yet published in a journal. You will often find these articles in online repositories or archives.

Pre-print article
Family name, INITIAL(S). [Pre-print]. Title of article. Journal Title. [Online]. Year written. [Date accessed]. Available from: DOI (or URL if no DOI available)

Example:
Grachev, A.A., Leo, L.S., Di Sabatino, S., Fernando, H.J.S., Pardyjak, E.R. and Fairall, C.W. [Pre-print]. Structure of turbulence in katabatic flows below and above the wind-speed maximum. Boundary-Layer Meteorology. [Online]. 2014. [Accessed 4 September 2024]. Available from: https://doi.org/10.48550/arXiv.1501.02297 

Post-print article
Family name, INITIAL(S). [Post-print]. Title of article. Journal Title. [Online]. Year written. [Date accessed]. Available from: DOI (or URL if no DOI available)

Example:
Morin, E. [Post-print]. Draperies and reveries: W.B. Yeats and the aesthetic of the background. Modern Drama. [Online]. 2024. [Accessed 4 September 2024]. Available from: https://eprints.whiterose.ac.uk/216802/  

Citation examples

Standard citation

Every citation should be labelled within your text by using a number in brackets (1).
You should insert the citation number directly after a source is referred to in your text, even if this is in the middle of your sentence. It is acceptable to place a citation number at the end of a paragraph, if the entire paragraph is referring to the same source.

Examples:
Aitchison (1) suggests that language change is inevitable, but not a bad thing.
One leading expert suggests that language change is inevitable, but is not a bad thing (1).

The first item you cite is allocated number 1, the second item is allocated number 2, and so on throughout your piece of work.

Once a source has been allocated a number, this number is used again if you refer to the same source at a later point in your work.

If you use the name of the author(s) of a souce within the text and there are three or more authors for the source, then the name of the first author shoule be given, followed by the phrase "et al.".

Example:

Southgate et al. (1) emphasised that references should be presented in a consistent manner.

When to include page numbers

You should include page numbers if you quote directly from the text, paraphrase specific ideas or explanations, or use an image, diagram, table, etc. from a source.

Example:

"It was emphasised that citations in a text should be consistent" (1, p.24).

When referencing a single page, you should use p.

For a range of pages, use pp.

Example:

p.7 or pp.20-29.

If the page numbers are in Roman numerals, do not include p. before them.

Example:

(5, iv)

Common issues

When you're referencing with Leeds Numeric you may come across issues with missing details, multiple authors, edited books, references to another author's work or online items, to name a few. Here are some tips on how to deal with some common issues when using Leeds Numeric.

Skip straight to the issue that affects you: