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Q. What is a volume/issue number?

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Answered By: Theresa Bell (she/her/hers) Last Updated: Nov 02, 2021     Views: 263099

APA Style (7th ed.)

When creating a reference to a periodical, such as a journal article, volume and issue numbers are standard elements. The difference between the numbers is that " volume typically refers to the number of years the publication has been circulated, and issue refers to how many times that periodical has been published during that year" (Wikipedia, n.d., para. 2).

Volume numbers in references should be italicized (American Psychological Association [APA], 2020, p. 294), but "do not italicize the issue number, the parentheses, or the comma after the issue number" (APA, 2020, p. 294).

In the reference below, the volume number is 49 and the issue number is 4:

Godfrey, D. (2005). Adapting historical citations to APA Style.  Journal of Broadcasting & Electronic Media ,  49 (4), 544-547. https://doi.org/10.1207/s15506878jobem4904_15

If a resource doesn't have a volume or issue number, omit that information from the reference (APA, 2020, p. 294).

American Psychological Association. (2020).  Publication manual of the American Psychological Association  (7th ed.). https://doi.org/10.1037/0000165-000

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APA 7th Edition Citation Examples

• Volume and Issue Numbers

Magazine and journal volume and issue number formatting

• Page Numbers
• Undated Sources
• Citing a Source Within a Source
• In-Text Citations
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APA does not use "Volume", "Vol.", "v.", "Issue," "No.", or related terms. Use italics for the volume number.

12 is the volume number (in italics) and 4 is the issue number.

See  Publication Manual , p. 294.

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APA 7th Edition Style Guide: Volume/Issue

• About In-text Citations
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Volumes and Issues

Both volume and issue information, if present, is required in references for books and journals.

Books    

A book that is part of a multivolume set  will have a volume number in the reference. Abbreviate the word Volume as Vol. and Volumes as Vols. followed by the Arabic volume number. The volume number follows the title of the book and comes after the edition statement (when there is one), it is enclosed in parentheses.

Scott, L. (2011). Parental nutrition.  Clinical nutrition (2nd ed., Vol. 3)....

Kyle, P. (2003). People and places (Vols. 1-5)...

Both volume and issue numbers are required in references to journal articles. Not all journals have issue numbers.

Write all volume numbers as Arabic numerals and italicize (no abbreviation for volume). The issue number proceeds immediately after the volume and is not italicized. Place all issue information within parentheses.

5 is the volume number and 3 is the issue number: Advertising to Adolescents: An Examination of Skepticism. (2011). Global Journal of Business Research, 5 (3), 85-91.        

3 is the volume number and 4 is the issue number: Moreira, J. P. (2010, December). Health literacy: A new dimension for healthcare development. Journal of Marketing & Management in Healthcare, 3 (4), 239-240.

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Citation Styles: A Brief Guide to APA, MLA and Turabian

• Journal Articles

Citing Journal Articles

• Magazine Articles
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• In Text Citations
• Sample Bibliography: APA
• Sample Bibliography: MLA
• Sample Bibliography: Turabian
• Creating an Annotated Bibliography This link opens in a new window

The basic format for an article from a journal requires the author’s name, the article title, the name of the journal, the date of the article, and the volume, issue number, and inclusive page numbers. Not all journals use issue numbers. APA recommends providing both volume and issue number if each issue of the journal paginates separately, that is, if each issue begins with page 1. Turabian suggests that more is better – if the journal provides both volume and issue numbers, include them both in the citation.

JOURNAL ARTICLE WITH VOLUME – ONE AUTHOR The example used is an article by author Truly Learned, entitled “The Web-Toed Bibliosaurus: Cranial Measurements Indicate a Smarter Than Average Lizard,” published in volume 85 of the Journal of the Paleocranial Society in 1995 on pages 566-592. The journal does not paginate each issue separately, but numbers continuously over the entire volume.

Learned, T. (1995). The Web-Toed Bibliosaurus: Cranial measurements indicate a smarter than average lizard. Journal of the Paleocranial Society , 85 , 566-592.

Learned, Truly. “The Web-Toed Bibliosaurus: Cranial Measurements Indicate a Smarter than Average Lizard.” Journal of the Paleocranial Society , vol. 85, 1995, pp. 566-592.

Learned, Truly. “The Web-Toed Bibliosaurus: Cranial Measurements Indicate a Smarter than Average Lizard.” Journal of the Paleocranial Society 85 (1995): 566-592.

JOURNAL ARTICLE WITH VOLUME & NUMBER – MULTIPLE AUTHORS The example used is an article by authors Adam Bisantz and Bea Biserk entitled “Adaptivity and Genetic Predisposition to Temper Tantrums.” The article was published in 2000 in volume 35, issue number 3, of the journal Misbehavior and Medication on pages 34-48. Each issue of the journal has its own pagination beginning with page 1.

Bisantz, A. & Biserk, B. (2000). Adaptivity and genetic predisposition to temper tantrums. Misbehavior and Medication , 35 (3), 34-48.

Bisantz, Adam and Bea Biserk. “Adaptivity and Genetic Predisposition to Temper Tantrums.” Misbehavior and Medication, vol. 35, no. 3, 2000, pp. 34-48.

Bisantz, Adam and Bea Biserk. “Adaptivity and Genetic Predisposition to Temper Tantrums.” Misbehavior and Medication 35, no. 3 (2000): 34-48.

JOURNAL ARTICLE WITH VOLUME & NUMBER – FOUR OR MORE AUTHORS

The example used is an article authored by Otto Nomick, Rhea Flecks, Kaye Tschin, Nye Dzherk, and Nobbie Knease, entitled “Reaction Times in White Mice Which have Been Administered Large Doses of MSG.” The article was published in 1998 in volume 33, issue number 1, of the Journal of Reflexology & Reactivity, on pages 22-43. Each issue of the journal has its own pagination. APA requires listing all authors up to seven. For references with more than seven authors, give the first six authors, followed by an ellipsis, and followed by the last author. (Example: Adams, B., Brown, C., Cook, D., Davis, E., Edge, F., Francis, G., Green, H., ... Zabriskie, A. ) Turabian bibliography style calls for listing all the authors, regardless of how many.

Nomick, O., Flecks, R., Tschin, K., Dzherk, N., & Knease, N. (1998). Reaction times in white mice which have been administered large doses of MSG. Journal of Reflexology & Reactivity , 33 (1), 22-43.

Nomick, Otto, et al. “Reaction Times in White Mice Which Have Been Administered Large Doses of MSG.” Journal of Reflexology & Reactivity , vol. 33, no. 1, 1998, pp. 22-43.

Nomick, Otto, Rhea Flecks, Kaye Tschin, Nye Dzherk, and Nobbie Knease. “Reaction Times in White Mice Which Have Been Administered Large Doses of MSG.” Journal of Reflexology & Reactivity 33, no. 1 (1998): 22-43.

JOURNAL ARTICLE – ELECTRONICALLY PUBLISHED JOURNAL (No DOI listed) This example is based on an article published in an online journal. The article, written by author C.B. Cybernaught, is entitled “Hyper Over Hypertext” and was published online in volume 39, issue number 4, April 1995, in the electronic journal World Wide Wanderer. The article is not paginated and was retrieved on 25 May 2008.

Cybernaught, C.B. (1995, April). Hyper over hypertext. World Wide Wanderer , 39 (4). http://www.ccu.edu/wwwander/

Cybernaught, C.B. “Hyper Over Hypertext.” World Wide Wanderer , vol. 39, no. 4, April 1995, www.ccu.edu/wwwander/april95.html. Accessed 25 May 2008.

Cybernaught, C.B. “Hyper Over Hypertext.” World Wide Wanderer 39, no. 4 (April 1995). http://www.ccu.edu/wwwander/april95.html (accessed May 25, 2008).

JOURNAL ARTICLE – ELECTRONICALLY PUBLISHED JOURNAL (DOI listed) This example is based on an article published in an online journal that assigns DOIs (Digital Object Identifiers) to each of its articles. Most publishers are now assigning DOIs to make it easier to link back to electronically published articles. The article, written by author Cosette Cremedelacreme, is entitled “An Examination of Gastronomic Imagery in the Later Poetry of Fifi LaRue. The article was published in 2008 in volume 13, issue number 2, on pages 23-43 of the journal Poetry Parisienne. The URL for the article is http://www.parisienne.com/13_2/cremedelacreme.html. The DOI for the article is 29.1027/00013- 2893.13.2.23. The article was retrieved June 13, 2008. Note: APA recommends using both volume and issue numbers for all electronic journal articles when both are available, regardless of pagination.

Cremedelacreme, C. (2008). An examination of gastronomic imagery in the later poetry of Fifi LaRue. Poetry Parisienne , 13 (2), 23-43. https://doi.org/29.1027/00013-2893.13.2.23

Cremedelacreme, Cosette. “An Examination of Gastronomic Imagery in the Later Poetry of Fifi LaRue.” Poetry Parisienne , vol. 13, no. 2, 2008, pp. 23-43. doi: 29.1027/00013- 2893.13.2.23. Accessed 13 June 2008.

Cremedelacreme, Cosette. “An Examination of Gastronomic Imagery in the Later Poetry of Fifi LaRue.” Poetry Parisienne 13, no. 2 (2008): 23-43. doi:29.1027/00013- 2893.13.2.23 (accessed June 13, 2008).

JOURNAL ARTICLE FROM AN ONLINE FULL-TEXT DATABASE (No DOI or Journal URL listed) The example is based on the 2007 article “Entanglements in Wonderland: Children’s Stories and Their Underlying Adult Themes,” by author Silvester Stiltskin. The article was published in the journal Studies in Children’s Fiction in the March 2007 issue, volume 37, number 3, on pages 123-145. The journal has no online equivalent but it has been reproduced electronically in Literature Online. The database is available at the Thomas G. Carpenter Library at UNF and was retrieved on August 28, 2008. Note: APA advises that it is generally not necessary to provide retrieval information for journal articles pulled from databases, since coverage in the database might change. When no DOI or website is available, the citation will take the format of the print journal article.

Stiltskin, S. (2007). Entanglements in Wonderland: Children’s stories and their underlying adult themes. Studies in Children’s Fiction , 37 (3), 123-145.

Stiltskin, Sylvester. “Entanglements in Wonderland: Children’s Stories and Their Underlying Adult Themes.” Studies in Children’s Fiction , vol. 37, no. 3, 2007, pp. 123-145. Literature Online, gateway.lion.com/scf/2007_37_03_stiltskin.html. Accessed 28 Aug. 2008.

Stiltskin, Sylvester. “Entanglements in Wonderland: Children’s Stories and Their Underlying Adult Themes.” Studies in Children’s Fiction 37, no. 3 (2007): 123-145. http://gateway.lion.com/scf/2007_37_03_stiltskin.html (Accessed August 28, 2008).

JOURNAL ARTICLE FROM AN ONLINE FULL-TEXT DATABASE (Journal URL listed) The example is based on the 2006 article authored by Rubio Buttons entitled “Send in the Clowns: Political Misadventures of 21st Century America.”  The article was published in volume 3, issue number 2, of the journal Political Profundity on pages 47-62. The journal also maintains electronic copies of the articles and provides the URL on the article title page (http://www.polprof.com/2006/buttons.html). The article is available in the database PoliSci Online and was retrieved from the database on September 3, 2008.

Buttons, R. (2006). Send in the clowns: Political misadventures of 21st century America. Political Profundity , 3( 2), 47-62. http://www.polprof.com/

Buttons, Rubio. “Send in the Clowns: Political Misadventures of 21st Century America.” Political Profundity , vol. 3, no. 2, 2006, pp. 47-62. PoliSci Online, http://text.poliscionline.com/2006_3_2_47.html. Accessed 3 Sep. 2008.

Buttons, Rubio. “Send in the Clowns: Political Misadventures of 21st Century America.” Political Profundity 3, no. 2 (2006): 47-62. http://text.poliscionline.com/2006_3_2_47.html (accessed September 3, 2008).

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APA Style (7th ed.)

• Cite: Why? When?
• Book, eBook, Dissertation

Article or Report

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• In-Text Citation
• Format Your Paper

Basic structure for an article: 

Author, a. a., & author, b. b. (year). title of article in non-italics: capital letter also for subtitle.  journal title in italics, volume# (issue#), pg#-pg#. https://doi.org/10.xxxxxxxx.

You can leave out any parts that you don't have, like a DOI, the volume, issue, or page numbers.

Jump to more specific examples by using the table below: 

Online or Print, with DOI (p. 316+ in Manual)

On all article citations, whether you read online or print, include the Digital Object Identifier (DOI) if available.  The DOI is like a digital thumbprint: its unique and permanent numbers and letters help identify it. It is typically on the first or last page of the article. It may also be listed in the  CrossRef Database . If you are having trouble finding the DOI,  ask a librarian .  If there is no DOI, see  this example . 

Note  that as of March 2017,  CrossRef  and  APA  both recommend that DOIs be formatted as such:  https://doi.org/10.xxxx/xxxxx  with no period at the end.  

In-text Citation

Parenthetical Citation :  The Coast Guard narrative provides meaning to the practice of modern day piracy (Bueger, 2013).

Narrative Citation : According to Bueger (2013) the coast guard narrative can be treated as a "meaningful fiction which gives coherence to the practice of piracy" (p. 1824). 

Two Authors

List both authors in the order they appear in the article. Use an ampersand (&) rather than "and" between the author names.

Parenthetical Citation : In the fast fashion business model, retailers use enhanced design and quick response to complement each other (Cachon & Swinney, 2005).

Narrative Citation : Cachon & Swinney (2005) explain how enhanced design and quick response complement each other in the fast fashion retail model. 

Three or more authors 

List each author in the order they appear in the article. Use an ampersand (&) rather than "and" between the last two.

If you have more than 20 authors, list the first 19 authors, then ..., then the last author (so there is a total of 20 names in the citation). 

Parenthetical Citation :  Group membership may determine the bias of language used by an individual describing a specific event (Wenneker et al., 2005).

Narrative Citation : According to Wenneker et al., (2005) an individual's group membership may determine the bias of language used to describe a specific event.

Report (see p. 329-330 in Manual)

After the report title, include any report number if available and the Source, which can be thought of like the Publisher of a book.

Group Author or Government Report (see p. 329-330 in Manual)

In governmental reports, you can have multiple "levels," or offices/departments, in the Source element, separated by a comma.

The  Author  is the office that was most directly responsible for creating the content, and any parent offices are the  Source . If you aren't sure which office created the content, look on Google or on their general webpage to figure out the structure -- which office is "under" another office?

Parenthetical Citation :  Law enforcement agencies have started to increase the use of drones since 2016 for a variety of purposes (Police Executive Research Forum, 2020).

Narrative Citation : According to the Police Executive Research Forum (2020), law enforcement agencies have been using drones for a variety of purposes such as search and rescue, crime scene reconstruction, and disaster response.

Named Author 

Parenthetical Citation :  A large share of the manufacturing labor force in certain developing countries consists of self-employed individuals (McKenzie, 2009).

Narrative Citation : McKenzie (2009) states that "Self-employment accounts for a large share of the labor force in most developing countries" (p.211).

Online or Print, no DOI  (p. 317 in Manual)

Italicize the journal title and volume number, but not the issue number in parentheses. 

Parenthetical Citation : The limited academic presence of Latino scholars has led to non-Latino administrators and colleagues having a greater impact on Latino Studies programs (Aparicio, 1999).

Narrative Citation : According to Aparicio (1999), the limited academic presence of Latino scholars translates to non-Latino administrators and colleagues having a greater impact on Latino Studies programs.

Magazine (p. 320 in Manual)

Online with no doi.

Include the stable URL. Page numbers, volume, and issue may be omitted if not available. 

Parenthetical Citation :  Marcus Hutchins was lauded as the hacker who saved the internet for his work in stopping the WannaCry cyber security attack (Greenberg, 2020).

Narrative Citation : Greenberg (2020) outlined Marcus Hutchins journey from creating malware to being lauded as the hacker who saved the internet.

Print or from a Database with no DOI

Italicize the magazine title and volume number, but not the issue number in parentheses.  If a magazine has a month and/or date, you may include that.

Parenthetical Citation :  Approximately 20 million Americans have been recruited for clinical trials each year (Rodgers, 2009).

Narrative Citation : Rodgers (2009) estimates that approximately 20 million Americans have been recruited for clinical trials each year. 

Newspaper (p. 320 in Manual)

• Use this format for articles from both print newspapers as well as newspaper websites such as  The New York Times  or  The Washington Post.
• Use the format for  websites  for citing articles from a news website. Common examples are BBC News, BET News, Bloomberg, CNN, HuffPost, MSNBC, Reuters, Salon, and Vox. These sites do not have associated daily or weekly newspapers.

Parenthetical Citation :  Foreign language instruction supporters would prefer the integration of lessons into the core curriculum thus preventing their easy removal during budget cuts (Hu, 2009).

Narrative Citation : Hu (2009) reports that supporters of foreign language instruction would prefer lessons be integrated into the core curriculum to prevent their easy removal during budget cuts. 

Print or from a Database with no DOI 

If an article appears on discontinuous pages, list each of the page numbers where it appears. For multiple pages, use "pp." Most newspapers have a month and/or date, so include that.

Parenthetical Citation : The recent migrant crisis has caused the police chief to reach out to state and federal elected officials for financial support (Fidlin, 2023).

Narrative Citation : According to Fidlin (2023) the police chief has reached out to state and federal elected officials for financial support to aid in the recent migrant crisis.

No Author, Volume, or Issue Number 

Remember that APA encourages researchers to use the name of a corporate author, a governmental organization, an office, a department, etc. as the author (see  an example like this) .

However, if no author can be found, as is sometimes the case with newspaper and magazine articles, begin the citation with the title of the article. 

Parenthetical Citation :  Close to three hundred deaths reported in Alberta in 2015 have been connected to illicit fentanyl (How Globe and Mail reporters traced the rise of fentanyl, 2016).

Narrative Citation : According to the article, How Globe and Mail reporters traced the rise of fentanyl (2015) close to three hundred deaths reported in Alberta in 2015 have been connected to illicit fentanyl. 

Parenthetical Citation :  The Hmong in Minnesota have continued their cultural traditions such as celebrating the Hmong New Year in spite of  expatriation (In the US, Hmong New Year, 2023).

Note: Shorten the title for the in-text citation if it is too long. 

Conference Session

Parenthetical Citation : Music therapy is a good way for teachers to help engage their students in the classroom (Fistek et al., 2017).

Narrative Citation : Fistek et al. (2017) argue that music therapy is a good way for teachers to help their students in the classroom. 

More questions? Check out the authoritative source:  APA style blog

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Research Foundations: Locate Citation Information

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Locating Citation Information

No matter which citation style you use, the first step to crediting your sources is locating the citation information. Regardless of the information format, all citations will include a minimum of title of the work, author or authors, and date of publication. Below are examples from books, ebooks, articles from databases, and academic journal articles that illustrate where to find the identifying citation information.

Book / eBook Title Page

title page of a book

Title - Full title and subtitles

Edition - books that have been revised or expanded more than once will often have an edition number

Author(s) or Editor(s) - may include one or more authors or editors of the book

Publisher - the company that published the book

Publishing City - if there are multiple cities, cite the first city listed

• Book Title Page Example A larger, printable version of the title page example.

Book / eBook Copyright Page

copyright page of a book

Copyright / Publication Year - if there are multiple dates, choose the most recent

• Book Copyright Page Example A larger, printable version of the copyright page example.

Academic Journal Article

example academic journal article

Academic journal articles' citations differ from book sources, and thus require you to identify a few unique pieces of information.

Author(s)  - may include one or more authors of the article

Page Number - cite the entire page range in which the article appears

Publication - name of the journal the article was published in

Volume / Issue Number - identifies the exact edition of the journal where the article appears

Publication Date  - date formats vary; use the format the journal provides or the citation style requires

Most citation information will appear on the first page of the article; however, the location of that information will vary from journal to journal. You can find the placement of the journal name, page number, publication date, and volume and issue number located on the top or bottom of the article’s page. The publication date may be a single year (2013), a distinct month (October 2010), specific publication cycle (Fall 2007), or an exact date (June 28, 2005). The page range of the article is another cirtical piece of citation information. Some article in printed or PDF format, will have the page numbers visible. Other articles in a digital, or HTML, format may not have obvious page ranges.

• Academic Journal Article Example A larger, printable version of the journal article example.

Database Articles

There is no uniform approach to locating citation information based solely on the article itself. Many journals follow a relatively consistent format. Magazine and newspaper articles may only offer an article's title with the text and identify an author or source. Again, you are not likely to encounter standardization in the presentation of the article.

Some citation styles or professors require that you include the name of the database if retrieved through a library database. This can be tricky to discern if you are not familiar with the databases. Fortunately, most databases provide essential citation information for each article directly on the results pages or the article description page. Knowing this saves a lot of time and effort when reviewing articles.

example of citation information for a database article

Additionally, many databases will create an article's citation for you, in the citation style you choose. These computer-generated citations require careful review, as they may not be fully correct. Most databases will create citations that have the right information, in the right order. The biggest drawback to using databases created citations is in the formatting. Many will not include the correct spacing, punctuation, and capitalization for the citation style. Some articles, particularly those only available in HTML format, display just the first page number rather than the entire range. You may not be able to verify an exact page range without access to a PDF format in these instances. Always remeber to check these citations again an official style guide before including in a research project.

example of a database generated citation

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Q. Where do I find all of the information I need to cite an article?

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Answered By: APUS Librarians Last Updated: Jul 23, 2017     Views: 129381

Different article types are cited in slightly different ways.  So, first determine what kind of article you're citing: is it from a  magazine, newspaper or peer-reviewed journal?  ( Not sure how to tell?  Click here for tips .)

Next, visit the style guide that you'll be using, and see which pieces of information should be included in your article's citation (author, date, article title, journal title, volume, issue, page numbers, doi), and in what order. 

Then, find the pieces of information in the article's full text.  Each periodical will format its articles a bit differently, but here are some tips on where to look:

• Author's name : Usually toward the top of the first page (beneath the article title).  Sometimes at the end of the article.  
• Publication date : Usually on the first page.  Look near the article title or at the bottom of the first page.  
• Article title :  Always on the first page, toward the top.   
• Periodical title :  May appear at the top or bottom of the first page.  Sometimes repeated at the bottom of subsequent pages (with volume, issue and page numbers).  
• Volume and issue numbers:   In peer-reviewed articles, usually listed right after the periodical title.  
• Page numbers: The page range for the entire article is often listed right after the volume and issue numbers.  If not, find the first page number, then scroll to the end of the article to find the last page number.   Page numbers may be in the top corners (right or left), but can also be found at the bottom of each page.  
• DOI :  May be at the top or bottom of the first page.

See an example journal article below (click to view larger):  

How can I use a library database to generate a citation?

Are there any good citation management tools that I can use?

How can I create a permalink to an article or book from our databases?

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APA Style Guide, 7th Edition: Volume/Issue

• Updated About In-text Citations
• Updated In-Text Examples
• What to Include
• Volume/Issue
• Bracketed Descriptions
• URLs and DOIs
• Book with Editor(s)
• Book with No Author
• Book with Organization as Author
• Book with Personal Author(s)
• Chapters and Parts of Books
• Classical Works
• Journal Article
• Magazine Article
• Multi-Volume Works
• Newspaper Article
• Patents & Laws
• Personal Communication
• Physicians' Desk Reference
• Social Media
• Unpublished Manuscripts/Informal Publications (i.e. course packets and dissertations)
• Formatting Your Paper
• Formatting Your References
• Headings in APA
• Annotated Bibliography

General Rules for Volumes and Issues

Both volume and issue information, if present, is required in references for books and journals.

Books    

A book that is part of a multivolume set  will have a volume number in the reference. Abbreviate the word Volume as Vol. and Volumes as Vols. followed by the Arabic volume number. The volume number follows the title of the book and comes after the edition statement (when there is one), it is enclosed in parentheses.

Scott, L. (2011). Parental nutrition.  Clinical nutrition (2nd ed., Vol. 3)....

Kyle, P. (2003). People and places (Vols. 1-5)...

Both volume and issue numbers are required in references to journal articles. Not all journals have issue numbers.

Write all volume numbers as Arabic numerals and italicize (no abbreviation for volume). The issue number proceeds immediately after the volume and is not italicized. Place all issue information within parentheses.

5 is the volume number and 3 is the issue number: Advertising to Adolescents: An Examination of Skepticism. (2011). Global Journal of Business Research, 5 (3), 85-91.        

3 is the volume number and 4 is the issue number: Moreira, J. P. (2010, December). Health literacy: A new dimension for healthcare development. Journal of Marketing & Management in Healthcare, 3 (4), 239-240.

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ISBN, DOI, ISSN: A Quick Guide to Publication Identifiers

Publication identifiers help in finding information on an article or publication using a set of codes. All of us have names and other identifying characteristics and titles; however, these could be common to several thousands of people. In the United States, a person’s unique identifying tag is his or her Social Security number. The same is true of titles of articles, subject matter, and a host of other characteristics of the written word. A publication identifier is unique to that journal, article, or book.

There are several types of publication identifiers. Some of these are discussed here.

International Standard Book Number

• The International Standard Book Number ( ISBN ) is for books. ISBNs identify printed or digital books and are used as inventory-tracking devices.
• The code is usually found on the back cover of a book and includes a barcode. One shortcoming of the ISBN is that it does not provide information on all versions of a particular book because each has its own unique code, which might not be an issue since it is recognizable.
• The ISBN has 13 digits and contains five types of identifying information or “elements” such as: a prefix, registration group (e.g., individual country or territory), registrant, publication, and “checksum” (i.e., a figure that is used to detect errors).
• If you are a self-publishing author in the United States, you can easily retrieve your own ISBN through Bowker , the country’s official ISBN source.
• If not, you can find this information on ISBNs in your country from the International ISBN Agency . By purchasing an ISBN for your publication, you ensure a better chance of it being found in a search.

Related: Need instant updates on academic writing on your cell phone? Download the FREE Enago Academy mobile app now.

Digital Object Identifier

• A Digital Object Identifier ( DOI ) is used mainly in scientific journals.
• Each article in each of the thousands of journals has its own unique DOI. Understanding a DOI is important when doing specific research.
• The DOI format is usually numerals and letters, including some punctuation. For example, a DOI created by Wiley might look like “10.1111/j.1365-2575.2012.00413.x.”
• The first number identifies Wiley, the “j” indicates a journal article, and the number range indicates the ISSN. These are followed by the year the article was received by the publisher and the tracking number.

International Standard Serial Number

• The International Standard Serial Number (ISSN) comprises of seven digits followed by a “check digit” to identify any errors in citations.
• ISSNs help to identify serial publications, which are those that are published regularly in sequence, such as magazines, journals, newspapers, and databases. They don’t identify content or certify its validity .
• Although ISSNs do not identify the journal owner, if a journal name changes, a new ISSN is necessary. This is important when considering a title change because the change will affect cataloging and indexing.
• ISSNs also have some limitations. There might be an ISSN for printed text and a different one for electronic versions.
• “E-journals” are becoming quite popular given the Internet capabilities. Publishers are finding it much less costly to publish their serials online, and many do so exclusively. In addition, many of these journals are open access publications, which allow researchers to more easily gather needed information.
• The ISSN format is “ISSN 0000-0000,” which is printed on the journal cover. For electronic versions, “e-ISSN” is posted on the home page and is included in the DOI.

PubMed Indexing and Referencing Numbers

• The PubMed Indexing Number (PMID) is used for articles in the PubMed database , which contains more than 27 million citations from several sources.
• PMIDs are unique identifiers and are assigned to each record in the PubMed system. The code is found at the end of a PubMed citation and below the article’s author list and title.
• The PubMed Central referencing number (PMCID) is required for listing in the National Institutes of Health (NIH) grant proposals and reports.
• PMCIDs are assigned to an article in PubMed Central, which differs from the PubMed database. These articles comply with NIH’s Public Access Policy . PMCIDs are listed below the abstract.

Serial Item and Contribution Identifier

• The Serial Item and Contribution Identifier (SICI) identifies specific parts of a serial, such as volume number.
• It provides more information to those involved in indexing titles and content. SICI was created by the Serials Industry Systems Advisory Committee (SISAC) to be an extension of ISSN to help identify specifics of an article. The code has become widely accepted and used by both publishers and researchers.
• Item : The ISSN.
• Contribution : Signifies the page numbers, title code.
• Control : Type of SICI, part of article referenced (e.g., abstract), how content is presented (e.g., text), and version.

For example, “0095-4403(199502/03)21:3<12:WATIIB>2.0.TX;2-J” is SICI for “Bjorner, Susanne. “Who Are These Independent Information Brokers?” Bulletin of the American Society for Information Science , Feb–Mar. 1995, Vol. 21, no. 3, page 12.”

• A CODEN is a six-character, alphanumeric code for both serial and non-serial science publications.
• CODEN was designed and published in 1953 by a researcher at the Chronic Disease Research Institute to help him remember his reference publications, but became popular with scientists of all disciplines and is used for bibliographic indexing.
• Usually, CODEN is for articles related to chemistry; however, publishers of non-chemistry articles can request a CODEN from the International CODEN Service.
• Serial publications have a six-letter CODEN. The first four letters represent the journal title, and the fifth and sixth letters refer to one of the first six letters of the alphabet and the check character, respectively.
• For non-serial publications, the first two characters of the CODEN are numbers followed by letters. The fifth character is taken from the entire alphabet, and the sixth is the check character.

In addition, as a researcher, you should recognize these various codes to make your searches less time-consuming. The links here will provide more identifying codes that you might also want to use; however, those listed here are the most common and universally used.

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APA 7th Style:  Articles

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• General rules - Newspaper & Magazine articles

Newspaper articles

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Book reviews

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Journal articles

General rules:, journal articles with no author listed.

Move the Title up to the author position:

Reference list examples :

Australians turning to Dr Google for health advice. (2016). Australian Nursing and Midwifery Journal, 24 (4), 13. https://issuu.com/australiannursingfederation/docs/anmj_oct16_issuu

Every time you paraphrase, or use an idea from another source you must include an in-text citation to that source. This is the general format for a source that has no author:  ("Article Title," Year)

Note that the comma is enclosed by the double-quote marks, not after them.

If the title is long, you can shorten it for use in the in-text citation.

Consumers are being more active in managing their health ("Australians Turning to Dr Google," 2016).

Note that the title is capitalised and in double-quotes for the in-text citation, but not for the reference list entry.

The example above is a news article on a single page from a trade/industry journal that has no author listed.

Direct Quotations

If you include a direct quote, that is word-for-word from a source which has no author, the general format of the in-text citation appears:  ("Article Title," Year, p. X)

In order to "avoid face-to-face appointments", 1 in 3 people accessed information online ("Australians Turning to Dr Google," 2016, p. 13).

NOTE: Use "p" when quoting from one page - for example ( "Trying Times", 2019, p. 14 ), and "pp" when quoting from more than one page - for example ("Trying Times", 2019, pp. 14-15).

Journal articles with 1 author

Acciari, M. (2014). The Italianization of Bollywood cinema: Ad hoc films. Studies in European Cinema , 11 (1), 14-25. https://doi.org/10.1080/17411548.2014.903099

Tucciarone, K. (2014). Influence of popular television programming on students’ perception about course selection, major, and career. Popular Culture Studies Journal, 2 (1&2), 172-193. https://mpcaaca.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/11/B08-Tucciarone-Influence-of-Popular-Television-Programming.pdf

Wessel, K. B. (2015). How an aging population is transforming nursing. Nursing, 45 (6), 52-55. https://doi.org/10.1097/01.NURSE.0000461856.10691.da

Every time you paraphrase, or use an idea from another source you must include an in-text citation to that source. This is the general format for a s ource that has 1 autho r:  (Author Surname, Year)

Australian education providers will need to address a number of challenges to ensure standards of special education are fully supporting students with special needs and their families (Dempsey, 2012).

If you include a direct quote, that is word-for-word from a source which has 1 author, the general format of the in-text citation appears:  (Author Surname, Year, p. X)

“These films absorb, through a collage of images, traces of the Italian inheritance of neo-realist cinema” (Acciari, 2014, p. 14).

NOTE: Use "p" when quoting from one page - for example ( Acciari, 2014, p. 14 ), and "pp" when quoting from more than one page - for example (Wessel, 2015, pp. 53-54).

Journal articles with 2 authors

Gorton, K., & Garde-Hansen, J. (2013). From old media whore to new media troll: The online negotiation of Madonna’s ageing body. Feminist Media Studies, 13 (2), 288-302.

Marra, A. R., & Edmond, M. B. (2014). New technologies to monitor healthcare worker hand hygiene. Clinical Microbiology & Infection, 20 (1), 29-33. https://doi.org/10.1111/1469-0691.12458

McAlister, M., & Gartland, C. (2019). The use of safety engineered medical devices to prevent needle stick injuries in the clinical setting. Australian Nursing and Midwifery Journal, 26 (8), 18-21. https://anmj.org.au/wp-content/uploads/2019/10/Oct-Dec2019ANMJ.pdf

Every time you paraphrase, or use an idea from another source you must include an in-text citation to that source. This is the general format for a source that has 2 authors:  (1st Author surname & 2nd Author surname, Year)

New technologies need to be evaluated before large scale investment is made by organisations (Marra & Edmond, 2014).

If you include a direct quote, that is word-for-word from a source which has 1 author, the general format of the in-text citation appears:  (1st Author surname & 2nd Author surname, Year, p. X)

"The convergence of media means that the dichotomy between old and new media economies is hard to maintain" (Gorton & Garde-Hansen, 2013, p. 298).

NOTE: Use "p" when quoting from one page - for example (McAlister  & Gartland, 2019, p. 20 ), and "pp" when quoting from more than one page - for example ( McAlister  & Gartland,  2019, pp. 20-21).

Journal articles with more than 3 authors

This pattern is used for articles with up to 20 authors:

Continue the above patterns, adding additional authors as needed.  For articles with 21+ authors, see the next tab.

Barros, S., Nóbrega, M. P. S. S., Santos, J. C., Fonseca, L. M., & Floriano, L. S. M. (2019). Mental health in primary health care: Health-disease according to health professionals. Revista Brasileira de Enfermagem, 72 (6), 1609-1617. https://doi.org /10.1590/0034-7167-2018-0743

Wilson, N. J., Cordier, R., Ciccarelli, M., MacCallum, J., Milbourn, B., Vaz, S., Joosten, A., Buchanan, A., McAuliffe, T., & Stancliffe, R. J. (2018). Intergenerational mentoring at Men's Sheds: A feasibility study. Journal of Applied Research in Intellectual Disabilities, 31 (1), e105-e117. https://doi.org/10.1111/jar.12338

Every time you paraphrase, or use an idea from another source you must include an in-text citation to that source. This is the general format for a source that has 3-20 authors:  (1st Author surname et al., Year)

... techniques including visual observations during ambulation on a flat surface (McDonald et al., 2006).

If you include a direct quote, that is word-for-word from a source which has 3-20 authors, the general format of the in-text citation appears:  (1st Author surname et al., Year, p. X)

Jorm et al. (2006, p. 4) argue "the key areas for action are prevention and early intervention with first-onset disorders".

NOTE: Use "p" when quoting from one page - for example ( Smith et al., 2019, p. 14 ), and "pp" when quoting from more than one page - for example (Smith et al., 2019, pp. 14-15).

Journal articles with 21+ authors

For 21+ authors, add the first 19, then an ellipsis (...), then the last author:

Note that journal articles are the only resource to have this pattern,  Everything else follows the '3 or more' pattern.

Reference list example :

Davies, G., Lam, M., Harris, S. E., Trampush, J. W., Luciano, M., Hill, W. D., Hagenaars, S. P., Ritchie, S. J., Marioni, R. E., Fawns-Ritchie, C., Liewald, D. C. M., Okely, J. A., Ahola-Olli, A. V., Barnes, C. L. K., Bertram, L., Bis, J. C., Burdick, K. E., Christoforou, A., DeRosse, P., ... Deary, I. J. (2018). Study of 300,486 individuals identifies 148 independent genetic loci influencing general cognitive function. Nature Communications, 9 , Article 2098. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-018-04362-x

Note that the above example uses an Article Number.  These are acceptable for APA 7.  For direct quoting from articles like this, use the page numbers (1-...) on the article.

Every time you paraphrase, or use an idea from another source you must include an in-text citation to that source. This is the general format for a source that has 3 or more authors:  (1st Author surname et al., Year)

If you include a direct quote, that is word-for-word from a source which has 1 author, the general format of the in-text citation appears:  (1st Author surname at al., Year, p. X)

Journal articles with corporate authors.

'Corporate authors' are groups, societies or organisations who have written publications. This includes universities, research groups, museums, government departments, professional associations, and so on.

AVERT Trial Collaboration group. (2015). Efficacy and safety of very early mobilisation within 24 h of stroke onset (AVERT): A randomised controlled trial. Lancet, 386 (9988), 46-55. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0140-6736(15)60690-0

SPRINT Research Group. (2015). A randomized trial of intensive versus standard blood-pressure control. New England Journal of Medicine, 373 (22), 2103-2116. https://doi.org/10.1056/NEJMoa1511939

Every time you paraphrase, or use an idea from another source you must include an in-text citation to that source. This is the general format for a source that has 1 author:  (Corporate Author, Year)

Thousands of teachers, principals, early childhood workers and academics have graduated and gone on to make their mark in and out of the classroom in communities (University of Newcastle, 2009).

If an author's name is known by a common acronym (eg. ABS  for Australian Bureau of Statistics, AIHW for Australian Institute for Health and Welfare), include the full name, plus the acronym in the first in-text citation, in the format:

(Corporate Author [CA] , Year )

"Over half of people aged 15 years and older (56%) considered their overall health to be very good or excellent, and 29% stated that their health was good" (Australian Bureau of Statistics [ABS], 2009, p. 3).

In subsequent references , include just the acronym:

(CA , Year )

Example: ... 19% of people aged 18 years and over (19%) were current daily smokers (ABS, 2009).

If you include a direct quote, that is word-for-word from a source which has 1 author, the general format of the in-text citation appears:  (Corporate Author, Year, p. X)

NOTE: Use "p" when quoting from one page - for example ( NSW Health, 2019, p. 14 ), and "pp" when quoting from more than one page - for example (NSW Health, 2019, pp. 14-15).

Journal articles - Advance publication / online first

Many journal publishers provide access to articles before they have been assigned a volume, issue or page numbers, referring to them as "Advance Publication" or "Online First" articles:

Muldoon, K., Towse, J., Simms, V., Perra, O., & Menzies, V. (2012). A longitudinal analysis of estimation, counting skills, and mathematical ability across the first school year. Developmental Psychology . Advance online publication. https://doi.org/10.1037/a0028240

Every time you paraphrase, or use an idea from another source you must include an in-text citation to that source.

For these articles, follow the author formatting for the number of authors involved - for example, for 3 authors, see the tab for that number.

Use the pagination on the document, adding "p" when quoting from one page - for example ( Acciari, 2020, p. 14 ), and "pp" when quoting from more than one page - for example (Wessel, 2020, pp. 2-3).

Journal articles - 'In-press'

'In-press' means that the article has been accepted for publication, but not yet published.  These articles are different to the 'online first' article from the previous tab, as the content may not have been finalised.

As this is not the 'final version' of the article, we replace the year with the words 'in press':

Lopez Vasquez, K. (in press). Tay-Sachs disease. Journal of Neonatal Nursing. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jnn.2020.02.001

For these articles, follow the author formatting for the number of authors involved - for the example above (2 authors), we follow that pattern to format the author, replacing the year with 'in press':  (Burrows & Morrison, in press)

Use the pagination on the document, adding "p" when quoting from one page - for example ( Acciari, in press, p. 14 ), and "pp" when quoting from more than one page - for example (Wessel, in press, pp. 2-3).

Newspaper and Magazine articles

Note: newspaper and magazine articles do not have the same level of scholarly quality as journal articles.  make sure to check if they are suitable for use in your assessments..

Australian Associated Press. (2019, November 24). More than 60 fires burn across New South Wales as $48m relief package announced. The Guardian . https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2019/nov/24/more-than-60-fires-burn-across-new-south-wales-as-48m-relief-package-announced

McNeilage, A. (2014, July 7). Rapper basks in the beauty of Aboriginal culture. The Sydney Morning Herald , 6.

For these articles, follow the author formatting for the number of authors involved - for example, for 1 author, see the tab for that number.

Where the article is online and has no pagination, count the paragraphs and use that instead of pages, e.g. (Seber, 2019, para. 3).

Magazine articles and stories

Monroe, R. (2019, November 18). How natural wine became a symbol of virtuous consumption. The New Yorker . https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2019/11/25/how-natural-wine-became-a-symbol-of-virtuous-consumption

Proulx, A. (1997, October 13). Brokeback mountain. New Yorker .  https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/1997/10/13/brokeback-mountain

In the examples above, no volume, issue, or page information is provided.  In these cases, just cite the title of the online magazine and then provide the full access link.

Reference list examples:

Kakutani, M. (2016, November 7). Friendship takes a path that diverges [Review of the book Swing time , by Z. Smith]. The New York Times . https://www.nytimes.com/2016/11/ 08/books/zadie-smiths-swing-time-explores-friends-diverging-paths.html

Schatz, B. R. (2000, November 17). Learning by text or context? [Review of the book The social life of information , by J. S. Brown & P. Duguid]. Science, 290 (5495), 1304. https://doi.org/10.1126/science.290.5495.1304

Every time you paraphrase, or use an idea from another source you must include an in-text citation to that source. Follow the general pattern:  (Author Surname, Year)

... has a certain directness that is pleasing to read (Smith, 2019).

If you include a direct quote, that is word-for-word from a source, add a page reference to your in-text citation, e.g. :

This video will show you the basics of how to create in-text and reference list citations for journal articles using APA 7th style.

Help and Information

UON Referencing Guide

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13.1 Formatting a Research Paper

Learning objectives.

• Identify the major components of a research paper written using American Psychological Association (APA) style.
• Apply general APA style and formatting conventions in a research paper.

In this chapter, you will learn how to use APA style , the documentation and formatting style followed by the American Psychological Association, as well as MLA style , from the Modern Language Association. There are a few major formatting styles used in academic texts, including AMA, Chicago, and Turabian:

• AMA (American Medical Association) for medicine, health, and biological sciences
• APA (American Psychological Association) for education, psychology, and the social sciences
• Chicago—a common style used in everyday publications like magazines, newspapers, and books
• MLA (Modern Language Association) for English, literature, arts, and humanities
• Turabian—another common style designed for its universal application across all subjects and disciplines

While all the formatting and citation styles have their own use and applications, in this chapter we focus our attention on the two styles you are most likely to use in your academic studies: APA and MLA.

If you find that the rules of proper source documentation are difficult to keep straight, you are not alone. Writing a good research paper is, in and of itself, a major intellectual challenge. Having to follow detailed citation and formatting guidelines as well may seem like just one more task to add to an already-too-long list of requirements.

Following these guidelines, however, serves several important purposes. First, it signals to your readers that your paper should be taken seriously as a student’s contribution to a given academic or professional field; it is the literary equivalent of wearing a tailored suit to a job interview. Second, it shows that you respect other people’s work enough to give them proper credit for it. Finally, it helps your reader find additional materials if he or she wishes to learn more about your topic.

Furthermore, producing a letter-perfect APA-style paper need not be burdensome. Yes, it requires careful attention to detail. However, you can simplify the process if you keep these broad guidelines in mind:

• Work ahead whenever you can. Chapter 11 “Writing from Research: What Will I Learn?” includes tips for keeping track of your sources early in the research process, which will save time later on.
• Get it right the first time. Apply APA guidelines as you write, so you will not have much to correct during the editing stage. Again, putting in a little extra time early on can save time later.
• Use the resources available to you. In addition to the guidelines provided in this chapter, you may wish to consult the APA website at http://www.apa.org or the Purdue University Online Writing lab at http://owl.english.purdue.edu , which regularly updates its online style guidelines.

General Formatting Guidelines

This chapter provides detailed guidelines for using the citation and formatting conventions developed by the American Psychological Association, or APA. Writers in disciplines as diverse as astrophysics, biology, psychology, and education follow APA style. The major components of a paper written in APA style are listed in the following box.

These are the major components of an APA-style paper:

Body, which includes the following:

• Headings and, if necessary, subheadings to organize the content
• In-text citations of research sources
• References page

All these components must be saved in one document, not as separate documents.

The title page of your paper includes the following information:

• Title of the paper
• Author’s name
• Name of the institution with which the author is affiliated
• Header at the top of the page with the paper title (in capital letters) and the page number (If the title is lengthy, you may use a shortened form of it in the header.)

List the first three elements in the order given in the previous list, centered about one third of the way down from the top of the page. Use the headers and footers tool of your word-processing program to add the header, with the title text at the left and the page number in the upper-right corner. Your title page should look like the following example.

The next page of your paper provides an abstract , or brief summary of your findings. An abstract does not need to be provided in every paper, but an abstract should be used in papers that include a hypothesis. A good abstract is concise—about one hundred fifty to two hundred fifty words—and is written in an objective, impersonal style. Your writing voice will not be as apparent here as in the body of your paper. When writing the abstract, take a just-the-facts approach, and summarize your research question and your findings in a few sentences.

In Chapter 12 “Writing a Research Paper” , you read a paper written by a student named Jorge, who researched the effectiveness of low-carbohydrate diets. Read Jorge’s abstract. Note how it sums up the major ideas in his paper without going into excessive detail.

Write an abstract summarizing your paper. Briefly introduce the topic, state your findings, and sum up what conclusions you can draw from your research. Use the word count feature of your word-processing program to make sure your abstract does not exceed one hundred fifty words.

Depending on your field of study, you may sometimes write research papers that present extensive primary research, such as your own experiment or survey. In your abstract, summarize your research question and your findings, and briefly indicate how your study relates to prior research in the field.

Margins, Pagination, and Headings

APA style requirements also address specific formatting concerns, such as margins, pagination, and heading styles, within the body of the paper. Review the following APA guidelines.

Use these general guidelines to format the paper:

• Set the top, bottom, and side margins of your paper at 1 inch.
• Use double-spaced text throughout your paper.
• Use a standard font, such as Times New Roman or Arial, in a legible size (10- to 12-point).
• Use continuous pagination throughout the paper, including the title page and the references section. Page numbers appear flush right within your header.
• Section headings and subsection headings within the body of your paper use different types of formatting depending on the level of information you are presenting. Additional details from Jorge’s paper are provided.

Begin formatting the final draft of your paper according to APA guidelines. You may work with an existing document or set up a new document if you choose. Include the following:

• Your title page
• The abstract you created in Note 13.8 “Exercise 1”
• Correct headers and page numbers for your title page and abstract

APA style uses section headings to organize information, making it easy for the reader to follow the writer’s train of thought and to know immediately what major topics are covered. Depending on the length and complexity of the paper, its major sections may also be divided into subsections, sub-subsections, and so on. These smaller sections, in turn, use different heading styles to indicate different levels of information. In essence, you are using headings to create a hierarchy of information.

The following heading styles used in APA formatting are listed in order of greatest to least importance:

• Section headings use centered, boldface type. Headings use title case, with important words in the heading capitalized.
• Subsection headings use left-aligned, boldface type. Headings use title case.
• The third level uses left-aligned, indented, boldface type. Headings use a capital letter only for the first word, and they end in a period.
• The fourth level follows the same style used for the previous level, but the headings are boldfaced and italicized.
• The fifth level follows the same style used for the previous level, but the headings are italicized and not boldfaced.

Visually, the hierarchy of information is organized as indicated in Table 13.1 “Section Headings” .

Table 13.1 Section Headings

A college research paper may not use all the heading levels shown in Table 13.1 “Section Headings” , but you are likely to encounter them in academic journal articles that use APA style. For a brief paper, you may find that level 1 headings suffice. Longer or more complex papers may need level 2 headings or other lower-level headings to organize information clearly. Use your outline to craft your major section headings and determine whether any subtopics are substantial enough to require additional levels of headings.

Working with the document you developed in Note 13.11 “Exercise 2” , begin setting up the heading structure of the final draft of your research paper according to APA guidelines. Include your title and at least two to three major section headings, and follow the formatting guidelines provided above. If your major sections should be broken into subsections, add those headings as well. Use your outline to help you.

Because Jorge used only level 1 headings, his Exercise 3 would look like the following:

Citation Guidelines

In-text citations.

Throughout the body of your paper, include a citation whenever you quote or paraphrase material from your research sources. As you learned in Chapter 11 “Writing from Research: What Will I Learn?” , the purpose of citations is twofold: to give credit to others for their ideas and to allow your reader to follow up and learn more about the topic if desired. Your in-text citations provide basic information about your source; each source you cite will have a longer entry in the references section that provides more detailed information.

In-text citations must provide the name of the author or authors and the year the source was published. (When a given source does not list an individual author, you may provide the source title or the name of the organization that published the material instead.) When directly quoting a source, it is also required that you include the page number where the quote appears in your citation.

This information may be included within the sentence or in a parenthetical reference at the end of the sentence, as in these examples.

Epstein (2010) points out that “junk food cannot be considered addictive in the same way that we think of psychoactive drugs as addictive” (p. 137).

Here, the writer names the source author when introducing the quote and provides the publication date in parentheses after the author’s name. The page number appears in parentheses after the closing quotation marks and before the period that ends the sentence.

Addiction researchers caution that “junk food cannot be considered addictive in the same way that we think of psychoactive drugs as addictive” (Epstein, 2010, p. 137).

Here, the writer provides a parenthetical citation at the end of the sentence that includes the author’s name, the year of publication, and the page number separated by commas. Again, the parenthetical citation is placed after the closing quotation marks and before the period at the end of the sentence.

As noted in the book Junk Food, Junk Science (Epstein, 2010, p. 137), “junk food cannot be considered addictive in the same way that we think of psychoactive drugs as addictive.”

Here, the writer chose to mention the source title in the sentence (an optional piece of information to include) and followed the title with a parenthetical citation. Note that the parenthetical citation is placed before the comma that signals the end of the introductory phrase.

David Epstein’s book Junk Food, Junk Science (2010) pointed out that “junk food cannot be considered addictive in the same way that we think of psychoactive drugs as addictive” (p. 137).

Another variation is to introduce the author and the source title in your sentence and include the publication date and page number in parentheses within the sentence or at the end of the sentence. As long as you have included the essential information, you can choose the option that works best for that particular sentence and source.

Citing a book with a single author is usually a straightforward task. Of course, your research may require that you cite many other types of sources, such as books or articles with more than one author or sources with no individual author listed. You may also need to cite sources available in both print and online and nonprint sources, such as websites and personal interviews. Chapter 13 “APA and MLA Documentation and Formatting” , Section 13.2 “Citing and Referencing Techniques” and Section 13.3 “Creating a References Section” provide extensive guidelines for citing a variety of source types.

Writing at Work

APA is just one of several different styles with its own guidelines for documentation, formatting, and language usage. Depending on your field of interest, you may be exposed to additional styles, such as the following:

• MLA style. Determined by the Modern Languages Association and used for papers in literature, languages, and other disciplines in the humanities.
• Chicago style. Outlined in the Chicago Manual of Style and sometimes used for papers in the humanities and the sciences; many professional organizations use this style for publications as well.
• Associated Press (AP) style. Used by professional journalists.

References List

The brief citations included in the body of your paper correspond to the more detailed citations provided at the end of the paper in the references section. In-text citations provide basic information—the author’s name, the publication date, and the page number if necessary—while the references section provides more extensive bibliographical information. Again, this information allows your reader to follow up on the sources you cited and do additional reading about the topic if desired.

The specific format of entries in the list of references varies slightly for different source types, but the entries generally include the following information:

• The name(s) of the author(s) or institution that wrote the source
• The year of publication and, where applicable, the exact date of publication
• The full title of the source
• For books, the city of publication
• For articles or essays, the name of the periodical or book in which the article or essay appears
• For magazine and journal articles, the volume number, issue number, and pages where the article appears
• For sources on the web, the URL where the source is located

The references page is double spaced and lists entries in alphabetical order by the author’s last name. If an entry continues for more than one line, the second line and each subsequent line are indented five spaces. Review the following example. ( Chapter 13 “APA and MLA Documentation and Formatting” , Section 13.3 “Creating a References Section” provides extensive guidelines for formatting reference entries for different types of sources.)

In APA style, book and article titles are formatted in sentence case, not title case. Sentence case means that only the first word is capitalized, along with any proper nouns.

Key Takeaways

• Following proper citation and formatting guidelines helps writers ensure that their work will be taken seriously, give proper credit to other authors for their work, and provide valuable information to readers.
• Working ahead and taking care to cite sources correctly the first time are ways writers can save time during the editing stage of writing a research paper.
• APA papers usually include an abstract that concisely summarizes the paper.
• APA papers use a specific headings structure to provide a clear hierarchy of information.
• In APA papers, in-text citations usually include the name(s) of the author(s) and the year of publication.
• In-text citations correspond to entries in the references section, which provide detailed bibliographical information about a source.

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Reference list

Author’s last name, Author’s initials Year of publication, ‘Article title’, Journal name, p./pp. Page number/range.

Mcgraw, F 1993, ‘Exo-skeleton mechanics for improved lower body manoeuvrability’, English Mechanical Engineering , pp. 34-67.

Wychick, J & Thompson, L 2005, ‘Fallen for a scam lately?’  Australia Today , 24 November, pp. 54-60.

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The full pattern (year;volume(issue):pages) looks like this:  2008;178(1):9-16.

If the journal did not have issue numbers then it will be 2008;178:9-16.

A missing volume number would look like this: 2008;(1):9-16.

And if both volume and issue numbers are missing it will look like this: 2008:9-16.

Note that you still use a colon before the page numbers.

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• 29 April 2024

How reliable is this research? Tool flags papers discussed on PubPeer

• Dalmeet Singh Chawla

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RedacTek’s tool alerts users to PubPeer discussions, and indicates when a study, or the papers that it cites, has been retracted. Credit: deepblue4you/Getty

A free online tool released earlier this month alerts researchers if a paper cites studies that are mentioned on the website PubPeer , a forum scientists often use to raise integrity concerns surrounding published papers.

Studies are usually flagged on PubPeer when readers have suspicions, for example about image manipulation , plagiarism , data fabrication or artificial intelligence (AI)-generated text . PubPeer already offers its own browser plug-in that alerts users if a study that they are reading has been posted on the site. The new tool, a plug-in released on 13 April by RedacTek , based in Oakland, California, goes further — it searches through reference lists for papers that have been flagged. The software pulls information from many sources, including PubPeer’s database; data from the digital-infrastructure organization Crossref, which assigns digital object identifiers to articles; and OpenAlex , a free index of hundreds of millions of scientific documents.

It’s important to track mentions of referenced articles on PubPeer, says Jodi Schneider, an information scientist at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, who has tried out the RedacTek plug-in. “Not every single reference that’s in the bibliography matters, but some of them do,” she adds. “When you see a large number of problems in somebody’s bibliography, that just calls everything into question.”

The aim of the tool is to flag potential problems with studies to researchers early on, to reduce the circulation of poor-quality science, says RedacTek founder Rick Meyler, who is based in Emeryville, California. Future versions might also use AI to automatically clarify whether the PubPeer comments on a paper are positive or negative, he adds.

Third-generation retractions

As well as flagging PubPeer discussions, the plug-in alerts users if a study, or a paper that it cites, has been retracted. There are existing tools that alert academics about retracted citations ; some can do this during the writing process, so that researchers are aware of the publication status of studies when constructing bibliographies. But with the new tool, users can opt in to receive notifications about further ‘generations’ of retractions — alerts cover not only the study that they are reading, but also the papers it cites, articles cited by those references and even papers cited by the secondary references.

The software also calculates a ‘retraction association value’ for studies, a metric that measures the extent to which the paper is associated with science that has been withdrawn from the literature. As well as informing individual researchers, the plug-in could help scholarly publishers to keep tabs on their own journals, Meyler says, because it allows users to filter by publication.

In its ‘paper scorecard’, the tool also flags any papers in the three generations of referenced studies in which more than 25% of papers in the bibliography are self-citations — references by authors to their previous works.

Future versions could highlight whether papers cited retracted studies before or after the retraction was issued, notes Meyler, or whether mentions of such studies acknowledge the retraction. That would be useful, says Schneider, who co-authored a 2020 analysis that found that as little as 4% of citations to retracted studies note that the referenced paper has been retracted 1 .

Meyler says that RedacTek is currently in talks with the scholarly-services firm Cabell’s International in Beaumont, Texas, which maintains pay-to-view lists of suspected predatory journals . These publish articles without running proper quality checks for issues such as plagiarism, but still collect authors’ fees. The plan is to use these lists to improve the tool so that it can also automatically flag any cited papers that are published in such journals.

Nature 629 , 271-272 (2024)

doi: https://doi.org/10.1038/d41586-024-01247-6

Schneider, J., Ye, D., Hill, A. M. & Whitehorn, A. S. Scientometrics 125 , 2877–2913 (2020).

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Table of contents

Number 5, May 2024

Previous issue

Open all abstracts , in this issue

Maruthi Prashanth B H , Ramesh S , P S Shivakumar Gouda , Gajanan M Naik , Priyaranjan Sharma , C Jagadeesh , Mahantesh M Math and Gajanan Anne

Natural fiber composites are increasingly gaining popularity as a cost-effective and environmentally friendly alternative to synthetic fibers. Incorporating a variety of fibers enhances mechanical properties. The arrangement of fibers plays a crucial role in determining the mechanical characteristics of laminate composites. Therefore, the primary objective of this study is to investigate how the stacking order of jute (J) and banana (B) fibers affects the mechanical behaviour of composites made from phenolic resins. Four different fiber mat stacking sequences (J/B/B/J, B/J/J/B, J/B/J/B, and J/J/B/B) were used for developing the eco-fiber composites using the heat-press technique. Several mechanical parameters were assessed, including tensile strength, flexural strength, impact strength, and inter-laminar shear strength (ILSS). The experimental results indicated that the JBBJ composite exhibits superior tensile strength (46.65 MPa) and modulus (993 MPa) compared to the other composites due to the presence of high-strength jute fibers on the surface. Additionally, the flexural strength of the JBBJ composite (87.24 MPa) was found to be noteworthy. It was observed that the impact strength of jute fibers surpasses that of banana fibers. Consequently, the JBBJ composite demonstrates higher values for energy absorption (0.482 J) and impact strength (120 J m −1 ) compared to the other composites tested. Moreover, the JBBJ composite displays higher inter-laminar shear strength and hardness values compared to BJJB, JBJB, and JJBB by 30%, 35%, and 43%, respectively. Scanning electron microscope microphotographs reveal strong correlational fracture failure mechanisms, indicative of improved mechanical properties in the JBBJ composite. Based on the experimental results, it is evident that the JBBJ composite can be utilized in lightweight applications.

Ercan Bozkurt , Selçuk Türkel , Burak Felekoğlu and Mehmet Korkmaz

The mechanical characteristics of polyester and flax woven fabric-reinforced, diatomite-substituted, cement-based composites have been examined at different ages within the scope of this study. The use of calcined diatomite in combination with a cement-based matrix aims to improve the mechanical performance within the composite as well as reduce carbon emissions. The consistency of cement-based and diatomite-substituted matrices with water-to-binder proportions of 0.28 and 0.45 was maintained at a fixed flow diameter of 235 mm with the adjusted use of a superplasticizer. The stress–strain graphs of the composites were obtained using an axial tensile testing machine and Linear Variable Differential Transformers (LVDT). The tensile strength, ductility, toughness development, and multi-crack performance of WFRC were obtained as a function of fabric type and aging. The effects of aging on tensile properties are discussed separately for each fabric type. Polyester woven fabric-reinforced composites were found to be superior to flax WFRC in terms of several mechanical properties at all ages. The substitution of diatomite further improved the tensile performance of the polyester woven fabric-reinforced composites. The fabric-matrix interface densification role of diatomite was determined by SEM/EDS line analysis. Evidence of a pozzolanic reaction between portlandite and diatomite was obtained through microstructure studies. Carbon emission analysis revealed that equivalent CO 2 emissions could be reduced using diatomite in woven fabric reinforced composites. However, diatomite substitution caused a cost increasing effect.

V S Sumana , Y N Sudhakar , G K Nagaraja , Savitha M B and Prasad P

A biodegradable polymer electrolyte comprising poly (caprolactone) (PCL) and guar gum (GG) doped with lithium perchlorate (LiClO 4 ) was investigated for its application in supercapacitors. The films' thermal properties, surface morphology, and tensile strength were determined to understand the interaction between the blend system and the salt. Scanning electron microscopic images showed a network of GG channels across the polymer matrix. A unique combo of THF/water as solvent was used for this study as they bring out relaxation in GG segments and compatibility between GG and PCL. The blend polymer electrolyte (BPE) was characterized using conductivity, dielectric, and biodegradation studies. Supercapacitors were fabricated, and electrochemical studies were performed. The optimized BPE was used to fabricate supercapacitors, producing a specific capacitance of 125 F g −1 . The time constant was measured at 0.8 s, and a consistent cyclic pattern was observed during galvanostatic charge/discharge studies with 96% Coulombic efficiency. This novel amalgamation of polymeric films holds immense promise for supercapacitor applications.

Ran Liu , Yu-Jiao Liang , Shuo Liu , Peng-Fei Zhang , Shuai Qiao , Qing Li , Lian-Hua Ma and Wei Zhou

Under the premise of ensuring safety, it is of great significance to realize the lightweight of the non-main load-bearing parts of amusement facilities. The purpose of this study is to study the failure process of a newly designed carbon fiber bumper by using acoustic emission technology. First of all, the design of carbon fiber anti-collision bar can effectively restrain passengers, and its weight is reduced by nearly two-thirds compared to traditional metal materials. Subsequently, the load-bearing capacity of the bumper was tested and acoustic emission monitoring was carried out. The test results show that this new type of combined structure of amusement facility has high reliability, which exceeds the safety factor of 3.5 required by the steel structure of amusement facility. In addition, Renyi entropy was used to select the best window function of short-time Fourier transform, and the frequency domain characteristics of acoustic emission signals of typical damage modes were discussed through appropriately selected windows function. A classifier based on supervised machine learning is established by combining frequency features and acoustic emission feature parameters. Furthermore, the use of classifiers helps to understand the damage behaviour of composite structures.

Srikumar Biradar , Shivashankar Hiremath , Vishwanatha H M , Sharnappa Joladarashi and S M Kulkarni

The study investigates the impact of moisture environment treatment, on the hoop tensile strength (HTS) of glass fiber-reinforced polymer (GFRP) composites, through hygrothermal aging. GFRP cylinders were fabricated with varied parameters—volume fraction, winding angle, and stacking sequences using a filament winding machine. The fabricated samples are subjected to hygrothermal aging using seawater and tap water with oil at 80 °C for 1080 h (45 days). The HTS tests were performed on unaged and aged samples. There was a reduction in HTS for aged samples which is attributed to heat, seawater contamination, and oil. The highest and lowest HTS values recorded are 402.9 MPa and 118.3 MPa for unaged and tap water with oil-aged samples respectively. HTS in aged samples is compared with unaged samples. The study opens up avenues in identifying the best-suitable combination for retaining HTS under various aging conditions.

Biological and biomedical materials

Alaa Turkistani and Fatin A Hasanain

Background. Newly introduced bioactive resin composites are being used more often. Few studies have evaluated the influence of toothbrush abrasion on their surface characteristics. Methods. This study aims to assess the surface roughness (Ra) and gloss values (GU) of 3 bioactive composites and a conventional nanohybrid composite before and after simulated toothbrush abrasion. Five samples each of Filtek Z250 XT, Beautifil Flow Plus, Activa Presto and Predicta Bioactive Bulk were subjected to 10,000 cycles of simulated toothbrush abrasion. Ra and GU values were evaluated at baseline and after each 2,500 cycles. Results. Significant difference was found in both Ra and GU (P < 0.001). For each material, GU gradually decreased as the brushing cycles increased. GU values of Beautifil Flow Plus were significantly higher at the baseline, 2,500- and 5,000-cycles stages (P < 0.05). The GU values were 78.20 (7.20), 69.67 (6.17) and 63.30 (5.52) respectively. Activa Presto showed the lowest mean GU after 10,000 cycles. A significant increase in Ra at each of the measuring stages was observed in all materials compared to the baseline measurement (P < 0.001). No significant difference in Ra values of all four materials at the baseline and up to 5,000-cycles (P > 0.05). After 7,500 cycles, the mean Ra value of Activa Presto at 0.64 (0.14) was significantly higher than that of Z250 XT at 0.49 (0.03) (P < 0.001). At 10,000 cycles, Activa Presto had significantly higher Ra at 0.70 (0.10) when compared to Z250 XT at 0.52 (0.08), Beautifil Flow Plus at 0.56 (0.07) and Predicta Bioactive Bulk at 0.59 (0.10) (P < 0.001). Conclusion. All materials showed an increase in Ra and decrease in GU after simulated toothbrushing.

Tshiamo B Leta , Jerry O Adeyemi and Olaniyi A Fawole

The formulation of a multifunctional nanocomposite packaging material with potential against agents of food deterioration, such as free radicals and microorganisms, has emerged as a solution for shelf-life extension and food security. This study developed banana powder (BP) film infused with cellulose nanofiber (CNF) and ZnO-PPW and ZnO-PSW nanoparticles (NPs) at different concentrations for food applications. The BP/CNF/ZnO films were characterized using UV–vis spectroscopy, XRD, FT-IR, and SEM techniques. The analyses confirmed the successful infusion of ZnO NPs into the BP/CNF matrix, leading to significant changes (p < 0.05) in color and appearance, enhanced UV–vis barrier properties, and increased thickness and flexibility of the films. Furthermore, the presence of ZnO in the base matrix influenced the moisture content (19%–29%), film solubility (68%–74%), and oil permeability significantly more than the control BP/CNF film. Adding ZnO significantly improved the UV barrier properties compared to the control. The nanocomposite BP/CNF/ZnO films demonstrated concentration-based antioxidant and good antimicrobial activity against five selected food pathogens ( Escherichia coli , Enterococcus faecalis, Listeria monocytogenes and Staphylococcus aureus ). Similarly, good antioxidant properties were reported in different assays, proving superior to the control BP/CNF. These key findings, especially those of the BP/CNF/ + 0.6% ZnO NPs films, showed that these films possess great potential for application as food packaging materials with antioxidant and antimicrobial properties.

Energy and environment materials

Sathya Thukkaram and Ammasi Arun Kumar

The global challenge of sewage sludge disposal has encouraged innovative solutions aimed at reducing environmental impact while simultaneously addressing the growing demand for sustainable construction materials. This study aimed to develop treated raw sewage sludge-based lightweight aggregates with strength comparable to commercially available aggregates. Two methods, namely cold bonding and sintering, were employed for the formation of aggregates. The sintering method produced well-formed and hard aggregates, while the cold bonded aggregates exhibited weakness and disintegrated under the slightest pressure. The optimal mix for quality aggregates was found to be 10%–20% sewage sludge, 70%–80% fly ash, and 10% lime using the sintering method. In the sintering method, an increase in sewage sludge content resulted in the reduction of bulk density and specific gravity by 13% and 4% respectively due to the high organic content in sewage sludge, volatile gas release, and porous structure formation. When 10% to 20% sewage sludge content was added, water absorption of the aggregates also increased by approximately 2%. Physical properties such as individual pellet strength. aggregate crushing value reduced by 18%, 20% respectively and the aggregate impact value increased by about 9%. These aggregates were then used to produce lightweight geopolymer concrete, which exceeded the design strength by 7% for the aggregate containing 20% sewage sludge and demonstrated excellent physical properties. The use of waste-based aggregates offers advantages including savings in cost, sustainability, resource conservation, waste reduction, and reduced environmental impact, making them a valuable alternative to natural crushed stone aggregates in specific applications.

Yuxin Ma , Yunhe Wei , Minghui Kong , Run Li , Duanting Yan , Dejun Wang and Runru Liu

In this investigation, a series of Na 0.5 Bi 0.47 Sr 0.02 TiO 3- δ samples, sintered from 1000 to 1100 °C, were synthesized utilizing the solid-state method. The XRD results indicate that all samples exhibit a perovskite phase, with the exception of those sintered at 1100 °C, which display no discernible impurity peaks. The SEM results indicate that the average grain size exhibits an increase proportionate to the sintering temperature, which attributes to the variations in the actual Na/Bi ratio. From the study of grain conductivity we can obtain that the dominant factor affecting grain conductivity is the activation energy. At 1100 °C, the oxygen vacancy concentration emerges as the primary determinant of grain conductivity. It should be noticed that the phase transition temperature of the sample increases (350 °C→400 °C) with the increase of sintering temperature, which is due to the local A-site disorder aggravated by high temperature sintering. Therefore, reducing the sintering temperature is beneficial to improve the grain conductivity. The grain boundary conductivity initially rises, then diminishes with increasing sintering temperature. It is evident that the enhanced macroscopic grain boundary conductivity stems from a marked reduction in space charge potential within the 1000–1025 °C temperature range. Within the 1050 °C−1100 °C temperature range, the space charge potential barely changed, the significant decrease of intrinsic grain boundary conductivity can be attributed to the surge in the coverage ratio of grain boundary impurities and the number of grain boundary impurities increased caused by the rapid reduction of grain boundary area and thermal evaporation. The research on electrical performance of NBT-based oxygen-ion conductors will promote the application of NBT-based oxygen ion conductors in solid oxide fuel cells, oxygen sensors and other fields.

Hassaan Bin Shahid , Khadija Nasir , Haseeb Ahmad , Ghulam Ali , Shahid Bashir and M M Quazi

The commercialization of lithium-ion batteries has revolutionized the field of energy storage, yet their usage of organic electrolytes has led to significant safety concerns. Solid-state electrolytes have emerged as a promising solution to these issues, enabling the development of high-performance solid-state lithium batteries. The NASICON-type solid electrolyte Li 1.3 Al 0.3 Ti 1.7 P 3 O 12 (LATP) has demonstrated excellent properties and significant potential. This study involves the solid-state synthesis of LATP electrolytes doped with Cobalt and Silicon. Furthermore, adding 8% LiBr into LATP-0.04 significantly enhanced ionic conductivity, reaching a value of 3.50 × 10 −4 S cm −1 . This can be linked to lithium salt filling vacant spaces between grains, resulting in a significant drop in grain boundary resistances. The electrochemical analysis through Linear Sweep Voltammetry (LSV) indicates that the investigated material demonstrates the capability to sustain stability and functionality even under the influence of elevated voltages, notably up to 5.45 V. These findings imply that optimal cobalt doping and Lithium salt contribute to superior ionic conductivity compared to pristine LATP.

Imad Alouiz , Mohssine Benhadj , Elmontassir Dahmane , Abdeslam Mouadili , Mohamed Sennoune , Mohamed Yassine Amarouch and Driss Mazouzi

Methylene blue (MB) is a heterocyclic aromatic chemical compound used as a dye in various dyeing processes. The accumulation of such an organic compound poses a significant threat to both the environment and human health. Therefore, numerous biological, physical, and chemical processes have been established to remove MB dye, with adsorption being the most predominant dye-based treatment technology. In this context, the aim of this work was to evaluate the adsorption properties of activated carbon derived from olive pomace against methylene blue. To this end, scanning electron microscopy (SEM), energy dispersive x-ray spectroscopy (EDS), and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR) analyses were carried out to confirm the adsorption of MB on carbon structures. In addition, the effect of contact time, pH, initial dye concentration, adsorbent dose, and temperature on the adsorption efficiency of MB was investigated. On the other hand, kinetic and isothermal models were used to further understand the adsorption mechanism, which showed a good correlation with the pseudo-second-order kinetic model and the Langmuir isotherm. Finally, thermodynamic analysis showed favorable conditions for physisorption, with the process being both endothermic and spontaneous.

Metamaterials

Jie Li , Shiqi Chang , Yinghua Wang and Yongjin Wang

We explored multiple couplings properties in composite metastructure. One part is the asymmetric double rings, supporting the narrow toroidal dipole resonance, and the other component is an upright rod that excites the broad electric dipole resonance. When these two resonant modes coincide in the spectrum, dual-band plasmon induced transparency (PIT) behavior can be obtained, which is attributed to in-phase and out-of-phase couplings between the toroidal dipole and electric dipole modes. Meanwhile, the dual-band features will become a single PIT band by varying the rotation offset angle between the upper- and lower-rings. Moreover, by introducing lateral displacement of the rod with respect to the toroidal component, a triple-band PIT effect can be achieved. In particular, under a large lateral displacement, a broadband transparency window appears across a wavelength range greater than 120 nm, where the transmission exceeds 0.9. It is derived from the hybrid coupling between toroidal dipole, electric dipole and induced high-order resonance modes. The toroidal-based PIT metamaterials not only promote the understanding of toroidal dipole moment but also provide a positive reference for toroidal-based meta-devices.

Wu Hao , Yanqiu Xia and Zhang Yi

Sliding electrical contact materials play a crucial role in the transmission and conversion of electrical energy, but due to various factors such as force, electricity, and heat, the interface exhibits complex wear behavior. A single solid or liquid lubrication system can no longer meet the growing performance requirements of current carrying tribology. In this study, a TiN-Ag coating was prepared using multi arc ion plating technology, and a solid–liquid composite lubrication system was formed with ionic liquid and polyurea grease, respectively. Through current carrying friction and wear tests, their tribological properties, electrical contact resistance(ECR) values, and stability were tested, and compared with the results obtained during dry friction. The coating and worn surfaces were analyzed using scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and energy dispersive spectroscopy (EDS). The results indicated that compared with dry friction, TiN-Ag coatings lubricated with ionic liquids and polyurea grease showed higher friction reduction, wear resistance, and conductivity, especially the synergistic effect between ionic liquids and coatings is prominent. The behavior of ionic liquids under voltage was analyzed, and it was found that ionic liquids formed a physical adsorption film composed of a mixture of anions and cations on the worn surface. The ordered layered structure improved the tribological performance of the system.

Rohini Anandan and Piraviperumal Malar

Antimony selenide (Sb 2 Se 3 ), a binary semiconducting compound has widespread research attention due to its excellent optoelectronic properties in the visible region and usefulness in applications such as solar cells, photosensors and photoelectrodes. The presented study explores the thickness dependent photoresponse in Sb 2 Se 3 thin films, prepared by reactive selenization of antimony films having thickness values of ∼938 nm and ∼1879 nm when stacked second time. Growth orientation along [001] direction was achieved through carefully optimized selenization conditions to enable favourable charge transport in anisotropic Sb 2 Se 3 . Predominant Sb 2 Se 3 formation was inferred from x-ray diffraction, Raman spectroscopy, secondary electron microscopy and energy-dispersive X-ray analyses. High optical absorption coefficient values of about 1  ×  10 5 cm −1 and 5.7  ×  10 4 cm −1 were observed for ∼938 nm and ∼1879 nm thick Sb 2 Se 3 thin films. Further, the optoelectronic properties were elucidated through current–voltage and transient photoresponse measurements under dark and illumination conditions. The measurements were done under zero and different bias voltages. Sb 2 Se 3 films having∼ 938 nm thickness exhibited self-driven photoresponse with a responsivity of 4.3 × 10 −8 A W −1 and detectivity of 3.5  ×  10 6 jones respectively, under AM 1.5 G illumination conditions.

Xiangde Lin , Yanhong Mo , Yuhang Dai , Yuzhong Yan , Dongdong Zeng and Hui Yang

Graphene materials represented by graphene oxide (GO) have been widely regarded as functional coatings or films to modify surface of the electrode for detecting dopamine molecules. However, interfacial material properties for detection sensitivity, film stability, and applicability to electrodes are still highly desired. Herein, we first present a screen-printing carbon electrode (SPCE) coated with an electrochemically reduced layer-by-layer (LbL) assembled multilayer driven by an electrostatic interaction between positively charged polyethyleneimine-modified GO with amine groups (ERGO+) and negatively charged carboxyl-functionalized GO (ERGO−), which is briefly described as (ERGO+/ERGO−) n /SPCE. Firstly, without using conventional glassy carbon and gold electrodes, SPCE was tried to make coatings adapt to more flexible and unstable electrodes, simultaneously guaranteeing higher detection performance. Secondly, although a variety of electrochemical sensors such as GO−/SPCE and ERGO−/SPCE were obtained through the drop-casting technique, as-prepared (ERGO+/ERGO−) n /SPCE showed much higher electrocatalytic activities with enhanced peak current signals and reduced charge transfer resistance. Finally, excellent electrochemical properties and sensing performances of the (ERGO+/ERGO−) n /SPCE sensor for detection of dopamine were demonstrated, especially having a linear range of 1 μ M to 1000 μ M. Meanwhile, the detection limit is as low as 0.39 μ M and S/N is equal to 3. The present work offers a potential direction to develop GO modified electrodes for sensitive biomolecular detection.

Metals and alloys

Harveen Bongao , Manjaiah M , Persia Ada de Yro , Jubert Pasco , Thomas McCarthy , Kudakwashe Nyamuchiwa and Clodualdo Aranas Jr

Martensitic stainless steels are indispensable alloys in various high stress and temperature applications such as plastic injection molds and components in steam generators. Subtractive manufacturing methods used to fabricate these parts, however, limits its functionality and performance due to design constraint of cooling channels. This limitation can be resolved by means of additive manufacturing while ensuring that acceptable high-temperature properties can be achieved. In this work, the mechanical behavior of additively manufactured 420 stainless steel (AM420SS) is explored through material constitutive modeling to determine the mathematical model that best describes its flow stress in extreme conditions. This is accomplished by subjecting the samples to hot compression under the strain rates of 0.1–1.0 s −1 , and temperatures between 973–1423 K (700 °C–1150 °C) via Gleeble thermomechanical test. The experimental data were used to generate the predictive flow stress curves of constitutive models which includes Johnson-Cook, Zerilli-Armstrong, Zener-Hollomon, and Hensel-Spittel equations. Results showed that Zener-Hollomon and Hensel-Spittel models are the most accurate material constitutive equations with relatively high R values of 0.986 and 0.976, and low average absolute relative error values of 6.96% and 7.69%, respectively. The material constants derived from these models can be applied in finite element analysis simulations to assess the performance of using AM420SS parts at high temperature and strain conditions.

Lingyan Zhao , Hailong Bai , Xin Gu , Huaxin Liang , Hongwei Yang and Jikang Yan

Although Sn3.0Ag0.5Cu solder (SAC305) has higher reliability, there are a large number of harmful voids in solder joints. Larger voids can reduce thermal conductivity of solder joints. However, as a microstructure growth inhibitor, the influences of Ag nanoparticles on voids growth are not clear at present. Herein, we prove that Ag nanoparticles can increase SAC305 solderability, but promote voids growth. Ag nanoparticles and SAC305 solder paste were mixed by mechanical stirring for 0.5 h. Next, SAC305- x Ag P ( x = 0, 0.1, 0.2, 0.3, 0.4 and 0.5 wt%) was obtained. The results indicated that solder solderability was improved increasingly with Ag nanoparticles addition. The lower the amount of nanoparticles added, the greater the final loss. After being aged at 100 °C for 150 h, the voids stopped growing. Due to the violent reaction between Ag nanoparticles and flux, the final voids growth rate became faster, and the average voids size changed from 14.34% to 24.91%.

Talent Kachomba , James Mutua , Japheth Obiko and Joshua Ngoret

Wire-arc additive manufacturing (WAAM) has emerged as a critical tool for remanufacturing industrial components. A limited understanding of this technique for quality product manufacturing has hindered its utilisation for industrial applications. This study reports on the optimisation of WAAM process parameters for AISI 4130 steel towards remanufacturing of high-quality products for industrial applications. AISI 4130 steel was selected for this study due to its high strength-to-weight ratio, excellent weldability, and suitability for the WAAM process. Taguchi's Grey Relational Analysis (GRA) used four factors and three levels in the multiple response optimisation process. The study considered process parameters voltage, current, travel speed and gas flow in the gas metal arc welding (GMAW)-based WAAM technique. Analysis of Variance (ANOVA) results show that voltage, travel speed and gas flow significantly affect material deposition. Voltage had the highest significance (31.61%) compared to other parameters. The optimised process parameters were found to be: voltage –23 V, current –100 A, travel speed −350 mm min −1 , and gas flow −10 L min −1 . These parameters resulted in tensile residual stresses of 25 ± 74 MPa, microhardness of 171.4 ± 12.2 HV 0.3 , and a relative density of 98.21%. The microstructural analysis reveals the existence of predominant ferritic and pearlitic colonies. This is due to compounded thermal stresses during the deposition process and alloy composition resulting in tailored microstructure and mechanical properties. The study provides some insights into the WAAM remanufacturing process for producing highly quality industrial components.

Lianshuang Dai , Haidong Jia , Fulai Yang , Shichao Zhang , Zheng Zhang , Qingshan Feng , Yongbin Que and Yi Wu

This work aims to study the effect of pre-strain on the fracture behavior of X80 pipeline girth weld joint, a comprehensive analysis was conducted on the microstructure and mechanical properties of the girth weld before and after pre-strain treatment. The mechanical properties were evaluated through tensile testing, Charpy impact testing, and digital image correlation (DIC) strain analysis. Furthermore, the microstructure and fracture morphology of the girth weld were observed using optical electron microscopy (OM) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The results show that the application of pre-strain treatment leads to dislocation accumulation at the grain boundary of X80 pipeline girth weld, resulting in stress concentration and subsequent formation of damage holes. This process disrupts the continuity of chain M-A island and initiates small cracks at the grain boundary, ultimately causing a significant decrease in impact toughness and impact work from 177 J to about 10 J.

Ruoshan Liu , Na Jin and Ying Liu

In this study, thin silicon flakes were fabricated through dealloying from laser directed energy deposition (LDED) Ca-Si alloys, and the solidification mechanism of the lamellar eutectic microstructure was studied. With 1200 W laser power and 450 mm/min scanning speed, the LDED Ca-Si alloys have a fine lamellar eutectic microstructure and are easily separated from copper substrates. After dealloying in the diluted HCl solution for 6 h, the thin silicon flakes ranging in thickness from 100 nm to 0.5 μ m were obtained. The formation of the thin flakes was attributed to fine lamellar Si phases in precursor alloys. The rapid solidification of laser processing could refine the microstructure, especially Si phases, and improve the chemical homogeneity of the material. Combining laser processing and dealloying, a cost-effective and scalable strategy was devised to fabricate fine powder from a laser processing optimized microstructure.

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ChatGPT in higher education - a synthesis of the literature and a future research agenda

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• Published: 02 May 2024

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• Pritpal Singh Bhullar 1 ,
• Mahesh Joshi 2 &
• Ritesh Chugh   ORCID: orcid.org/0000-0003-0061-7206 3  

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ChatGPT has emerged as a significant subject of research and exploration, casting a critical spotlight on teaching and learning practices in the higher education domain. This study examines the most influential articles, leading journals, and productive countries concerning citations and publications related to ChatGPT in higher education, while also shedding light on emerging thematic and geographic clusters within research on ChatGPT’s role and challenges in teaching and learning at higher education institutions. Forty-seven research papers from the Scopus database were shortlisted for bibliometric analysis. The findings indicate that the use of ChatGPT in higher education, particularly issues of academic integrity and research, has been studied extensively by scholars in the United States, who have produced the largest volume of publications, alongside the highest number of citations. This study uncovers four distinct thematic clusters (academic integrity, learning environment, student engagement, and scholarly research) and highlights the predominant areas of focus in research related to ChatGPT in higher education, including student examinations, academic integrity, student learning, and field-specific research, through a country-based bibliographic analysis. Plagiarism is a significant concern in the use of ChatGPT, which may reduce students’ ability to produce imaginative, inventive, and original material. This study offers valuable insights into the current state of ChatGPT in higher education literature, providing essential guidance for scholars, researchers, and policymakers.

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1 Introduction

ChatGPT, or Chat Generative Pre-trained Transformer, is a popular generative Artificial Intelligence (AI) chatbot developed by OpenAI, employing natural language processing to deliver interactive human-like conversational experiences (Jeon et al., 2023 ; Angelis et al., 2023 ). ChatGPT utilises a pre-trained language learning model, derived from an extensive big-data corpus, to predict outcomes based on a given prompt (Crawford et al., 2023 ; Geerling et al., 2023 ; Li et al., 2023 ). Since its inception, ChatGPT has attracted widespread attention and popularity and has the potential to disrupt the education sector (Rana, 2023 ). According to a research survey of adults conducted by the Pew Research Centre, approximately 60% of adults in the United States and 78% of adults in Asia possess knowledge of ChatGPT; furthermore, men are more familiar with ChatGPT than women (Vogels, 2023 ). The study also found that among ethnic groups globally, individuals of Asian descent have the highest level of familiarity with AI-based large language models (LLMs).

People have found value in using ChatGPT for a wide range of purposes, including generating creative content, answering questions, providing explanations, offering suggestions, and even having casual conversations (Crawford et al., 2023 ; Throp, 2023 ; Wu et al., 2023 ). Furthermore, ChatGPT is an effective digital assistant for facilitating a thorough understanding of diverse and intricate subjects using simple and accessible language. Given these features, ChatGPT has the potential to bring about a paradigm shift in traditional methods of delivering instruction and revolutionise the future of education (Tlili et al., 2023 ). ChatGPT stands out as a promising tool for open education, enhancing the independence and autonomy of autodidactic learners through personalised support, guidance, and feedback, potentially fostering increased motivation and engagement (Firat, 2023 ). Its capabilities encompass facilitating complex learning, asynchronous communication, feedback provision, and cognitive offloading (Memarian & Doleck, 2023 ).

However, the rapid expansion of ChatGPT has also aroused apprehensions in the academic world, particularly after reports surfaced that the New York Department of Education had unexpectedly imposed a ban on access to the tool due to concerns about academic integrity violations (Sun et al., 2023 ; Neumann et al., 2023 ; Crawford et al., 2023 ). Students who use ChatGPT to produce superior written assignments may have an unfair advantage over peers who lack access (Farrokhnia et al., 2023 ; Cotton et al., 2023 ). Ethical concerns about the deployment of LLMs include the potential for bias, effects on employment, misuse and unethical deployment, and loss of integrity. However, there has been little research on the potential dangers that a sophisticated chatbot such as ChatGPT poses in the realm of higher education, particularly through the lens of a systematic literature review and bibliometric techniques.

In this light, this paper explores the literature on the application of ChatGPT in higher education institutions and the obstacles encountered in various disciplines from the perspectives of both faculty and students. The paper aims to analyse the current state of the field by addressing the following overarching research questions using bibliographic coupling, co-occurrence analysis, citation analysis, and co-authorship analysis:

What are the most influential articles in terms of citations in research related to ChatGPT in education?

What are the top journals and countries in terms of publication productivity related to the implications of ChatGPT in higher education institutions?

What are the emerging thematic clusters in research on the role and challenges of ChatGPT in teaching and learning in higher education institutions?

What are the geographic clusters in research on the role and challenges of ChatGPT in teaching and learning in higher education institutions?

2 Methodology

In conducting this study, publications on the impact of ChatGPT on various aspects of higher education institutions were systematically identified through an extensive search using Elsevier’s Scopus database, a comprehensive repository hosting over 20,000 globally ranked, peer-reviewed journals (Mishra et al., 2017 ; Palomo et al., 2017 ; Vijaya & Mathur, 2023 ). Scopus is a widely used database for bibliometric analyses and is considered one of the “largest curated databases covering scientific journals” (pg. 5116) in different subject areas (Singh et al., 2021 ). Widely acclaimed for its comprehensive coverage, Scopus has been extensively employed in bibliometric analyses across diverse disciplines, as evidenced by studies in capital structure theories, business research, entrepreneurial orientation and blockchain security (Bajaj et al., 2020 ; Donthu et al., 2020 ; Gupta et al., 2021 ; Patrício & Ferreira, 2020 ). Notably, despite the “extremely high” correlation between the Web of Science and Scopus databases, Scopus’s status as a superior and versatile data source for literature extraction is reinforced by its broader coverage of subject areas and categories compared to the narrower journal scope of Web of Science, facilitating scholars in locating literature most pertinent to the review area (Archambault et al., 2009 ; Paul et al., 2021 ). To ensure a systematic literature review, we adhered to the preferred reporting items for systematic reviews and meta-analysis (PRISMA) guidelines (Page et al., 2021 ) for the search, identification, selection, reading, and data extraction from the articles retrieved through the Scopus database (Fig.  1 ). Reliance on a single database is acceptable within the PRISMA framework (Moher et al., 2009 ).

Employing Boolean-assisted search queries, we aimed to capture a comprehensive range of topics related to ChatGPT’s impact on higher education institutions. Specific search queries were carefully selected to ensure a broad yet relevant search scope and included the following:

“ChatGPT and Teaching learning in universities” OR “Effect of ChatGPT in higher education institution” OR “ChatGPT and student assessment in higher education” OR “ChatGPT and academic integrity” OR “ChatGPT and teaching pedagogy in higher education institution” OR “ChatGPT and cheating student course assignment” OR “ChatGPT and teaching in higher education” OR “Implications of ChatGPT in higher education institutions” OR “ChatGPT and evaluation criteria in higher education institution” OR “ChatGPT in universities” OR “ChatGPT and student learnings. ”

The study includes papers published and included in the Scopus database on or before May 26, 2023 on the theme of ChatGPT and higher education. This timeframe was chosen to encompass the most recent and relevant literature available up to the point of data retrieval. Papers identified through the search queries underwent inclusion or exclusion based on predetermined criteria. Specifically, only papers published in journals were considered for this study, as these undergo a peer-review process and are subject to stringent selection criteria set by the journals, ensuring their quality and reliability. Papers in conference proceedings were excluded from the start of the search. Only papers written in English were included to maintain consistency and clarity, whereas others were excluded. Of the 48 research papers that were initially identified, 47 were ultimately selected for the bibliometric analysis, which was conducted using VOSviewer, a bibliometric analysis tool.

PRISMA Flowchart

From the identified pool of 47 articles, the analysis uncovered a nuanced distribution of research methodologies. Specifically, 11 studies were grounded in quantitative research methodologies, underscoring a quantitative focus within the literature. In contrast, a substantial majority of 31 articles embraced a qualitative framework, showcasing a diverse spectrum that included pure qualitative research, editorials, letters to the editor, and opinion pieces. Furthermore, the review brought to light four literature reviews, signifying a synthesis of existing knowledge, and identified one study that strategically employed a mixed-methods approach, blending both qualitative and quantitative research techniques.

To address the research questions, the selected publications underwent analysis using various bibliometric techniques. For the first and second research questions, citation analysis was employed. For the third and fourth research questions, bibliographic analysis was performed in VOSviewer software to generate clusters.

3 Findings and discussion

3.1 publication trend.

Information from the Scopus database indicates that academics began focusing on investigating various aspects of ChatGPT’s potential in higher education in 2022, as they published their findings in 2023. All academic articles in reputable publications in the Scopus database were published in 2023.

3.2 Citation analysis

Table  1 presents the top ten articles according to the number of citations. The number of articles increased significantly in 2023, consistent with the emerging nature and growing relevance of the topic. Exploring the ramifications of ChatGPT in higher education is a recent focal point for scholars, with numerous aspects warranting deeper investigation. The limited citation count, as anticipated, underscores that publications from 2023 are in the early stages of gaining visibility and recognition within the academic community.

The article by Thorp ( 2023 ), entitled “ChatGPT is fun, but not an author”, has received the highest number of citations (79). Thorp stresses the risks associated with implementing ChatGPT in the classroom. Although ChatGPT is an innovative AI tool, significant barriers remain to its implementation in the field of education. According to Thorp, using ChatGPT in academic writing is still inefficient. Thorp also expresses concerns about the rising prevalence of ChatGPT in the fabrication of scientific publications. The second most-cited work, “How Does ChatGPT Perform on the United States Medical Licensing Examination?” by Gilson and colleagues, has received 27 citations. Gilson et al. ( 2023 ) evaluated the accuracy, speed and clarity of ChatGPT’s responses to questions on the United States Medical Licensing Examination’s Step 1 and Step 2 tests. The text responses generated by ChatGPT were evaluated using three qualitative metrics: the logical justification of the chosen answer, the inclusion of information relevant to the question, and the inclusion of information extraneous to the question. The model attained a level of proficiency comparable to that of a third-year medical student. The study demonstrates the potential utility of ChatGPT as an interactive educational resource in the field of medicine to facilitate the acquisition of knowledge and skills. Third is Kasneci et al.’s article “ChatGPT for good? On opportunities and challenges of large language models for education”, with 13 citations. This paper examines the benefits and drawbacks of using language models in the classroom from the perspectives of both teachers and students. The authors find that these comprehensive language models can serve as a supplement rather than a replacement for classroom instruction. Each of the remaining top-ten articles mentioned the impact of ChatGPT on academic integrity in education and had received fewer than ten citations at the time of analysis.

Table  2 presents the top 10 journals in terms of the number of citations of publications related to the topic of ChatGPT in higher education. The journal Science , which published “ChatGPT is fun, but not an author,” was deemed most influential because it received the highest number of citations (79). JMIR Medical Education has published two articles that have been cited by 30 other research articles on the same topic. Journal of University Teaching and Learning Practise has published the most articles: three. Innovations in Education and Teaching International has published two articles on this topic, which together have been cited by six articles.

As shown in Table  3 , the majority of research articles pertaining to ChatGPT and higher education have originated from countries in Asia. Six of the top 10 countries for publishing articles on this topic are located in the Asian continent. However, the most influential studies in terms of citations have been produced by the United States, Germany, Australia, and the United Kingdom. Combined, these countries have received a total of 63 citations, with individual counts of 36, 17, 7, and 7, respectively. These four countries have 90% of the total citations of the top 10 most productive countries in the field of research on higher education perspectives on ChatGPT.

3.3 Bibliographic coupling

3.3.1 thematic clusters.

Four thematic clusters (TCs) were identified from the included research articles, as shown in Table  4 . VOSviewer was used to perform clustering based on bibliographic coupling. This method identifies relations between documents by examining publications that cite the same sources (Boyack & Klavans, 2010 ). VOSviewer clusters articles with a common knowledge base, assigning each publication to exactly one cluster. To implement this clustering technique, we assessed the co-occurrence of bibliographic references among articles within our dataset. Co-occurrence was determined by identifying shared references between articles, indicating a thematic connection (Boyack & Klavans, 2010 ). Articles sharing common references were considered to co-occur, enabling us to quantify the extent of thematic relationships based on the frequency of shared references. We identified and categorised thematic clusters within our dataset through the combined approach of VOSviewer clustering and co-occurrence analysis. This method typically results in a distribution of clusters, with a limited number of larger clusters and a more substantial number of smaller clusters.

The clusters were derived through an analysis of subordinate articles extracted from the Scopus database. VOSviewer systematically organised similar articles into distinct clusters based on the shared patterns of bibliographic references (Van Eck & Waltman, 2010 ). To ensure methodological transparency and robustness, we established clear criteria and parameters for clustering. Specifically, keywords with a minimum frequency ( n  = 5) were included in the analysis, and co-occurrence was calculated based on a pairwise comparison method. This systematic approach ensured the meaningful representation of thematic relationships within the dataset, guided by insights from previous literature (Jarneving, 2007 ). Using cluster analysis techniques, the articles were organised into cohesive groups characterised by the degree of thematic homogeneity guided by the nature of the research findings. This approach ensured a robust representation of the underlying thematic structure (Jarneving, 2007 ).

Furthermore, to mitigate the risk of subjective bias in thematic categorisation, a counter-coding approach was employed. A second researcher independently categorised thematic clusters identified by VOSviewer to assess inter-rater agreement. The level of agreement between the two researchers was assessed using Cohen’s kappa coefficient, ensuring the reliability and validity of the thematic classification process. The resulting kappa coefficient (0.69) indicated substantial agreement, suggesting a high level of agreement beyond what would be expected by chance alone (Gisev et al., 2013 ). Furthermore, the nomenclature assigned to each cluster was finalised based on the predominant research theme emerging from the analysis, providing a concise and informative label for each group.

TC1: ChatGPT and Academic Integrity: Cotton et al. ( 2023 ) describe ChatGPT as a double-edged sword that potentially threatens academic integrity. AI essay writing systems are programmed to churn out essays based on specific guidelines or prompts, and it can be difficult to distinguish between human and machine-generated writing. Thus, students could potentially use these systems to cheat by submitting essays that are not their original work (Dehouche, 2021 ). Kasneci et al. ( 2023 ) argue that effective pedagogical practices must be developed in order to implement large language models in classrooms. These skills include not only a deep understanding of the technology but also an appreciation of its constraints and the vulnerability of complex systems in general. In addition, educational institutions need to develop a clearly articulated plan for the successful integration and optimal use of big language models in educational contexts and teaching curricula. In addition, students need to be taught how to verify information through a teaching strategy emphasising critical thinking effectively. Possible bias in the generated output, the need for continuous human supervision, and the likelihood of unforeseen effects are just a few of the challenges that come with the employment of AI systems. Continuous monitoring and transparency are necessary to ensure academic integrity while using ChatGPT. Lim et al. ( 2023 ) report that ChatGPT poses academic integrity challenges for the faculty of higher education institutions, who must verify whether academic work (assignments, research reports, etc.) submitted by students is derived from the fresh perspective of data analysis or plagiarised and recycled (copying and pasting original work) by ChatGPT. ChatGPT may threaten student learning and classroom engagement if students have access to information and course assignments without assessing their integrity. Perkins ( 2023 ) also expresses concerns regarding academic integrity in the use of ChatGPT. Students are utilising ChatGPT to complete their course assignments without attribution rather than producing original work. Higher education institutions must establish clear boundaries regarding academic integrity and plagiarism in light of the growing utilisation of AI tools in academic and research settings. In addition, the challenges posed by AI essay writing systems like ChatGPT necessitate a multifaceted approach to safeguard academic integrity. Educational institutions should invest in comprehensive educational programs that not only teach students the ethical use of technology but also incorporate rigorous assessments of critical thinking skills. Additionally, integrating AI literacy into the curriculum, with a focus on understanding the limitations and potential biases of big language models, can empower students to discern between human and machine-generated content.

TC2: ChatGPT and Learning Environment: According to Crawford et al. ( 2023 ), increased stress levels and peer pressure among university students have created a favourable environment for the use of AI tools. ChatGPT provides enhanced educational opportunities for college-level students. It can help students identify areas they may have overlooked, offer guidance on additional reading materials, and enhance existing peer and teacher connections. In addition, ChatGPT can propose alternative methods of evaluating students beyond conventional assignments. Crawford et al. ( 2023 ) recommend providing practical assignments incorporating ChatGPT as a supplementary tool to reduce plagiarism. Su ( 2023 ) documents that ChatGPT can provide students with a personalised learning experience based on their specific needs. In addition, the ChatGPT platform can be used to create a virtual coaching system that offers prompt feedback to educators during their classroom evaluations. This approach fosters critical thinking and supports early childhood educators in refining their teaching methodologies to optimise interactive learning outcomes for students. Tang ( 2023b ) proposes that bolstering research integrity can be achieved by imposing restrictions on the utilisation of NLP-generated content in research papers. Additionally, the author advocates for transparency from researchers, emphasising the importance of explicitly stating the proportion of NLP-generated content incorporated in their papers. This recommendation prompts a critical examination of the role of AI-generated content in scholarly work, emphasising the importance of nurturing independent research and writing skills for both students and researchers.

TC3: ChatGPT and Student Engagement: Lee ( 2023 ) examines the ability of ChatGPT to provide an interactive learning experience and boost student engagement beyond textbook pedagogy. Iskender ( 2023 ) explains that ChatGPT provides a mechanism for students to generate and investigate diverse concepts expeditiously, thereby helping them engage in imaginative and evaluative thinking on specific subject matter. This approach has the potential to optimise time management for students and allow them to concentrate on more advanced cognitive activities. AI tools such as ChatGPT can potentially enhance the personalisation of learning materials by providing visual aids and summaries that can aid the learning process and significantly improve students’ competencies. Hence, leveraging ChatGPT in education can revolutionise learning by facilitating interactive experiences, nurturing imaginative thinking, and optimising time management for students.

TC4: ChatGPT and Scholarly Research: Ivanov and Soliman ( 2023 ) and Yan ( 2023 ) focus on the practical applications and implications of LLMs like ChatGPT in educational settings and scholarly research within the context of language learning, writing, and tourism. Yan’s investigation into ChatGPT’s application in second-language writing examines its effectiveness in addressing specific writing tasks at the undergraduate level. The findings underscore the nuanced balance between the strengths of ChatGPT and the inherent limitations in handling demanding academic writing tasks. Nevertheless, ChatGPT is also labelled as an ‘all-in-one’ solution for scholarly research and writing (Yan, 2023 ). In parallel, Ivanov and Soliman ( 2023 ) highlight that ChatGPT can assist scholars in the field of tourism research by composing preliminary literature reviews, substantiating their chosen methodologies, and creating visual aids such as tables and charts. Furthermore, the researchers outline that ChatGPT could provide valuable methodological ideas and insights by helping researchers generate questions and corresponding scales for inclusion in questionnaires. Hence, ChatGPT has the potential to become a valuable ally as a facilitator in academic writing processes and has the potential to transform the research workflow.

3.3.2 Geographic clusters

The results of the country-based bibliographic analysis are summarised in Table  5 . The present study utilised the prevailing research theme in the existing literature as a framework for categorising the countries into four distinct clusters on the basis of the number of documents published from different countries.

Cluster 1: Implications of ChatGPT for Student Examinations and Education : Cluster 1 is composed of five countries: Germany, Ireland, South Korea, Taiwan, and the United States. Researchers in these countries have emphasised the potential role of ChatGPT in higher education within the context of AI language models. Eleven research articles related to this theme were published by researchers based in the United States, the most in this cluster. The top three articles in Table  1 are from the United States. The study entitled “Opportunities and Challenges of Large Language Models for Education,” was authored by German researchers (Kasneci et al., 2023 ) and has been widely cited in the academic community (13 citations). The remaining studies were conducted by researchers from South Korea and Taiwan and focused on the impact of ChatGPT on the education sector and its associated opportunities and challenges. This cluster demonstrates that students could benefit greatly from using ChatGPT in performing various academic tasks, such as reviewing and revising their work, verifying the accuracy of homework answers, and improving the quality of their essays. It has also aided postgraduates whose first language is not English improve their writing, as ChatGPT can be instructed to rewrite a paragraph in a scholarly tone from scratch. The outcomes have demonstrated significant efficacy, thereby alleviating the cognitive load associated with translation for these students, enabling them to concentrate on the substance of their writing rather than the intricacies of composing in an unfamiliar language. To harness the potential benefits, future research could focus on developing targeted training programs for students and educators that emphasise the effective utilisation of ChatGPT to enhance not only academic tasks but also language proficiency for non-native English speakers, addressing both cognitive load and language intricacies.

Cluster 2: ChatGPT and Academic Integrity : Cluster 2 comprises research studies conducted by authors from Japan, Bangladesh, Hong Kong, Nigeria, Pakistan, UAE, the UK, Vietnam and the Netherlands. The most influential study in this cluster, “Unlocking the power of ChatGPT: A framework for applying Generative AI in education”, was authored by researchers from Hong Kong (Su & Yang, 2023 ). They document that ChatGPT can be used to respond to student inquiries, reducing the time and effort required of educators and allowing them to focus their resources on other activities, such as scholarly investigations. Farrokhnia et al. ( 2023 ) and Yeadon et al. ( 2023 ) state that ChatGPT can write scientific abstracts with fabricated data and essays that can evade detection by reviewers. According to Liebrenz et al. ( 2023 ), ChatGPT tends to produce erroneous and incoherent responses, thereby raising the potential for disseminating inaccurate information in scholarly literature. The higher-order cognitive abilities of ChatGPT are relatively low, especially in areas related to creativity, critical thinking, reasoning, and problem-solving. ChatGPT could reduce students’ motivation to explore topics independently, draw their own conclusions, and solve problems independently (Kasneci et al., 2023 ). Ibrahim et al. ( 2023 ) find that ChatGPT can engage students in their academic pursuits. ChatGPT can enhance the writing abilities of non-native English speakers to allow them to concentrate on higher-order cognitive processes. This technological development allows faculty members to allocate more attention to conceptualisation and writing rather than focusing on the mechanics of grammar and spelling. However, there is a debate among intellectuals regarding the implications of AI for content creation, with some asserting that it detracts from innovative content development. The possibility that ChatGPT threatens academic honesty by facilitating essay plagiarism is being acknowledged. In addition, in the absence of appropriate citations, this textual content may violate copyright regulations. Cotton et al. ( 2023 ) express concerns about the potential impact of ChatGPT on academic integrity and plagiarism. Their work corroborates Dehouche’s ( 2021 ) assertion that students may use ChatGPT to engage in academic dishonesty by submitting essays that are not their original work. According to Cotton et al. ( 2023 ), ChatGPT users have a competitive advantage over non-users and can achieve higher grades on their coursework assignments by utilising the AI-based language tool. They classify ChatGPT as a versatile instrument with the potential to pose a threat to academic integrity, noting that AI essay writing systems are specifically programmed to generate content based on specific parameters or prompts, thereby challenging the discernment between human-authored and machine-generated content. Distinguishing between the academic work produced by students and the content of ChatGPT when evaluating assignments is a significant challenge for faculty. It is recommended that academic staff continually monitor student assignments for academic misconduct infractions, coupled with transparent communication about the potential risks associated with AI-generated content.

Cluster 3: ChatGPT and Students’ Learning : Cluster 3 comprises Malaysia, China and Australia. This cluster mainly includes studies of the role of AI-based models in student learning. Researchers from Australia (Crawford et al., 2023 ; Lim et al., 2023 ; Lawrie, 2023 ; Li et al., 2023 ; Seth et al., 2023 ; Cingillioglu, 2023 ; Skavronskaya, 2023 ; and Johinke, 2023 ) have contributed the most (8 studies) to this cluster and put their weight behind the role of AI and student learning in various disciplines. One of the most influential papers, “Generative AI and the future of education: Ragnarök or reformation? A paradoxical perspective from management educators”, was authored by researchers from both Australia and Malaysia (Lim et al., 2023 ) and reflected on the role of AI in classroom learning and teaching. Rather than banning AI tools, the authors advocate for the productive use of these tools in classrooms to facilitate more engaging student learning. Another Australian study titled, “Leadership is needed for ethical ChatGPT: Character, assessment, and learning using artificial intelligence (AI)” (Crawford et al., 2023 ) highlights AI as an alternative path of learning for students. ChatGPT can promptly evaluate students’ assignments and help them identify areas of weakness. Educators have the option to provide innovative assessments to their students instead of adhering solely to conventional assessments. ChatGPT can augment pedagogical approaches, evaluation structures, and the comprehensive educational milieu by reinforcing the trilateral association among instructors, learners, and technology. The implementation of ChatGPT can provide students with a personalised and interactive learning and research experience facilitated by virtual tutors and customised recommendations. In light of the research in this cluster, the integration of ChatGPT into education should inspire a paradigm shift towards a more dynamic and personalised learning environment. Institutions can explore strategic partnerships with AI researchers to develop context-specific applications of ChatGPT that cater to diverse educational needs, promoting a symbiotic relationship between human instructors, students, and technology for an enriched learning experience.

Cluster 4: ChatGPT and Field-specific Research : This cluster includes research by authors in Asian and European countries (India, Oman, Bulgaria and New Zealand) that has emphasised the potential role of ChatGPT in the medical and tourism industries. Authors from India explored the role of ChatGPT in the medical field (Seetharaman, 2023 ; Subramani et al., 2023 ). Seetharaman ( 2023 ) reports that ChatGPT offers supplementary language assistance to students who are not proficient in English, enabling them to enhance their language proficiency and effectively communicate in English, the principal language of instruction in medical establishments. The ChatGPT platform has the potential to serve as a tool for medical students to replicate patient interactions in a simulated environment, such as accurately obtaining medical histories and documenting symptoms. According to Subramani et al. ( 2023 ), ChatGPT is a highly efficient and user-friendly AI technology that can aid healthcare professionals in various aspects, such as diagnosis, critical decision-making, and devising appropriate treatment plans. ChatGPT has demonstrated impressive performance on medical exams, indicating its potential as a valuable resource for enhancing medical education and assessment (Subramani et al., 2023 ) and can support interdisciplinarity in tourism research (Nautiyal et al., 2023 ). Ivanov and Soliman ( 2023 ) note the potential of ChatGPT to serve as a digital instructor to provide students with enhanced and effective learning experiences and outcomes. Digital instructors can impart knowledge in diverse languages and thus can be used to educate individuals of varying nationalities and backgrounds in the field of tourism. Furthermore, LLM-based chatbots, including ChatGPT, can assess written assignments and provide direction on linguistic proficiency, syntax, and composition, ultimately enhancing students’ scholarly writing proficiency. In exploring the intersection of ChatGPT with medical education, institutions can pioneer innovative approaches by using the platform to create immersive, simulated patient interactions that go beyond language assistance, allowing medical students to practice nuanced skills such as medical history gathering and symptom documentation. Simultaneously, leveraging ChatGPT as a versatile digital instructor offers a unique opportunity to provide cross-cultural and multilingual education, contributing to a more inclusive and globally competent workforce within the tourism industry.

3.4 Challenges of ChatGPT in higher education

In addition to some previously mentioned challenges, such as the potential for plagiarism, the investigation also identified other key challenges in implementing ChatGPT within the context of higher education’s teaching and learning environment. Wu and Yu ( 2023 ) found that the benefits of AI-based ChatGPT are more in higher education as compared to primary and secondary education. The study also reported that the novelty effects of AI chatbots may enhance learning outcomes in brief interventions, but their efficacy diminishes in longer interventions.

First, the implementation of ChatGPT within the educational context engenders learning impediments. In the absence of adequate monitoring and regulation, the technology could lead to human unintelligence and unlearning, but teachers will become more adaptive and create authentic assessments to enhance student learning (Alafnan et al., 2023 ; Lawrie, 2023 ). Second, the technology could be used in a manner that violates students’ privacy. If the model is not adequately secured, it could surreptitiously gather confidential data from students without their explicit awareness or authorisation (Kanseci, 2023). Third, the technology could facilitate discrimination against particular students. If the model is not trained on a dataset that accurately represents the entire student population, it has the potential to create disparities in educational access (Cingillioglu, 2023 ; Lin et al., 2023 ). Fourth, according to Ivanov and Soloman (2023), ChatGPT lacks access to real-time data. Therefore, its responses may be inconsequential, inaccurate, or outdated. The information provided in response to a specific query may also be insufficient. Gao et al. (2022) highlight the need for further investigation of the precision and scholarly authenticity of ChatGPT. Fifth, it may be difficult for ChatGPT to comprehend the context and subtleties of complex academic subjects and answer complex questions (Adetayo, 2023 ; Eysenbach, 2023 ; Neumann et al., 2023 ). The system can misinterpret inquiries, offer inadequate or inaccurate responses, or struggle to comprehend the fundamental purpose behind questions (Clark, 2023 ). In particular, ChatGPT may not have the requisite expertise in highly specialised or advanced subjects such as advanced mathematics or specific sciences. Hence, it may not deliver precise and accurate answers (Neumann et al., 2023 ; Fergus et al., 2023 ). Karaali ( 2023 ) claimed that the primary emphasis in the field of AI is currently directed towards the enhancement of advanced cognitive abilities and mental processes associated with quantitative literacy and quantitative reasoning. However, it is important to acknowledge that fundamental skills such as writing, critical thinking, and numeracy continue to serve as essential foundational components among students. Although AI is making significant progress in fundamental domains, it appears that students are experiencing a decline in performance in the context of fundamental skills. Consequently, NLP-based adaptive learner support and education require further investigation (Bauer et al., 2023 ).

In addressing the challenges of ChatGPT in education, educators need to adapt and develop authentic assessments that mitigate the risk of human unlearning, ensuring that technology enhances, rather than hinders, student learning experiences. Simultaneously, recognising the limitations of ChatGPT in comprehending the nuances of highly specialised subjects underscores the importance of balancing advancements in AI’s cognitive abilities with continued emphasis on fundamental skills like critical thinking, writing, and numeracy, urging a reevaluation of priorities in AI-driven educational research towards comprehensive learner support.

4 Conclusion, implications and agenda for future research

This study identified the most influential articles and top journals and countries in terms of citations and publication productivity related to ChatGPT in higher education, as well as highlighted emerging thematic clusters and geographic clusters in research on the role and challenges of ChatGPT in teaching and learning in higher education institutions. Articles on the topic of ChatGPT in higher education published up to May 2023 were identified by searching the Scopus database. Given the emergent nature of ChatGPT starting in late 2022, all the included articles were published in 2023. Thus, this specific research domain remains relatively unexplored. The findings of this analysis reveal that the United States is the most productive country in terms of research on the role of ChatGPT in higher education, especially relating to academic integrity and research. US researchers also emerged as the most influential in terms of number of citations in the literature. Our findings corroborate those of previous research (Crompton & Burke, 2023 ). However, 60% of the articles in our shortlisted literature emanated from Asian countries.

Four thematic clusters (academic integrity, student engagement, learning environment and research) were identified. Furthermore, the country-based bibliographic analysis revealed that research has focused on student examinations, academic integrity, student learning and field-specific research in medical and tourism education (Nautiyal et al., 2023 ; Subramani et al., 2023 ). Plagiarism is recognised as a major challenge that hinders students’ creativity, innovativeness and originality when using ChatGPT in their academic pursuits. To mitigate the potential drawbacks of using ChatGPT in educational and research settings, proactive measures should be taken to educate students and researchers alike on the nature of plagiarism, its negative impacts and academic integrity (Shoufan, 2023 ; Teixeira, 2023 ) Educators may ask students to provide a written acknowledgement of the authenticity of their assignments and their non-reliance on ChatGPT. Such an acknowledgement would discourage students from utilising ChatGPT in their academic and research endeavours and establish accountability for their academic pursuits. In addition, educators should develop authentic assessments that are ChatGPT-proof.

ChatGPT lacks emotional intelligence and empathy, both of which are crucial in effectively addressing the emotional and psychological dimensions of the learning process (Farrokhnia et al., 2023 ; Neumann et al., 2023 ). Higher education institutions may encounter challenges in using ChatGPT to deliver suitable assistance, comprehension, or direction to students needing emotional or mental health support. The significance of human interaction in learning cannot be overstated. Achieving a balance between using AI and the advantages of human guidance and mentorship is a persistent challenge that requires attention (Neumann et al., 2023 ; Rahman et al., 2023 ). Strzelecki ( 2023 ) observed in his research that behavioural intention and personal innovativeness are the two major determinants behind the adoption of ChatGPT among students.

4.1 Implications

The findings of the present study have numerous important implications. This study provides insight into the current state of ChatGPT in higher education and thus can serve as valuable guidance for academics, practitioners, and policymakers. The study’s findings contribute to the literature by providing new insights into the role of ChatGPT and strategies for mitigating its negative aspects and emphasising its positive attributes.

First, the implementation of AI in education can improve academic performance and student motivation, particularly by facilitating personalised learning. Educational institutions should monitor and regulate students’ use of such technologies proactively. Higher education institutions also ought to prioritise the training of their educators in effectively utilising AI technologies, including ChatGPT. Concurrently, it is imperative for these institutions to equip students with comprehensive academic integrity training, shedding light on the appropriate and inappropriate applications of AI tools like ChatGPT. This includes creating awareness about the potential consequences of utilising these technologies for dishonest practices. Furthermore, educational establishments need to urgently revisit and refine their academic integrity policies to address the evolving landscape shaped by the integration of artificial intelligence tools in various academic facets. This proactive approach will foster a learning environment that embraces technological advancements and upholds the principles of honesty and responsible use. Institutional regulations on accountability and transparency should guide the frameworks that govern the use of AI in the campus environment (Pechenkina, 2023 ; Sun & Hoelscher, 2023 ; Dencik & Sanchez-Monedero, 2022 ).

Second, faculty members must proactively replace traditional coursework with modern alternatives that foster elevated levels of critical thinking among students, as suggested by Zhai ( 2022 ). Educators and learners can augment the academic material produced by ChatGPT with their own insights and information obtained from credible scholarly resources (Emenike & Emenike, 2023 ).

Third, ChatGPT should not be considered a threat to the education sector but a supplementary tool for human instruction that can enhance teaching and learning. It is imperative to acknowledge that the vital role of human educators cannot be replaced (Karaali, 2023 ) Moreover, ChatGPT can potentially enhance the accessibility and inclusivity of higher education. Alternative formats, linguistic support, and individualised explanations can help students who are studying English as a second language, are not native English speakers, or have other unique learning needs. Furthermore, Alnaqbi and Fouda ( 2023 ) highlight the implications of AI in evaluating the teaching style of faculty in higher education by collecting the feedback of students through social media and ChatGPT.

Fourth, the faculty in higher education institutions could address ethical concerns by providing students with explicit and comprehensive guidelines about the prescribed structure of academic assignments (Cotton et al., 2023 ; Gardner & Giordano, 2023 ). This practice can facilitate the production of more cohesive assignments. In addition, teachers can use rubrics to assess assignments and blend automated and manual assessment methodologies to evaluate students’ comprehension of the subject matter (Cotton et al., 2023 ; Shoufan, 2023 ).

In summary, using ChatGPT is recommended for enhancing creativity, refining writing proficiency, and improving research abilities. Nonetheless, it is crucial to emphasise that ChatGPT should not be employed as a substitute for critical thinking and producing original work. While it serves as a valuable tool for augmentation, upholding the integrity of independent thought and authentic content creation in academic endeavours is essential.

4.2 Limitations

The present study acknowledges several limitations. Firstly, the reliance on Scopus as the primary data source for bibliometric analysis may have limitations in capturing the full landscape of relevant literature. Future research may consider incorporating additional databases like Web of Science to ensure a comprehensive assessment. Secondly, due to the English language restriction in the review, potentially relevant studies may have been omitted. Future research could enhance inclusivity by extending its scope to encompass papers written in languages other than English. Thirdly, the current study exclusively focused on journal articles. Expanding the scope to include diverse sources, such as conference proceedings or book chapters, could offer a more comprehensive overview.

Additionally, as a rapidly evolving field, literature published after our inclusion dates need capturing, and future studies should consider adjusting their inclusion criteria to accommodate the dynamic nature of the subject matter. Lastly, the specificity of the bibliometric data search, centred around terms like ChatGPT, AI, higher education, and academic integrity, may have excluded certain relevant articles. Future studies should consider employing more generalised search parameters to encompass synonyms associated with these terms.

4.3 Future scope

The findings of the study suggest new avenues for future research. The effectiveness of evaluation criteria for assessments incorporating ChatGPT-generated text needs to be investigated. Specifically, the appropriate level of ChatGPT-produced text that students may use in academic tasks or assessments has not been established. Research on the ethical implications of using AI tools such as ChatGPT in higher education is also needed. Issues pertaining to data confidentiality, bias, and transparency in algorithms used for decision-making remain to be addressed. Feasible approaches for mitigating the excessive reliance of scholars and learners on ChatGPT or similar AI models are needed. Researchers could also explore the implementation of verification processes that go beyond traditional plagiarism detection methods, accounting for the unique challenges posed by AI systems. Future research in this domain could focus on establishing guidelines and best practices for the integration of AI tools like ChatGPT in academic settings, ensuring a balance between technological innovation and the preservation of academic rigour. Finally, the literature on ChatGPT in higher education has largely focused on the medical and tourism sectors. Future researchers must explore applications of ChatGPT in other disciplines.

Data availability

The datasets generated during and/or analysed during the current study are available from the corresponding author upon reasonable request.

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Bhullar, P.S., Joshi, M. & Chugh, R. ChatGPT in higher education - a synthesis of the literature and a future research agenda. Educ Inf Technol (2024). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10639-024-12723-x

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