References

Accurate and complete references are essential for maintaining the quality, transparency, and credibility of scientific publications. Authors are responsible for ensuring that all references are accurate, complete, and formatted according to the journal style.

Every reference cited in the text must appear in the reference list, and every reference listed must be cited in the text.

 

1. Reference Style

ELSR follows a Modern Numbered Reference Style, in which references are cited using numbers in square brackets and listed in the order of their first appearance in the manuscript.

 

2. In-text Citations

In-Text Citation Style

Cite references using Arabic numerals in square brackets.

Single Reference

Wheat productivity is significantly affected by soil salinity [1].

Two References

Similar findings have been reported previously [2,3].

Consecutive References

Several studies support this conclusion [4–7].

Non-Consecutive References

Different mechanisms have been proposed [2,5,9].

Author Mentioned in the Sentence

Khan et al. [10] demonstrated that drought significantly reduced photosynthetic efficiency.

 

3. Reference List

The reference list should appear at the end of the manuscript.

References should:

·         Be numbered according to the order of first citation in the manuscript.

·         Not be arranged alphabetically.

·         Include all authors whenever possible.

·         Use the full journal name (do not abbreviate journal titles unless specifically required).

·         Include the DOI whenever available.

·         Follow a consistent format throughout the manuscript.

 

General Formatting Rules

Each reference should include where applicable:

·         Author(s)

·         Year of publication

·         Title of the work

·         Journal or book title

·         Volume number

·         Issue number

·         Page range or article number

·         Publisher information (for books)

·         DOI or URL (where applicable)

 

Author Names

Use the following format:

Surname, Initials.

Example:

Khan, M.K., Pandey, A. and Sharma, R.

Article Titles

Use sentence case.

Correct:

Physiological responses of wheat under combined drought and salinity stress.

Journal Titles

Write the full journal name.

Correct:

Emergent Life Sciences Research

Not:

Emerg. Life Sci. Res.

 

4. Reference Formats and Examples

Journal Article

Format

Author(s). (Year). Title of article. Journal Name. Volume(Issue). DOI

Example

Khan, M.K., Pandey, A. and Sharma, R. (2025). Physiological responses of wheat under combined drought and salinity stress. Emergent Life Sciences Research. 11(2):45–58. https://doi.org/10.31783/elsr.xxxxx

 

Journal Article with Article Number

Format

Author(s). (Year). Title of article. Journal Name. Volume Number. DOI

Example

Hasan, M., Gupta, P. and Ali, S. (2025). Root architecture contributes to salt tolerance in wheat. Plant Methods. 21:115. https://doi.org/10.xxxx/xxxxx

 

Online First Article

Format

Author(s). (Year). Title of article. Journal Name. Advance online publication. DOI

Example

Singh, R., Kumar, V. and Patel, S. (2026). Root plasticity under abiotic stress. Plant Stress. Advance online publication. https://doi.org/10.xxxx/xxxxx

 

Book

Format

Author(s). (Year). Book Title. Edition. Publisher, Place.

Example

Taiz, L., Zeiger, E., Møller, I.M. and Murphy, A. (2018). Plant Physiology and Development. 7^th ed. Oxford University Press, Oxford, UK.

 

Book Chapter

Format

Author(s). (Year). Chapter title. In: Editor(s), editor(s). Book Title. Publisher, Place. pp. xx–xx.

Example

Gupta, R. (2022). Plant stress signalling pathways. In: Kumar, A., editor. Advances in Plant Biology. Springer, Singapore. pp. 120–145.

 

Conference Proceedings

Format

Author(s). (Year). Title of paper. In: Conference Name; City, Country. pp. xx–xx.

Example

Khan, M.K. and Pandey, A. (2024). Root traits associated with salinity tolerance in wheat. In: Proceedings of the International Conference on Plant Science; New Delhi, India. pp. 65–72.

 

Thesis / Dissertation

Format

Author. (Year). Title of Thesis. Degree Thesis. Institution, Country.

Example

Sharma, P. (2023). Physiological and Molecular Responses of Wheat under Boron Toxicity. PhD Thesis. Ankara University, Türkiye.

 

Technical Report

Format

Organization/Author. (Year). Report Title. Publisher, Place.

Example

Food and Agriculture Organization. (2024). The State of Food and Agriculture 2024. FAO, Rome, Italy.

 

Website

Format

Author/Organization. (Year). Title of webpage. Available online: URL (accessed on Day Month Year).

Example

Food and Agriculture Organization. (2025). FAOSTAT Database. Available online: https://www.fao.org/faostat/ (accessed on 15 January 2026).

 

Dataset

Format

Author(s). (Year). Dataset title. Repository. DOI/URL.

Example

Khan, M.K. (2025). Wheat salinity tolerance dataset. Zenodo. https://doi.org/10.xxxx/xxxxx

 

Software

Format

Developer/Organization. (Year). Software Name. Version. Publisher.

Example

R Core Team. (2025). R: A Language and Environment for Statistical Computing. Version 4.5.0. R Foundation for Statistical Computing.

 

Preprint

Format

Author(s). (Year). Title. Repository. DOI.

Example

Ahmed, S., Khan, M.K. and Li, X. (2025). Transcriptomic responses of wheat under combined heat and drought stress. bioRxiv. https://doi.org/10.xxxx/xxxxx

 

DOI Policy

Authors should include the DOI for all references whenever available.

Use the standard format:

https://doi.org/xxxxxxxx

 

Reference Quality

Authors are encouraged to cite:

·         Peer-reviewed journal articles

·         High-quality review articles

·         Books published by reputable academic publishers

·         Official reports

·         Public datasets

·         Trusted repositories

Avoid citing:

·         Retracted articles

·         Predatory journals

·         Anonymous websites

·         Personal blogs

·         Unverified online sources

 

AI-Assisted Content

Generative AI tools should not be cited as primary scholarly references.

If AI tools were used for language editing or writing assistance, this should be disclosed in the AI Disclosure Statement of the manuscript.

 

Common Referencing Errors

Before submission, ensure that:

·         Every in-text citation appears in the reference list.

·         Every listed reference is cited in the manuscript.

·         Author names are correctly spelled.

·         Journal names are written in full.

·         DOI is included whenever available.

·         URLs are functional.

·         References follow a consistent format.

 

Quick Reference Chart

Source Type	Citation Format
Journal Article	Author(s). (Year). Title. Journal. Volume(Issue). DOI
Article Number	Author(s). (Year). Title. Journal. Volume Number. DOI
Book	Author(s). (Year). Book Title. Edition. Publisher.
Book Chapter	Author(s). (Year). Chapter. In: Editor(s). Book. pp. xx–xx.
Conference	Author(s). (Year). Paper title. In: Conference Name.
Thesis	Author. (Year). Title. Degree Thesis. Institution.
Technical Report	Organization. (Year). Report Title. Publisher.
Website	Organization. (Year). Title. Available online: URL (accessed on Date).
Dataset	Author(s). (Year). Dataset. Repository. DOI/URL.
Software	Developer. (Year). Software Name. Version. Publisher.
Preprint	Author(s). (Year). Title. Repository. DOI.

 

Submission Checklist

Before submitting your manuscript, confirm that:

✓ References are numbered in order of first citation.

✓ All references are complete and accurate.

✓ DOI has been included whenever available.

✓ Journal names are written in full.

✓ URLs have been checked.

✓ Every in-text citation has a corresponding reference.

✓ The reference list follows the official ELSR Modern Numbered Reference Style consistently.

 

Editor's Tip

Well-prepared tables, high-quality figures, and accurately formatted references improve the readability of your manuscript and help speed up the editorial and production process. Before submission, carefully review all visual materials and references to ensure they are complete, clear, and consistent.