Clinical Learning in Nursing (CLN) uses the American Psychological Association (APA) 7th Edition referencing style for both in-text citations and the reference list.
Authors are responsible for ensuring that all references are complete, accurate, and formatted consistently according to APA 7th Edition.
General Requirements
Authors should ensure that:
• References are relevant and directly support the manuscript.
• At least 80% of references are from peer-reviewed journal articles.
• Most references have been published within the last 10 years, unless citing seminal or landmark studies.
• Every reference cited in the text appears in the reference list, and every reference in the list is cited in the text.
• DOI numbers should be included whenever available.
• References should be written in English. If citing non-English sources, indicate the original language where appropriate.
In-Text Citation
One Author
(Smith, 2023)
or
Smith (2023) reported that...
Two Authors
(Smith & Jones, 2022)
Three or More Authors
(Smith et al., 2024)
Reference List Examples
Journal Article
Smith, J., Jones, P., & Brown, A. (2024). Simulation-based learning in undergraduate nursing education. Nurse Education Today, 135, 106123. https://doi.org/10.xxxx/xxxx
Book
Polit, D. F., & Beck, C. T. (2021). Nursing research: Generating and assessing evidence for nursing practice (11th ed.). Wolters Kluwer.
Book Chapter
Benner, P. (2022). Clinical competence in nursing education. In M. Oermann (Ed.), Teaching in nursing (pp. 55–72). Springer.
Website
World Health Organization. (2024). Patient safety. https://www.who.int
Conference Paper
Author, A. A. (2023). Title of paper. In Proceedings of the International Conference on Nursing Education (pp. 25–30). Publisher.
Reference Management Software
Authors are encouraged to use reference management software such as:
• EndNote
• Mendeley
• Zotero
• RefWorks
to ensure consistency and accuracy in citation formatting.
DOI Requirement
Authors should include the Digital Object Identifier (DOI) for all references whenever available.
Example:
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.nedt.2024.106123
Do not use "Retrieved from" for journal articles with a DOI.
Citation Accuracy
Authors are responsible for verifying the accuracy of all references before submission. Incorrect or incomplete references may delay the review and publication process.
Recommended References
Clinical Learning in Nursing encourages authors to cite:
• Recent peer-reviewed journal articles.
• High-quality international publications.
• Relevant nursing and healthcare literature.
• Original research whenever possible.
Excessive self-citation and inappropriate citation practices should be avoided.
Reference Management Template
Citation Style: APA 7th Edition
Reference Manager Format: APA 7th Edition
