Chinese Medicine Subject Guide: Organize, write & cite

 Manage your sources

Everyone will approach the collection and organization of research sources in different ways to suit their own preferences. However, the following advice generally applies:

• For electronic sources, download copies and back them up to the cloud
• For every source, take good notes and record page number references for text that you want to quote/paraphrase
• Ensure that you record sufficient details about each source so you can cite it properly
• Use an online research manager to help you (see below)

 Write your assignment

Common types of assignment in Chinese Medicine courses:

• Literature reviews
• Short analytical essays
• Lab reports

Common sources to support Chinese Medicine research and clinical practice:

• Journal articles
• Reviews
• Clinical trials
• Laboratory protocols
• Comments/letters

Useful resources to help you get started:

The Library also has a number of books providing you a more holistic view of doing research and reporting in Health Sciences. Check them out:

 Cite your sources

Citing in English 

The Vancouver reference system is the primary referencing system used in the medicine sciences, with two major variations: AMA Manual of Style and Citing Medicine. 

  Citing Medicine, 2nd edition, the NLM Style Guide for Authors, Editors, and Publishers. 

  AMA Manual of Style, a Guide for Authors and Editors (10th edition)

  ICMJE Style (Recommendations) 

ICMJE develops the Recommendations for the Conduct, Reporting, Editing, and Publication of Scholarly Work in Medical Journals to help authors and editors involved in peer preview and biomedical publishing create and distribute accurate, clear, reproducible, unbiased medical journal articles.

Citing in Chinese

There are no standardized Chinese citation styles. The key is to be consistent in the way you cite. We strongly recommend that you consult with your instructors/professors as to which style is acceptable for your assignments and papers. 

We have provided a few examples of style guides on this page for your reference.

 Click here for the Library's Citation Guide

Turnitin

Turnitin is an online software program that can compare submitted academic assignments against an extensive database of published and unpublished information, and provide a report on the degree of similarity between the assignment and the material in that database.  

To ensure that interested students are able to submit their assignments to Turnitin, the Library maintains a practice Turnitin Assignment on a designated course site on HKBU Moodle.