Veterinary Medicine

JAVMA / AMA

The JAVMA citation format uses the most current American Medical Association (AMA) citation guidelines.

Other Formats

Citation Managers

CSU Libraries can provide some support in using Zotero, EndNote, and Mendeley.

CSU Libraries recommends that graduate students use an open source/free citation management software unless requested to use a proprietary/paid software for a specific research project. It is easy to port collections of references from one program to another. Ask the Libraries for help!

There are two primary types of source appraisal you need to consider:

1. Appraisal of research
2. Appraisal of non-research sources (on the web and even in journals!)

Not all articles published in academic journals are peer reviewed. Not all journals use a high-quality peer review format. Do not rely on peer review as a definitive indicator of research or scholarly quality.

Instead, apply critical appraisal approaches to ALL research regardless of where or how it is published.

Source appraisal is a core component of Evidence-Based Veterinary Medicine. Learn more below.

Appraisal of Research

When reading a research article, you are looking for signs that the research design, conduct, and reporting are appropriate to the research question, rigorous, and transparent. The process of assessing this is called either critical appraisal or risk of bias assessment.

If you are applying information from the research to a clinical or practice situation, you also want to consider if it is, clinically relevant, e.g. truly relevant and applicable to the specifics of the situation and patient.

Core questions include:

1. Does this study address a clearly focused question?
2. Did the study use valid methods to address this question?
3. Are the valid results of this study important?
4. Are these valid, important results applicable to my patient or population?

There are guided tools you can use to help you ask the most relevant questions when conducting critical appraisal / risk of bias assessment.

The JBI critical appraisal checklists are especially helpful for beginners, because they include directions on how to answer each question on the checklist in an appendix at the end of the checklist.

Appraisal of Non-Research Sources

We appraise information in a wide variety of ways in our everyday life. However, in practice situations, your appraisal of all sources, whether or not they are research, should be conducted in a more systematic and comprehensive manner.

SIFT

SIFT is an acronym for a method of resource evaluation based on the concept of 'lateral reading': Stop, Investigate the Source, Find better coverage, Trace Claims, Quotes, Citations and Media Back to their Original Context.

The idea is to stop yourself from unconsciously assuming that one source is enough for unbiased validation of an idea or claim. One source is never enough.

To address this, you need to start by getting outside information about who the creator of that source is, find other sources that discuss the same information, and trace any claims made by the source by validating quotes, research citations, and media clips so you can confirm if they are used and represented accurately.

SIFT is a method that relies on your critical thinking skills. You cannot score a source using it or place your trust in previously reliable indicators of information quality. You must do the work to evaluate the information!