Citation Guide for the Journal of Biological Chemistry: Everything You Need

Ensure precision in your biochemical research citations. Follow this simple guide.

Citing your sources correctly is a crucial part of scientific writing, especially when submitting to the Journal of Biological Chemistry (JBC). This guide will walk you through the JBC citation format, helping you stay clear, consistent, and credible in your references.

We'll cover everything from in-text citations to reference list formatting, with clear examples for journals, books, websites, and more. Whether you're a student, researcher, or submitting your first JBC manuscript, this guide will help you meet the journal’s citation standards with confidence.

In-Text Citations

The Journal of Biological Chemistry (JBC) follows a numerical citation style, meaning sources are referenced by number, not by author name or publication year. This method keeps the text clean and helps readers focus on the science, not the citations. Each reference is assigned a number in the order it appears, and that number is used consistently throughout the paper. Below are the key practices you’ll need to follow.

Numbering System

JBC citations are sequential. The first time a source is cited, it’s assigned a number, 1, for example. The second source gets 2, and so on. If you refer to the first source again later, it still uses the number 1.

Example:

"This enzyme plays a key role in lipid metabolism¹ and has been the focus of multiple studies²."

This approach avoids repetition and keeps the manuscript streamlined.

Placement of Citation Numbers

Citation numbers in JBC are placed as superscripts, directly following punctuation (typically at the end of a sentence or clause). No parentheses or brackets are used.

Here’s how to format them:

• Single citation:
  
  "The protein was isolated using a modified protocol¹."
  
  
  
  

• Multiple citations (consecutive):
  
  "Several mechanisms have been proposed²⁻⁴."
  
  
  
  

• Multiple citations (non-consecutive):
  
  "The technique was adapted from previous studies²,⁵,⁷."
  
  
  

Spacing and punctuation matter, so double-check formatting before submitting.

Reference List Formatting

The Journal of Biological Chemistry requires references to follow a numbered format that corresponds to the order of citation in the manuscript. Each entry must follow strict formatting standards regarding author names, article titles, journal abbreviations, volume numbers, and page ranges.

Order of References

References are listed in the order they appear in the text, not alphabetically. This ensures clarity for readers and matches the superscript numbers used in the manuscript.

Example:

1. Kim HY, Zhao L (2021) Lipid signaling and immune regulation. J Biol Chem 296:102123
   
   
   

2. Lee SM, Alvarez C, Huang X (2022) Role of ATPases in cell signaling. J Biol Chem 297:101987
   
   
   

Author Names

Authors’ names are formatted with the last name first, followed by initials without periods. All authors must be listed, JBC does not use “et al.” in the reference list.

Example:

Chen TY, Morris KJ, Wang JF

Article Titles

Titles should be written in sentence case, only the first word and proper nouns are capitalized. Titles should not be italicized, bolded, or placed in quotation marks.

Correct:
Role of protein phosphorylation in metabolic regulation
Incorrect:
"Role of Protein Phosphorylation in Metabolic Regulation"

Journal Titles

JBC follows the standard scientific abbreviations for journal names. These abbreviations do not include periods at the end of each word and should be italicized.

Examples:

• J Biol Chem (Journal of Biological Chemistry)
  
  
  

• Proc Natl Acad Sci USA (Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences)
  
  
  

• Nat Commun (Nature Communications)

Volume and Page Numbers

The volume number appears in bold, immediately followed by a colon and the page range or article ID. Do not use “pp.” or additional punctuation.

With page numbers:
J Biol Chem 290:1145–1153

With article ID:
J Biol Chem 296:100457

Examples of References

JBC citation style varies depending on the source type. Below are examples that follow the journal’s specific formatting for journal articles, books, and book chapters.

Journal Articles

Journal articles are cited with author names, publication year, article title in sentence case, journal abbreviation in italics, volume in bold, and page range or article ID.

Example (print article):
Li J, Chen H, Wang Y (2022) Regulation of protein folding under oxidative stress. J Biol Chem 297:104567

Example (online article with DOI):
Nguyen T, Morales A, Singh R (2023) Enzyme dynamics in lipid metabolism. J Biol Chem 298:105432. doi:10.1016/j.jbc.2023.105432

Books

Book citations should include the author(s), publication year, book title in italics, edition (if applicable), publisher, and location.

Example:
Smith RA, Thompson JK (2021) Cell Signaling Pathways. 2nd Ed., Academic Press, London

Book Chapters

When citing a chapter from an edited volume, include the chapter author(s), title, book editor(s), book title in italics, page range, publisher, and location.

Example:
Rodriguez L, Patel S (2020) Mitochondrial function in neurodegeneration. In: Kim J, Roberts P (eds) Advances in Cellular Biochemistry, pp. 75–92, Springer, New York

Additional Notes

Even with the core citation rules covered, there are a few special cases that researchers often run into when formatting references for the Journal of Biological Chemistry (JBC). This section addresses those, focusing on how to handle multiple authors and online sources effectively.

Multiple Authors

Citing multiple authors in JBC follows a structured format:

• Up to six authors: List all authors in the reference.
  
  
  

• More than six authors: List the first six, followed by et al.
  
  
  

Example (three authors):
Miller A.B., Johnson T.C., Lee K.W. Title of the article. J. Biol. Chem. 298, 1452–1460 (2022).

Example (more than six authors):
Parker R.J., Liu Y., Chang W., Gomez H., Shah R., Zhao Q., et al. Title of the article. J. Biol. Chem. 297, 2001–2010 (2021).

Remember to use initials without periods and separate authors with commas.

Online Sources

While JBC primarily focuses on peer-reviewed journal articles, occasionally you may need to cite web-based resources such as databases, government reports, or online tools.

A few guidelines:

• Include the author or organization, title, URL, and access date.
  
  
  

• Do not hyperlink the URL — just provide the plain text.
  
  
  

• Use this only for credible, research-related online content (e.g., NCBI, UniProt).

Avoid overusing web sources in JBC submissions, and only cite them when peer-reviewed alternatives aren't available.

Master Citation with the Right Tools

Following the Journal of Biological Chemistry citation style is essential for maintaining clarity, professionalism, and academic integrity in your writing. From using a numbered in-text citation format to structuring your reference list properly, getting the details right strengthens your credibility as a researcher.

To make the process smoother, consider using Jenni AI to help manage citations, check formatting, and keep your references organized.