The accuracy of references in Australian and New Zealand Medical Journals

Aims. Previous studies have found high error rates in references in biomedi cal journals. The aim of this paper was to assess the accuracy of reference s in three Australian rind New Zealand general medical journals. Methods. References from the August 1999 issues of the Medical Journal of A ustralia, the New Zealand Medical Journal and the Australian and New Zealan d Journal of Medicine were assessed for accuracy using PubMed of the Nation al Library of Medicine. Results. This study found a high rate of reference errors in Australian and New Zealand medical journals. The reference error rate ranged from 33.5 to 48.8%, The most frequent errors were in the author's names and in the titl e. Conclusions, The reference error rate in Australia and New Zealand medical journals is high and is preventable. Authors should be more diligent and pr eferably verify cited references against the original article.