Do I Have to List All the Authors of the Publications Cited in My Biosketch and My Bibliography & References Section?

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No, applicants can use the “et al.” convention in place of listing all authors in a citation.

10 Comments

  1. Section 4.4.9 of the current SF424 guide states in reference to the Bibliography & References Cited section that “Each reference must include the
    names of all authors”.

      1. It is now 5.4.17 and several editions of the application guide have been posted since the post below from the NIH Staff on Jan. 5 2015 stated they would clarify the use of “et al” in citations.
        The most recent edition of the application guide was March 24, 2017, and I still do not find clarification regarding the use of “et al”.
        Thanks

        NIH Staff on January 5, 2015 at 4:21 pm said:
        While the federal-wide instructions indicate all authors must be listed, NIH does allow the use of “et al.” in citations, as described on the biosketch frequently asked questions page. We will clarify this in our agency-specific instructions in the next edition of the application guide. Thank you

        1. In the March 25, 2016 application guide update, we made several significant changes to the form instructions and the layout of the content. Specifically, the language in the bibliography and references cited has been rewritten according to this premise:

          • Combined and streamlined instructions. For Research and Related (R&R) forms, we have combined Federal-wide and agency-specific instructions to reduce confusion, contradictions, and/or redundant language. Users will no longer see the HHS logo displayed, as all instructions are now applicable to NIH and PHS agencies.

          Also, as stated on January 5, 2015, NIH does allow the use of “et al.” in citations, as described on the biosketch frequently asked questions page. We will continue to look at clarifying our agency-specific instructions in future updates. Thank you.

  2. Just to clarify – it is permissible to use “et al” in the References section of a proposal, as well as in the Biosketch? Thank you.

  3. Regarding Biographical Sketches, I have reviewed several of the previous versions of the 424 Instructions and did not see that the Biosketch instructions included language regarding listing all authors as opposed to using “et al”. Hence the fact that there is now a published FAQ specifically stating that it is okay to NOT provide a full list in the Biosketch does not represent a change as far as I can tell. However, the 424 language regarding Bibliography & References Cited specifically states, “Each reference must include the names of all authors (in the same sequence in which they appear in the publication), the article and journal title, book title, volume number, page numbers, and year of publication.” Please confirm that “et al” is now allowable on the Bibliography & References Cited document. Are you able to point me to any other published information regarding this change?

  4. Brody indicated the reviewers want to see the “senior author.” Using et al. usually does not include the SENIOR AUTHOR’s name. Reviewers could look up the PMCID but these folks already have a lot of work, so that is not an option for me. For the proposals I prepare/process, I will continue to use all author names.

    If one uses EndNote, I would like to indicate the NIH output style does use “et al.” However, that can be modified.

  5. Since there are no page limits, I fail to see an advantage.
    A huge disadvantage is in the review process. If the PI is the senior author and becomes just an “et al.” the reviewer will not be able to easily determine if the PI is citing his or her own work (in general, a very good thing because it serves to establish their credibility), or just work by another group.

  6. Can you please clarify is et al currently allowed on the 2023 version of NIH biosketch, for references cited, and, if so, should we list some subset of the authors?

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