A page number copied from one version of a paper can be difficult to find in another. When a health writer reads an author manuscript in PubMed Central, the source note should preserve that fact. A clear version label helps a second reader reach the same passage.
PMC describes an author manuscript as a paper accepted after peer review, including peer-review changes, generally without the journal’s later copyediting and formatting. PMC identifies these records and can provide a link to the journal’s edited version. That description establishes the version category; it does not assess an individual study’s conclusions.
Make a version-aware note
Record the article title, PMCID, available DOI, manuscript label and access date. Add a section heading, table or figure identifier for the material used. If you also consult a journal PDF, give it a separate version line. Do not merge two sets of page numbers into one citation note.
For an editorial worksheet, use a three-column comparison: passage needed, location in the consulted manuscript, and location in the journal copy if actually checked. A blank final column honestly records work not yet performed. It is more useful than an assumed match.
Resolve a discrepancy locally
If wording differs, first confirm that both copies belong to the same article. Check whether one displays a notice or correction. Preserve the exact passages for an editor to compare, using only the short excerpts needed for that internal task. Do not decide that a difference is scientifically trivial merely because the broad conclusion looks similar.
A table number or heading can provide a more durable locator than a screen position. When a supplement supplies the method you need, identify the supplement itself. An article-level citation should not hide the fact that the crucial material was in a separate file.
Describe the reading actually completed
State which version supports your account. Access to an accepted manuscript does not mean you inspected every later version, supplementary file or subsequent notice. This guide offers a bibliographic record method, not an appraisal of a treatment or a claim that manuscripts and edited articles are interchangeable in every detail.
Primary documentation read 21 October 2026. Workflow suggestions are editorial; no clinical study or patient decision is evaluated here.
Sources: Primary resource documentation. Related discussion: health information source quality.
Leave a Reply