Q: Does the word count of a manuscript include reference numbers?
Detailed Question -
If the word limit is defined as “within 200 words,” should citation numbers also be counted?
Asked on Sep 10, 2018
1 Answer to this question
The word limit set by a journal will include all words within a specified part of the text, including citation numbers. If the journal requires citation numbers to be presented like [1], [15], [17], then you've used up 3 words.
By the way, journals have a limit of 200 words for the abstract but most journals discourage citations in the abstract. Please reconfirm against your journal's guidelines whether you're allowed to use citation numbers in the abstract.
