Addition of references - The publishing process (How to deal with proofs)—and after publication - Publishing the paper

How to write and publish a scientific paper - Barbara Gastel, Robert A. Day 2022

Addition of references
The publishing process (How to deal with proofs)—and after publication
Publishing the paper

Sometimes a new paper appears that you would like to add to your references; in doing so, you would not need to make any appreciable change to the text other than adding a few words, perhaps, and the number of the new reference. If you are unsure how the journal would like you to proceed, consult its editorial office.

If the journal employs the numbered, alphabetized reference system, you may be asked to add the new reference with an “a” number. For example, if the new reference would alphabetically fall between references 16 and 17, the new reference would be listed as “16a.” In that way, the numbering of the rest of the list can remain the same, thus avoiding the cost and the potential for error of renumbering the references in the reference list and the text. An analogous procedure may be requested for references in the citation order system. Conveniently, if the new reference is cited in an addendum, it would appear last in the citation order system, thus not disrupting the rest of the reference list.