[R] Abbreviated citation of R?

[Tore Wentzel-Larsen]

Dear R users,

This is more a suggestion than a question.

Short version: A possibility for a short, 'inline', way to cite R in an article, 
comparable to e. g. 'SPSS Inc., Chicago, USA' or 'Stata Corporation, College 
Station, Texas, USA', without a corresponding item in the list of references,
might be an advantage in some cases.

Long version: Increasingly, it seems, journals are setting strict limits to the
number of references in scientific papers. These requirements by editors wanting 
to maximize the number of published articles in a limited space may be understandable,
but they make it difficult for authors to pay due credit to the papers and other 
recources on which the article in question is based. A solution that is used to
some extent for e. g. software and  measurement instruments is a shortened,
'inline' citation (see examples above) without a corresponding item in the
list of references at the end of the article. The possibility for a standardized
and approved way to make such a reference to R would be helpful for authors facing 
this kind of requirements from journal editors.

I have read the posting guide and R FAQ, typed citation() in R and tried 
Google and R Site Search, but did not find any discussion on this matter.

Sincerely,
Tore Wentzel-Larsen

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Tore Wentzel-Larsen
statistician
Centre for Clinical research
Armauer Hansen house
Haukeland University Hospital
N-5021 Bergen
tlf   +47 55 97 55 39 (a)
faks  +47 55 97 60 88 (a)
email tore.wentzel-larsen at helse-bergen.no