To cite a preprint, use the style specified where you are publishing. Typically, you are asked to submit citations in NLM, APA, AMA or MLA style (see table below). If the style guide you are using does not specify a format for preprints, use the style for an unpublished manuscript. Be sure to include the location of the preprint in its repository and the digital object identifier (DOI).

Common Citation Styles for Preprints

NLM	National Library of Medicine	https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK7256/
APA	American Psychological Association	https://apastyle.apa.org/style-grammar-guidelines/references/examples/preprint-article-references
AMA	American Medical Association	https://academic.oup.com/amamanualofstyle
MLA	Modern Language Association	https://style.mla.org/

You can find the NLM guidance on citing preprints in Citing Medicine. Based on this guidance, an example for citing preprints in NIH award reporting can be found in the NIH Notice, Reporting Preprints and Other Interim Research Products.

For example:

Bar DZ, Atkatsh K, Tavarez U, Erdos MR, Gruenbaum Y, Collins FS. Biotinylation by antibody recognition- A novel method for proximity labeling. BioRxiv 069187 [Preprint]. August 11, 2016 [cited 2017 Jan 12]. Available from: https://doi.org/10.1101/069187.

When viewing a record for a preprint in PubMed or PubMed Central (PMC), you can use the Cite feature to automatically format a preprint citation in your preferred format.

A handy tool for automatically formatting citations in proper style can also be found freely in My NCBI Bibliography . This function is also in commercially available reference management software.