How to Cite Hardware in Scientific Articles? I am writing a scientific article. In the "materials and methods" section I must specify the hardware I used, namely an HP Pavilion dv6 Notebook PC (I also specified the details of its features).

Now my doubt:

Should I use bibliographic citations (such as when mentioning a software, book, or scientific article) when I mention the hardware?

What is standard (if any) for such cases?

Thanks in advance for any help and/or suggestion.

P.S.
I use APA standards for bibliographic references, although the question is independent of that subject.
There is a line to be drawn regarding which things that you used get to be cited.

What deserves to be cited/mentioned?


The experimental hardware? A mention definitely, but a bibliography entry--probably not.
The PC you conducted measurements on? If the PC specs are relevant, yes. Again, why would you need to add a bibliography entry for that? If it is specifically mentioned that hardware need to be specified, then supply basic information like: Desktop PC with Intel Core i7 Processor (4x 2.0 GHz) and 4 GB DDR4 RAM.
The digital camera you took pictures with? Nobody mentions that.
Edit: Apparently, sometimes people do, as salehgeek pointed out in his comment. As for the other points, I was talking about my field (engineering). I have never seen anyone mention the camera they photographed their samples with, but some may do that. Personally, I find it superfluous.
The software you used for processing the results? If it does something special (e.g. a simulation tool) yes, but nobody cites Word, Excel or LaTeX in their papers.


In my field (engineering) the machines get mentioned in the experimental part (manufacturer, model). Sometimes exact settings on the machine are provided. Instruction manuals, manufacturer documents/websites are almost never in the bibliography.

The best way for you to know what is accepted is to read related articles and see what the majority does. If it fits with your journal's guidelines, do that.