Vancouver Style Guide

Complete guide to Vancouver citation style for medical and health science papers

Vancouver Style

Vancouver style uses numbered citations, primarily used in medical, health sciences, and biological sciences.

In-Text Citations

Numbered in order of appearance:

Recent research (1) shows...
Smith et al. (1) found...
Multiple sources (1-3)
Multiple sources (1,3,5)

Reference List

Listed numerically in order of appearance.

Journal Article

1. Smith J, Jones M. Article title. Journal Name. 2023;45(3):234-56.
   doi:10.1234/example

Book

1. Smith J. Book title. City: Publisher; 2023.

Book Chapter

1. Smith J. Chapter title. In: Editor A, Editor B, editors. Book title.
   City: Publisher; 2023. p. 123-45.

Website

1. Author A. Title of page [Internet]. Website Name; 2023 [cited 2023 Jan 15].
   Available from: https://www.example.com

Thesis/Dissertation

1. Smith J. Title of thesis [dissertation]. City: University Name; 2023.

Author Names

Format: Surname followed by initials (no periods)

Correct: Smith J, Jones MK
List up to 6 authors, then add "et al."

Formatting Rules

Journal abbreviations: Use Index Medicus abbreviations
No periods: After initials or abbreviations (except at end)
Punctuation: Periods separate major sections
Page numbers: Use "p." for books, nothing for journals

Vancouver style strictly follows the International Committee of Medical Journal Editors (ICMJE) recommendations.

Common Elements

Journal format:

Author(s). Title. Journal abbrev. Year;volume(issue):pages.

Example:

Smith J, Brown A, Jones M. Clinical trial results. N Engl J Med. 2023;389(12):1234-45.

Electronic Sources

Journal with DOI:

1. Smith J. Article title. J Med Internet Res. 2023;25(1):e12345.
   doi:10.2196/12345

Website:

1. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. COVID-19 guidelines [Internet].
   Atlanta: CDC; 2023 [cited 2023 Jan 15]. Available from:
   https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus

Using MoreMind

Select "Vancouver" and MoreMind will:

Number citations sequentially
Format author names correctly
Abbreviate journal names
Apply proper punctuation
Include DOIs when available