The Official Source

Vancouver style is governed by the International Committee of Medical Journal Editors (ICMJE) through their Recommendations for the Conduct, Reporting, Editing and Publication of Scholarly Work in Medical Journals at icmje.org.

For detailed formatting, the ICMJE points to Citing Medicine, 2nd Edition published by the U.S. National Library of Medicine (NLM), freely available at ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK7256.

Quick Overview

Vancouver uses a numbered citation system:

1. In-text citations — Numbers in parentheses, brackets, or superscript

2. Reference list — Numbered entries in order of first citation

The style originated in 1978 when medical journal editors met in Vancouver, Canada, to establish uniform manuscript requirements.

In-Text Citations

Citations are numbered consecutively in the order they first appear. You can use parentheses (1), square brackets [1], or superscript¹—be consistent throughout your paper.

Basic Citation

The treatment protocol has been validated in multiple trials (1).

The treatment protocol has been validated in multiple trials.¹

Multiple Sources

Separate with commas; use a hyphen for three or more consecutive numbers.

Several studies support this conclusion (1,3,7).

This finding has been replicated extensively (2-5).

Citing the Same Source Again

Reuse the original number each time you cite that source.

As noted previously (1), patient outcomes improved significantly.

Author Named in Text

You can mention authors, but still include the citation number.

Chen et al (3) demonstrated significant improvement in survival rates.

Reference List Basics

The reference list is numbered consecutively in citation order (not alphabetical). Each entry starts with the reference number.

Basic Structure

#. Author(s). Title of article. Journal Abbreviation. Year Mon;Volume(Issue):Pages.

Journal Article

1. Halpern SD, Ubel PA, Caplan AL. Solid-organ transplantation in HIV-infected patients. N Engl J Med. 2002 Jul 25;347(4):284-7.

Journal Article (More Than 6 Authors)

List the first six authors followed by "et al."

2. Rose ME, Huerbin MB, Melick J, Marion DW, Palmer AM, Schiding JK, et al. Regulation of interstitial excitatory amino acid concentrations after cortical contusion injury. Brain Res. 2002;935(1-2):40-6.

Journal Article with DOI

3. Zhang M, Holman CD, Price SD. Comorbidity and repeat admission to hospital for adverse drug reactions in older adults. BMJ. 2009;338:a2752. doi:10.1136/bmj.a2752.

Book

4. Murray PR, Rosenthal KS, Pfaller MA. Medical microbiology. 4th ed. St. Louis: Mosby; 2002.

Chapter in Book

5. Meltzer PS, Kallioniemi A, Trent JM. Chromosome alterations in human solid tumors. In: Vogelstein B, Kinzler KW, editors. The genetic basis of human cancer. New York: McGraw-Hill; 2002. p. 93-113.

Website

6. Cancer Research UK. Cancer statistics for the UK [Internet]. London: Cancer Research UK; c2022 [cited 2024 Jan 15]. Available from: https://www.cancerresearchuk.org/health-professional/cancer-statistics

Organization as Author

7. World Health Organization. The world health report 2002: reducing risks, promoting healthy life. Geneva: WHO; 2002.

Key Vancouver Conventions

Author names — Surname first, then initials without periods: Halpern SD (not Halpern, S.D.)

Journal abbreviations — Use NLM/MEDLINE standard abbreviations (e.g., N Engl J Med, BMJ, Lancet)

No italics — Journal names and book titles are not italicized in Vancouver style

Dates — Format as Year Mon Day: 2002 Jul 25

Page numbers — Elide ending numbers: 284-7 (not 284-287)

Et al. — Use after six authors when there are more than six

No period after journal abbreviation — Use "N Engl J Med" not "N Engl J Med."

Common Mistakes to Avoid

Alphabetizing references — Vancouver references are numbered by citation order, not alphabetically.

Italicizing journal names — Vancouver does not use italics for journal or book titles.

Full page numbers — Elide page ranges: use 284-7 not 284-287.

Periods in initials — No periods: Smith AB (not Smith A.B.)

Wrong journal abbreviations — Use NLM standard abbreviations. Search the NLM Catalog to verify.

Inconsistent citation format — Choose parentheses, brackets, or superscript and use it consistently throughout.

Who Uses Vancouver Style?

Vancouver is the standard for:

• Medical journals (NEJM, BMJ, Lancet, CMAJ)

• Health and biomedical sciences

• Nursing research

• Clinical studies

• Public health publications

• Many international medical journals

Over 1,000 medical journals use Vancouver style, including all ICMJE member journals.

Further Resources

• ICMJE Recommendations — Official manuscript guidelines

• Citing Medicine, 2nd Edition — Free comprehensive NLM guide

• NLM Sample References — Quick reference examples

Need help generating Vancouver citations? Research tools like Wonders can export your sources in Vancouver format automatically.