Website
Website Example
World Health Organization. Global health report 2024. WHO. Published March 15, 2024. Accessed March 20, 2024. https://www.who.int/reports/global-health-2024
Vancouver Citation Generator
Vancouver style is used primarily in medical and scientific journals. It uses numbered citations that correspond to a reference list.
Medical
Generate Vancouver citations in seconds
No account required. Paste a URL, DOI, or ISBN and get an accurate citation.
Open the generatorWhat sources can you cite in Vancouver format?
- Journal articles (MEDLINE-indexed)
- Books and book chapters
- Conference papers and proceedings
- Theses and dissertations
- Clinical practice guidelines
- Websites and web pages
- Preprints (medRxiv, bioRxiv)
- Datasets and supplementary materials
How to create Vancouver citations
Reference list citations
Vancouver style references are numbered in the order they first appear in the text. Reference list format for a journal article: Author AA, Author BB, Author CC. Article title. Journal Abbreviation. Year;Volume(Issue):Pages. doi:10.xxxx. List all authors up to 6; for 7+, list the first 6 followed by 'et al.' Book format: Author AA. Book Title. Edition. Place: Publisher; Year. Use standard NLM journal abbreviations from the PubMed catalog (e.g., 'N Engl J Med' not 'New England Journal of Medicine'). Do not italicize journal names. Do not use quotation marks around article titles. The reference list is numbered, not alphabetized.
In-text citations
Vancouver uses numbered citations in the text, typically in square brackets [1] or as superscripts, depending on the target journal. Example: 'Recent studies have shown this effect [1,2,4-7].' Use commas for non-consecutive citations and hyphens for ranges. Reuse the same number for the same source throughout the paper. For direct quotes, include the page number in the citation or in the sentence: 'Smith stated that... [3, p. 42].' Each numbered reference must match its entry in the numerical reference list at the end of the paper.
Vancouver Citation Examples
See how to format different source types in Vancouver.
Journal Article
Journal Article Example
Smith J, Doe M. Clinical research methods. J Med Res. 2024;45(2):123-45.
Book
Book Example
Brown C. Medical Practice Guidelines. 3rd ed. London: Academic Press; 2023.
Quick Vancouver Rules
Author Format
Last name Initial(s). No periods after initials. Use 'and' before last author. List up to 6 authors, then 'et al.'
Title Format
Sentence case for article titles. Journal names are abbreviated according to NLM catalog.
Date Format
Year only for journals. Include month and day for web sources.
Journal/Source
Abbreviated journal name, year, volume(issue):page range.
In-text Citations
Use superscript numbers or numbers in parentheses: 1 or (1). Citations numbered in order of appearance.
About this Vancouver citation generator
This citation generator follows the Vancouver reference style developed by the International Committee of Medical Journal Editors (ICMJE), also known as the 'Uniform Requirements for Manuscripts Submitted to Biomedical Journals.' Vancouver is the dominant citation style in medicine, nursing, dentistry, and biomedical sciences, named after the 1978 meeting in Vancouver, BC where it was established. Most biomedical journals require some variant of Vancouver style, though exact formatting details (brackets vs superscript, author list cutoffs) vary by publisher. Check your target journal's 'Instructions for Authors' for style-specific requirements.
Common Vancouver citation mistakes
- Alphabetizing the reference list (Vancouver is numbered in citation order)
- Listing more than 6 authors without using 'et al.' (list first 6, then et al.)
- Using full journal names instead of NLM abbreviations
- Italicizing journal titles (Vancouver uses plain text)
- Putting a comma between year and volume: '2023, 45' is wrong; use '2023;45'
- Missing the DOI for articles that have one
- Adding a period after 'et al' (should be 'et al.' with one period)
- Renumbering references when the same source is cited multiple times (keep the first number)
Vancouver Frequently Asked Questions
What is Vancouver citation style?
Vancouver style is a numbered citation system used primarily in medical and scientific journals. Citations are numbered in order of appearance.
How do I cite a website in Vancouver?
Include author/organization, page title, website name, publication date, accessed date, and URL.
How do I format in-text citations in Vancouver?
Use superscript numbers (¹) or numbers in parentheses (1). Citations are numbered sequentially as they appear in the text.
Does Vancouver require DOIs?
Yes, Vancouver style recommends including DOIs for journal articles when available, placed after page numbers.
Vancouver Citation Guides
Vancouver Citation Style: Format and Examples
Vancouver journal article format: Author(s). Title. Abbrev J Title. Year;Vol(Issue):Pages. doi:XX. See examples for books, websites, and clinical guidelines.
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Complete guide to citing YouTube videos in APA 7, MLA 9, Chicago, Harvard, IEEE, and Vancouver formats - with templates, worked examples, and special cases.
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Maintained by the AllCitations team. Our citation data is reviewed against the latest official style manuals.
Other Citation Styles
Last updated: April 2026 - Vancouver formatting rules.