What is Vancouver referencing?
Vancouver referencing is a numbered citation system widely used in medicine, nursing, pharmacy, and health sciences. It was developed from guidelines produced at a 1978 meeting in Vancouver, Canada, and is now maintained by the International Committee of Medical Journal Editors (ICMJE). Many UK healthcare and biomedical programmes require Vancouver referencing.
If you need professional referencing support for healthcare assignments, GradeQuill's referencing and formatting service covers Vancouver and all other major styles.
In-text citations
Vancouver uses superscript numbers in the text to indicate citations. Numbers are assigned in the order in which sources first appear in the text, the first source cited is numbered 1, the second is numbered 2, and so on. If the same source is cited again later, the original number is reused.
Example: "Social media use is associated with reduced sleep quality in adolescents.1 This finding is consistent with earlier research on screen time.2,3"
Unlike Harvard or APA, Vancouver does not include author names or years in the in-text citation.
Citing a journal article
Format: Author AA, Author BB, Author CC. Title of article. Abbreviated Journal Title. Year;Volume(Issue):pages.
Example: Smith JA, Jones RB, Williams CL. Social media use and sleep quality in adolescents: a systematic review. J Adolesc Health. 2021;68(4):712–9.
Note: author initials follow the surname with no full stops; journal names are abbreviated and italicised; a semicolon separates year from volume; and the issue number appears in parentheses.
Citing a book
Format: Author AA. Title of Book. Edition. Place of Publication: Publisher; Year.
Example: Kumar P, Clark M. Kumar and Clark's Clinical Medicine. 10th ed. London: Elsevier; 2020.
For a chapter in an edited book: Author AA. Chapter title. In: Editor AA, editor. Book Title. Place: Publisher; Year. p. 45–67.
Citing a website
Format: Author/Organisation. Title [Internet]. Place: Publisher; Year [cited Year Month Day]. Available from: URL
Example: NHS England. Mental health support for students [Internet]. London: NHS England; 2023 [cited 2024 Mar 10]. Available from: https://www.nhs.uk/example
The word "Internet" appears in square brackets after the title. Always include the date cited for web sources.
The reference list
Vancouver reference lists are organised numerically in the order sources first appear in the text, not alphabetically. This is the key structural difference from Harvard and APA. Each entry is numbered to match its in-text citation number.
Only sources actually cited in the text should appear in the reference list. The reference list is headed "References" and appears at the end of the document.
Common Vancouver mistakes
Common errors include: alphabetising the reference list (it should be numerical); restarting the numbering when a source is cited a second time (use the original number); including full stops after author initials (Vancouver does not); and using the full journal name instead of the standard abbreviation.
For guides to other referencing styles used in healthcare, see our articles on Harvard referencing and APA 7th referencing. For guidance on nursing essays, read our article on how to write a nursing essay.
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