Documenting Sources: The Vancouver Style

Writing Support Services, Student Success Centre www.ucalgary.ca/ssc/writing-support Updated May 2012

What is The Vancouver Style?

This handout summarizes the Vancouver guidelines for documenting sources cited in a written work. This reference style was developed as a result of a meeting of medical journals editors in Vancouver, BC. They became known as the Vancouver Group, and have since expanded into the International Committee of Medical Journal Editors (ICMJE). Vancouver style is also known as the Uniform Requirements for Manuscripts Submitted to Biomedical Journals and is used by most biomedical journals and many scientific journals 1. Vancouver Style 1 uses in-text citations represented consecutively by citation number written in superscript. Vancouver Style 2 uses in-text citations represented consecutively by citation numbers in parenthesis. This handout focuses on the Vancouver Style 1, which is most often used in medical research papers. Be sure to check with your instructor for their specific referencing requirements.

Helpful information about the Vancouver Style:

The Uniform Requirements for Manuscripts Submitted to Biomedical Journals: Writing and Editing for Biomedical Publication. (2010). This document outlines the requirements of all manuscripts that are submitted to biomedical journals and is distributed by the International Committee of Medical Journal Editors. http://www.icmje.org/urm_full.pdf Citing Medicine, 2nd Edition. [Online Book]. This resource aids in creating citations for reference lists in the Vancouver style. Examples, guidelines, and exceptions are given for many different reference mediums including published material, unpublished material, audio/visual media, and online material. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK7256/

What sources must be documented in academic writing?

In academic writing, you must cite sources for all borrowed information, visuals, and ideas-including material you have paraphrased (put into your own words). However, you should not cite sources for generally known facts. If in doubt, cite your source.

What does Vancouver documentation consist of?

Complete Vancouver documentation consists of two elements: an in-text citation consecutively numbered in order of occurrence in your paper. They denote where you are presenting information borrowed from a source or where you are referring to published research; a reference list giving complete publication information for all sources cited in the paper. The references must be presented in the order that they first appear in the text, disregarding alphabetization.

Examples of in-text citations and reference list entries for various resources are included below.

1 Adapted from: International Committee of Medical Journal Editors. (2010). Uniform requirements for manuscripts submitted to biomedical journals: writing and editing for biomedical publication . Retrieved May 02, 2012, from http://www.icmje.org/urm_full.pdf

Guidelines for In-Text Citations

Example 1 Smith1 argued that the high infant mortality rate in the U.S. may be attributed in part to the high cost of medical insurance. Example 2 Economic barriers to adequate prenatal care were found to be higher for some ethnic groups in Smiths study.1
Citing a single reference Each reference that is cited within the text is assigned a unique number in the order in which it appears in the text. This number should be denoted in superscript (see example 1). If a reference is used more than once in the same text, the same citation number is used. Citation numbers are placed after commas and periods (if the citation is placed at the end of a sentence), but before colons and semi-colons. When paraphrasing, do NOT to use exact wording from the source. If it is necessary to take wording directly from a source, use double quotation marks around the borrowed wording. State the page number corresponding to the direct quotation in parenthesis with the citation number (see example 4, below).

Example 3 Several clinical trials2-4,6,9 have shown that there is a correlation between
Citing multiple references When more than one reference needs to be cited at once, inclusive citation numbers are denoted using a hyphen, and non-inclusive citation numbers are separated using commas. For example, if you wanted to reference citation numbers 2, 3, 4, 6, and 9 it would be denoted as 2-4,6,9 as in example 3.

Example 4 In his research, Graham found that there is no correlation between a persons sleeping habits and the amount of time spent watching television.6 (p 23) Example 5 In his concluding remarks, Frank9 (p 62) states that: After much consideration, it was found that this method would not be successful in treating insomnia. What was first considered to be an effective plan of action has been disproved in the clinical trial[B]y using the findings from this study, we hope to gain insight into other possible methods of treatment.
Citing a direct quotation When it is necessary to use a direct quotation from a reference material, place double quotation marks around the borrowed wording. Include the page number where the direct quotation was taken from in parenthesis along with the citation number (the page number will also be in superscript, as in example 4). For quotations that are longer than two lines (about 40 words), the borrowed text should be inserted as a distinct paragraph that is indented by about 5 spaces and surrounded by quotation marks (see example 5). Use an ellipsis (three spaced dots) to indicate that part of a quotation has been left out. It may be necessary to add words for clarity. These words can be indicated by using square brackets [like this]. To introduce a long quotation effectively, try preceding it with what could be a complete sentence, followed by a colon (as in example 5).

Formatting a Vancouver Reference List

Page formatting: Full citations for all referenced material should be provided in a Reference List on a new page at the end of your document. The title of the reference list may vary so check with the expectations of your instructor. Arranging entries: Provide full citations for all sources that were referenced in your text. Arrange the entries numerically in the order that they appeared in your work, disregarding alphabetization. As such, a referenced work by Wilson may appear first in the list, while Abbotsford appears sixth.

General Guidelines
Authors names: List the names in the order that they appear in the reference material. Invert authors names (putting surname first) and change middle names and first names to initials (there should be a maximum of two initials after each surname). Write out all authors names, regardless of the number and separate each authors name by a comma and a space (i.e. Brown F, Williams GH, Shaw P.). End the author information with a period. Titles: Use normal type for all titles (book titles, journal titles, article titles, magazine titles, etc.). Capitalize only the first word of article titles and any proper nouns or abbreviations. Page numbers: Give the inclusive page numbers of the reference materials when necessary. Do not repeat page numbers unless they are followed by a letter (i.e. 117-119 becomes 117-9 but 34A-37A is acceptable). End the page information with a period. Web addresses: When using an online reference source, include a web address where the resource can be located. Follow the web address with a period only when the URL ends in a forward slash (/), otherwise omit following the address with punctuation.

Sample Vancouver Reference List Entries

Journal article: Sobande A, Arhibong E, Akinola S. Pregnancy outcome in asthmatic patients from high altitudes. Int J Gynaecol Obstet. 2002 May 1;77(2):117-21. Guidelines: Article Title: Enter the title as it is found on the article, capitalizing only the first word, or any proper nouns/abbreviations. Separate the title from the subtitle using a colon. End the article title with a period, unless the title already ends with a question mark or an exclamation mark. Journal Title: Cite the journal name as it was published at the time (for example if a journal changed its name in 1995 but your article is from 1992, use the old title). Abbreviate all significant words in the title, omitting conjunctions and prepositions, and capitalize all remaining words. For guidelines on abbreviating titles see the Citing Medicine rules at: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK7282/box/A33351/?report=objectonly. Date of Publication: The date should be presented in the format: YYYY MMM DD. Abbreviate names of months to three letters (i.e. Jan, Aug). End the date of publication with a semi-colon, unless there is no volume or issue provided, then end with a colon. Volume/Issue Number: Omit all abbreviations such as vol., iss., or no. Insert the volume number first using a hyphen to indicate multiple volumes if necessary (i.e. 5-6). Follow the volume number with the issue number in parenthesis, also using a hyphen to indicate multiple issues if necessary (i.e. (2-3)). End issue information with a colon.

Entire books: Pechenik J A. A short guide to writing about biology. 5 th ed. New York: Pearson Longman; c2004. 280 p. Guidelines: Editor and Secondary Authors: The name of editors or other secondary authors come after the title of the book using the same format for authors names as described above. After the last listed editor insert a comma, a space, and the word editor(s) (i.e. Roe G, Frye R, editors). See Internet Books for an example. Place of Publication: Insert the city of publication, followed by the two letter abbreviation of U.S. states or Canadian provinces in parenthesis only for smaller cities or when location may be unclear (i.e. Charleston (SC) or Charleston (WV)). If there is more than one city of publication, use the first listed or the one in the largest or bold font type. If no place of publication can be found or inferred use [place unknown]. End place of publication with a colon. Publisher: Insert the name of the publisher exactly as it appears on the text. End the publisher information with a semi-colon. Date of Publication: It is only necessary to indicate the year of publication, but the month of publication may be included. If there is no date of publication but a copyright date is found, precede the year with a small letter c. If no date of publication or copyright can be found, use [date unknown]. End the date of publication with a period. Page Numbers: When citing an entire book, it is optional to include the total number of pages in the book. Do not include appendices, indices, etc. unless they are included in the page count. Insert the total page count, and follow it with a space and the letter p. Parts of books: Pechenik J A. A short guide to writing about biology. 5th ed. New York: Pearson Longman; c2004. Chapter 2, General advice on reading and note-taking; p. 21-48. Guidelines: Part of books follow the same guidelines as entire books for author, titles, editions, publication dates and cities, and publication dates. Name of the Part of the Book: Enter the name of the part of the book including Chapter, Table, etc. without abbreviating and including a number if applicable (i.e. Chapter 3). End the name with a comma and a space. Title of the Part of the Book: Follow the name of the part of the book with the title. Capitalize only the first word or any proper nouns and abbreviations. End the title with a semi-colon and a space. Page Numbers: Follow the guidelines for page numbers as described in Formatting a Vancouver Reference List and but begin with p. and a space. If the information appears in two different sections, list both, separated by the word and (i.e. p. 201 and p. 305 -307). Internet books: Patrias K. Citing medicine: the NLM style guide for authors, editors, and publishers [Internet]. 2nd ed. Wendling DL, technical editor. Bethesda (MD): National Library of Medicine (US); 2007[updated 2011 Sep 15; cited 2012 May 2]. Available from: http://www.nlm.nih.gov/citingmedicine Guidelines: Entire books and parts of books on the internet follow similar guidelines as print books. To cite only a part of an internet book, follow the same guidelines as above for Parts of books. Type of Medium: After the title of the book, [Internet] is inserted to indicate that the resource was accessed online. Dates: Follow the date of publication with a date of last update, as well as the date of citation in square followed by a period. These two dates are separated by a semi-colon. Length: If the book is in one document (without many hyperlinks) estimate its length (in screens, paragraphs, etc.) and insert the count after the date, followed by a period. Web Address: Include a web address where the book can be located.

Websites: Alcoholics anonymous [Internet]. New York (NY): A.A. World Services, Inc.; c2012 [cited 2012 May 2]. Available from: http://www.aa.org/. Alcoholics anonymous [Internet]. New York (NY): A.A. World Services, Inc.; c2012. Information for professionals; c2012 [cited 2012 May 2]; [about 1 screen]. Available from: http://www.aa.org/lang/en/subpage.cfm?page=8 Guidelines: The first example shows a citation of an entire website. Use this form when more than one page has been used from the website, or if the majority of the website has been used. The second example is for a specific page of a website. Use this if only one page from the website has been used. The publication date of both the homepage (the website as a whole) and the individual page must be indicated. When referencing only a part of a website, the length must be estimated in screens or paragraphs. A URL to the specific page is given. Authors Name: Always begin with the authors name. If one cannot be identified, begin the citation with the title of the website. Dates: If no date of publication can be found, but a copyright date can be found, add a lowercase c before the date, as above. If no copyright date or publication date can be found, use only the date of update and the date cited in square brackets. Separate these two dates by a semi-colon. If there is no date of update, use only the date cited. Publication Information: On most websites, the publication location and publisher information are not explicitly stated. This information can often be found under Contact Us links. If no publisher can be found or inferred, use [publisher unknown]. Web Address: Include a web address where the website can be located. Article in a daily newspaper (paper-based): Allday E. Alzheimers research gets extremely personal ; S.F. scientist helped develop vaccine now shes a patient. San Francisco Chroni cle. 2011 Jul 30:Sect. A:1 (col.1). Guidelines: Name of Author: If no author name is found, begin the citation with the name of the article. Newspaper Title: Do not abbreviate or remove any words in the newspaper title. Keep any capitalization. If the newspaper has different editions, indicate the edition in parenthesis after the title, i.e. (2nd Ed.). Section: Abbreviate Section to Sect. and add the number or name of the section. If one cannot be found, end the date section with a colon and insert the page location (i.e. 2003 May 15:4). Column Number: Abbreviate column to col. and follow it with the column in which the article begins. Put the information in parenthesis and follow with a period. Article in a daily newspaper (online): Weidner J. Saturdays walk for organ transplants celebra tes life. The Waterloo Region Record [Internet]. 2012 May 2 [cited 2012 May 2]; Local:[about 2 screens]. Available from: http://www.therecord.com/news/local/article/716575--saturday-s-walk-for-organ-transplantscelebrates-life Guidelines: Article Title: After the title of the article, insert [Internet] to indicate that the article is web-based. Date Cited: After the date of publication, include the date cited in square brackets. Page Count: If location or page count isnt indicated, estimate the total length of the article in screens or paragraph numbers and surround it with square brackets. Web Address: Include a web address where the article can be found.

Dissertations and theses: Morrison G. Polymer concepts in biophysics [dissertation]. [College Park (MD)]: University of Maryland; 2008. 174 p. Zaplatynski, A M. Factors affecting success in organic chemistry [masters thesis]. [Boca R aton (FL)]: Florida Atlantic University; 2006. 79 p. Guidelines: Place of Publication: The place of publication is the city in which the institution granting the degree is located. As with books, two letter abbreviations of states and provinces should be included for smaller cities or ambiguous city names. Publisher: The publisher is the name of the institution that is granting the degree. Page Numbers: Provide the total number of pages in the thesis or dissertation, not including the appendices or indices unless included in the page count. Follow with a space and the letter p. Encyclopedia or reference work entry (online or print): American heritage dictionary [Internet]. Boston (MA): Houghton Mifflin Harcourt; c2011. Dopamine; [cited 2012 May 2]; [1 paragraph]. Available from: http://ahdictionary.com/word/search.html?q=dopamine Encyclopdia britannica [Internet]. Chicago (IL): Encyclopdia Britannica Inc.; 2012. Open-heart surgery; [cited 2012 May 2]; [2 paragraphs]. Available from: http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/429656/open-heart-surgery Guidelines: If the encyclopedia/dictionary/etc. is in print form, [Internet] is omitted. The edition (if applicable) is inserted after the source title and followed by a period (i.e. A dictionary of modern English usage. 1st ed.). The date cited, estimated length, and web address are also omitted, and are replaced with a page location (i.e. c2006. Cancer; p. 50). If the reference material has one or more author, the authors/authors name(s) will appear before the reference title (see general guidelines for authors names). Technical and research reports: Chui T, Tran K, Maheux H. 2006 census: immigration in Canada: a portrait of the foreign-born population, 2006 cenus: findings [Internet]. Ottawa: Statistics Canada; 2007 Dec [cited 2012 May 02]. 37 p. Report No.: 97-557-XIE2006001. Available from: http://www12.statcan.ca/censusrecensement/2006/as-sa/97-557/pdf/97-557-XIE2006001.pdf Guidelines: There are three possibilities for technical or research reports: - The first is that the report was written by and published by the sponsoring organization. In this case, the citation will be written in the same form as above. - The second is that the report was written by the performing organization and published by the sponsoring organization. In this case, the Performing Organization is written after the author name(s) in brackets. For example, if the University of Calgary was the performing organization it may read: (Department of Chemistry, University of Calgary, Calgary, AB). Additionally, Contract No.: will be inserted after Report No. - The last is that the report was written by and published by the performing organization. Contract No. will be inserted after Report No., no note will be made after the author name(s), but a note is added at the end of the citation. If the report was supported by Statistics Canada, the note would read: Supported by Statistics Canada. If the technical or research report is in print, omit [Internet], the date cited, and the web address. If applicable, insert the edition after the report title, followed by a period.

Sample Vancouver reference page:

References 1. Sobande A, Arhibong E, Akinola S. Pregnancy outcome in asthmatic patients from high altitudes. Int J Gynaecol Obstet. 2002 May 1;77(2):117-21. 2. Pechenik J A. A short guide to writing about biology. 5th ed. New York: Pearson Longman; c2004. Chapter 2, General advice on reading and note-taking; p. 21-48. 3. Patrias K. Citing medicine: the NLM style guide for authors, editors, and publishers [Internet]. 2nd ed. Wendling DL, technical editor. Bethesda (MD): National Library of Medicine (US); 2007- [updated 2011 Sep 15; cited 2012 May 2]. Available from: http://www.nlm.nih.gov/citingmedicine 4. Alcoholics anonymous: information for professionals [Internet]. New York (NY): A.A. World Services, Inc.; c2012 [cited 2012 May 2]. Available from http://www.aa.org/lang/en/subpage.cfm?page=8 5. Allday E. Alzheimers research gets extremely personal ; S.F. scientist helped develop vaccine now shes a patient. San Francisco Chronicle. 2011 Jul 30; Sect. A:1 (col.1). 6. Weidner J. Saturdays walk for organ transplants celebrates life [Internet]. The Waterloo Region Record. 2012 May 2 [cited 2012 May 2]; Local:[about 2 screens]. Available from: http://www.therecord.com/news/local/article/716575--saturday-swalk-for-organ-transplants-celebrates-life 7. Morrison G. Polymer concepts in biophysics [dissertation]. [College Park]: University of Maryland; 2008. 174 p. 8. Zaplatynski, A M. Factors affecting success in organic chemistry [masters thesis]. [Boca Raton (FL)]: Florida Atlantic University; 2006. 79 p. 9. American heritage dictionary [Internet]. Boston (MA): Houghton Mifflin Harcourt; c2011. Dopamine; [cited 2012 May 2]; [1 paragraph]. Available from: http://ahdictionary.com/word/search.html?q=dopamine 10. Encyclopdia britannica [Internet]. Chicago (IL): Encyclopdia Britannica Inc.; 2012. Open-heart surgery; [cited 2012 May 2]; [2 paragraphs]. Available from: http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/429656/open-heart-surgery 11. Chui T, Tran K, Maheux H (Social and Aboriginal Statistics Division, Statistics Canada). 2006 census: immigration in Canada: a portrait of the foreign-born population, 2006 cenus: findings [Internet]. Ottawa: Statistics Canada; 2007 Dec [cited 2012 May 02]. 37 p. Report No.: 97-557-XIE2006001. Available from: http://www12.statcan.ca/census-recensement/2006/as-sa/97-557/pdf/97-557XIE2006001.pdf
research report, online (written and published by the supporting organization) encyclopedia entry (online, no author) reference work entry (dictionary, online) masters thesis dissertation news article (online) news article (print) website, no author online book, includes editor journal article, multiple authors part of a book

Note: This handout is available in the Vancouver section of the Writing Resources area of the Writing Support Services Website at http://ucalgary.ca/ssc It may be freely reproduced with attribution.