How to Cite a Journal Article in Vancouver Format

This guide explains how to cite a journal article in Vancouver format and provides clear, step-by-step examples. Vancouver is a numeric citation style widely used in medicine, health sciences, and many biological disciplines. If you need a quick citation, try Rephrasely's free citation generator at https://rephrasely.com/citation.

What Vancouver format is and who uses it

Vancouver style is a numbered referencing system established by the International Committee of Medical Journal Editors (ICMJE). Each source receives a number that corresponds to an entry in the reference list. Numbers appear in-text in the order sources are cited.

Common users include medical journals, nursing and allied health researchers, and many scientific publications. It’s preferred where concise in-text citations are needed to preserve readability in clinical writing.

General Rules

Numbering: Assign numbers to sources in the order they appear in the text. Use the same number each time you cite the same source.
In-text style: Use Arabic numerals in parentheses, square brackets, or as superscripts—follow the target journal’s preference.
Reference list order: List references numerically in order of first citation, not alphabetically.
Authors: List up to six authors; if more than six, list the first six followed by "et al."
Author names: Surname followed by initials without periods (e.g., Smith J).
Journal titles: Use MEDLINE/Index Medicus abbreviations when required by the journal.
Page range: Use full page range without "pp." and separate pages with a hyphen (e.g., 123-9 for 123–129).
DOIs and URLs: Include DOIs when available. For online-only content, include the date cited in [cited YYYY Mon DD] format and the URL.

How to Cite by Source Type

Below are step-by-step formats and examples for the most common sources. Use the examples as templates and adjust details to match your source.

Journal Article (standard)

Format:

Author(s). Title of article. Abbreviated Journal Title. Year;Volume(Issue):Page range. DOI

Example:

Smith J, Patel R, Nguyen T. Effects of vitamin D supplementation in older adults. J Clin Nutr. 2020;34(4):321-8. doi:10.1000/jcn.2020.034

Actionable tip: If the journal has no issue number, omit parentheses and use only volume and pages (e.g., 34:321-8).

Book

Format:

Author(s). Title of book. Edition. Place of publication: Publisher; Year.

Example:

Brown P, Lee S. Principles of Clinical Pharmacology. 3rd ed. London: MedPress; 2018.

Actionable tip: For editors, use "In:" before editors and include "eds" (e.g., In: Jones A, editor.).

Website

Format:

Author(s) or Organization. Title of web page [Internet]. Place: Publisher; Year [cited YYYY Mon DD]. Available from: URL

Example:

World Health Organization. Obesity and overweight [Internet]. Geneva: WHO; 2021 [cited 2022 Jul 10]. Available from: https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/obesity-and-overweight

Actionable tip: If no author, start with the organization. Always include the date you accessed the page when content may change.

Conference Paper / Proceedings

Format:

Author(s). Title of paper. In: Editor(s), editor(s). Title of conference; Year Month Day; Place. Place of publication: Publisher; Year. p. page range.

Example:

Garcia M, O'Connor H. New imaging techniques in cardiology. In: Zane P, editor. Proceedings of the XX Cardiology Conference; 2019 May 14-16; Boston, MA. New York: CardioPress; 2019. p. 45-50.

Thesis / Dissertation

Format:

Author. Title [type of thesis]. Place: Institution; Year.

Example:

Kumar R. Biomarkers in early-stage Alzheimer disease [master’s thesis]. Toronto: University of Toronto; 2017.

Actionable tip: Replace “master’s thesis” with “PhD thesis” or the institution’s designation as appropriate.

Report (Government or NGO)

Format:

Authoring organization. Title of report. Place: Publisher; Year. Report No. (if available).

Example:

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. National diabetes statistics report. Atlanta: CDC; 2020. Report No. 2020-123.

In-Text Citations

Vancouver uses sequential numbers tied to the reference list. Cite sources in the order you first mention them.

Numeric in parentheses: (1)
Square brackets: [1]
Superscript: 1

Examples in context:

Vitamin D deficiency is common in older adults (1). A randomized trial found improved outcomes with supplementation [2]. Recent reviews1,3 suggest further research is needed.

Actionable tip: Be consistent with the citation placement style required by your target publisher—some prefer superscripts, others brackets.

Reference List

Place the reference list at the end of your document. Number entries consecutively in the order they are first cited in the text.

Formatting rules:

Start each reference with its number followed by a space or period (follow journal guidelines).
Do not alphabetize—maintain citation order.
Use abbreviated journal names per Index Medicus when requested.
Use consistent punctuation and spacing.

Example reference list (first five entries):

1 Smith J, Patel R, Nguyen T. Effects of vitamin D supplementation in older adults. J Clin Nutr. 2020;34(4):321-8. doi:10.1000/jcn.2020.034
2 Lee A, Morales K. Antibiotic resistance trends in community infections. Infect Dis Rev. 2019;12(2):88-95.
3 World Health Organization. Obesity and overweight [Internet]. Geneva: WHO; 2021 [cited 2022 Jul 10]. Available from: https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/obesity-and-overweight
4 Brown P, Lee S. Principles of Clinical Pharmacology. 3rd ed. London: MedPress; 2018.
5 Garcia M, O'Connor H. New imaging techniques in cardiology. In: Zane P, editor. Proceedings of the XX Cardiology Conference; 2019 May 14-16; Boston, MA. New York: CardioPress; 2019. p. 45-50.

Actionable tip: Use a citation manager or Rephrasely's citation generator to build correctly formatted lists and to avoid ordering errors.

Common Mistakes to Avoid

Counting and ordering errors:
Do not renumber references when moving text. If you add a new source mid-document, renumber all later citations and update the reference list accordingly.
Incorrect author formatting:
Avoid listing full first names or using periods between initials. Use "Smith J" not "Smith, John" or "Smith J."
Wrong journal abbreviations:
Using nonstandard or full journal names when the journal requires MEDLINE abbreviations can cause rejection. Check PubMed or the journal’s instructions for the correct abbreviation.
Omitting access dates or DOIs for online sources:
For web pages, always include the [cited YYYY Mon DD] date and the URL. For articles with DOIs, include the DOI in the reference.

Actionable checklist: Before submission, verify author count rule, journal abbreviation, DOI presence, and that the reference list sequence matches in-text citation order.

Using Tools to Save Time

Automated tools reduce manual errors. Rephrasely’s citation generator formats Vancouver references quickly. If you write many papers, consider the AI writer and composer tools to draft text and then generate citations automatically.

Also useful: Rephrasely’s plagiarism checker to verify originality, and the AI detector if you need to confirm human-like phrasing. Rephrasely’s paraphraser and translator can help rework or translate titles without changing meaning.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do I cite the same journal article more than once?

Assign a single number to the source at its first appearance and reuse that number every time you cite the same article. Do not give it a new number each time.

Should I include DOIs in Vancouver references?

Yes. Include the DOI whenever available. Format it as "doi:10.xxxx" or as a full URL (https://doi.org/10.xxxx) if the journal prefers.

Where can I quickly generate Vancouver citations?

Use Rephrasely’s free citation generator to create correctly formatted Vancouver citations and to export them into your reference list.

How to Cite a Journal Article in Vancouver Format