Vancouver Referencing Guide
Vancouver is a numbered referencing style widely used in health and biomedical subjects. This guide uses the US National Library of Medicine’s Citing Medicine.
The guide below gives details of how to reference your work in the Vancouver style of academic citation. Alternatively, if you are looking for our Vancouver Reference Generator then click on the button below:
Vancouver Reference Generator Example Vancouver Style EssayVancouver referencing overview
Vancouver uses numbered references, normally ordered by first citation. Reuse the original number whenever you cite that source again. Our examples follow the National Library of Medicine’s Citing Medicine. Journals and universities can impose their own Vancouver variants, including whether citation numbers are bracketed, parenthesised or superscript.
Our Vancouver generator creates one reference at a time. Replace its example number 1 with the correct number in your work. The reference list is numerical, not alphabetical.
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Names and dates
For ordinary NLM book and journal references, write the surname followed by up to two initials, without full stops: Green AB. Separate authors with commas, not “and”. NLM’s default is to list all authors; a particular journal may request a shortened list. Keep names in their published order.
Write full dates as year, abbreviated month and day, such as 2024 Mar 12. Do not invent publication details. NLM uses explicit unknown-place, unknown-publisher and unknown-date labels where those details cannot be established.
Vancouver in-text citation examples
In this example, a book is cited first, an article second, and the book again:
Group learning allows students to exchange ideas (1). Preparing questions before a session can help focus the discussion (2). Giving each student a role can also support group work (1).
Vancouver reference-list example
- Green A, White B. Learning together. 2nd ed. London: Example Press; 2024.
- Green A. Learning in groups. J Example Stud. 2024;12(2):104-28.
The book is cited twice, so it uses (1) both times and appears only once in the reference list.
1. Books
1. Green A, White B. Learning together. 2nd ed. London: Example Press; 2024.
Use an edition statement only after the first. Book titles are not italicised in these NLM examples. A whole edited collection puts the editors in the author position, followed by editor or editors.
Chapters in edited books
2. Green A. Learning in groups. In: White B, Black C, editors. Learning together. London: Example Press; 2024. p. 12-28.
The chapter author comes first; the collection’s editors follow “In:”. A chapter’s page range is introduced with p., even when it spans several pages. See NLM’s book chapter for contributions, parts and other variations.
Internet books
3. Green A. Learning together [Internet]. London: Example Press; 2024 [cited 2026 Oct 14]. Available from: https://example.org/book
2. Articles
Journal articles
4. Green A. Learning in groups. J Example Stud. 2024;12(2):104-28.
5. Green A. Learning in groups. J Example Stud [Internet]. 2024 [cited 2026 Oct 14];12(2):104-28. Available from: https://doi.org/10.1234/example
Use the journal’s recognised title abbreviation, checking the NLM Catalog where applicable. Do not add “Volume” or “Issue” to the entry. An electronic article identifier can replace a page range. See NLM’s internet journal guidance.
Newspapers and magazines
These need their own publication date and pagination details; they do not all follow an academic journal’s volume-and-issue format. NLM’s contents page has separate chapters for newspapers and journals. Use the actual source type and online or print version.
3. Online sources
Websites and individual pages
6. Study Council. Study Council [Internet]. London: Study Council; 2024 [updated 2025 Mar 12; cited 2026 Oct 14]. Available from: https://example.org/study
Record the responsible author or organisation, site title, publisher and location, publication date, available update date, access date and URL. For an individual page, add its title and date to the site details. For a separately authored contribution, place the writer and contribution title before the site details, introduced by “In:”. See NLM’s website examples.
Wiki entries
For an entry without named authorship, begin with the wiki and its publication details, then identify the entry and its dates. A named contribution follows a different pattern. Preserve a link to the version read where possible.
7. Example Wiki [Internet]. London: Example Foundation. 2020 - . Shared learning; 2024 [updated 2025 Mar 12; cited 2026 Oct 14]; [about 3 screens]. Available from: https://example.org/wiki/shared-learning
Blog posts
NLM distinguishes a post by the blog owner from a guest contribution. A guest contribution starts with its writer and post title before the blog details introduced by “In:”. The blog’s starting date is separate from the post’s publication date. See the official blog, wiki and email chapter.
Email and social media
Private email is generally described in the text rather than numbered in the references. If a formal email entry is required, it includes the subject, sender and recipient, date sent and date read. Public social posts identify the account, post text, platform, dates and URL, as shown below.
4. Images and audiovisual material
Films, videos, DVDs, television and radio
NLM’s audiovisual chapter distinguishes recordings by medium, title, credited contributors and publication information. Identify the version used. An online recording also needs retrieval information. A broadcast’s channel and date are not a substitute for the publication details of a recording.
A TV or radio broadcast reference gives the programme or series title, episode number and title, channel, broadcast date and time. Create a reference with our TV or radio generator.
Images and photographs
An image reproduced from a publication should identify that publication and its relevant figure or page. A standalone photograph, artwork or print belongs to NLM’s prints-and-photographs guidance. Record the creator, title or description, date, medium and holding collection as applicable.
Maps and music
Use NLM’s maps chapter for the specific map, including scale and publication details. For recorded music, use the relevant audiovisual format. Do not cite an album as if it were a journal article.
5. Other source types
Reports, dissertations and official publications
NLM provides separate chapters for technical reports, dissertations and scientific or technical publications. Record the author, title, document type, place, issuing institution, date and identifying report number where applicable. Laws and parliamentary material need the appropriate legal-source format.
Interviews, letters and conversations
NLM recommends describing personal communications in the text in most circumstances. Published or archived interviews and letters may be retrievable sources. Follow your publisher’s rules about inclusion and permission.
Lectures, dictionaries and software
Choose the source you actually consulted: a published conference contribution, a reference-work entry, or a particular software release. The Citing Medicine contents page links to each relevant chapter. A lecture title with no event or date, or a software name with no version information, may not identify the source adequately.
Vancouver references for online recordings and AI use
Online videos and podcast episodes
NLM’s Citing Medicine, chapter 22 includes standalone online videos and podcasts, including YouTube examples. Record the responsible creator, title, publisher and location, date, access date and running time. Use [Internet] after the title and identify the recording type after the dates. Reference an online video or a standalone podcast.
A recording forming part of a journal article follows the journal format instead; see NLM’s podcast and videocast article guidance.
Social media and generative AI
For a public social post, give the account author, post text, platform in square brackets, posting date, access date and direct URL.
For medical publishing, ICMJE’s AI recommendations require authors to identify the tool and explain its use. Human authors remain responsible for the work and its references.