vancouver-style

name	vancouver-style
category	publication
discipline	medical
description	Vancouver (numbered) reference system commonly used in medical journals

Vancouver Style

Citation and formatting rules based on the ICMJE (International Committee of Medical Journal Editors) Recommendations, commonly known as the Vancouver style. Widely used in biomedical journals worldwide, including The Lancet, BMJ, and many others.

When to Use

• When the target journal specifies "Vancouver" or "ICMJE" citation style
• When the journal uses numbered references in order of appearance
• As the default style for biomedical manuscripts outside AMA-specific journals
• When journal instructions reference "Uniform Requirements for Manuscripts"

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Protocol

1. In-Text Citations

• Use Arabic numerals in parentheses (1), superscript, or square brackets [1], depending on journal preference
• Number references in the order they first appear in the text
• Most common format: parentheses or superscript
• Multiple citations: separate with commas (1,2) or use hyphens for ranges (1-3)
• No spaces between citation numbers within parentheses

Examples (parenthetical style):

The treatment showed significant improvement in outcomes (1).
Several studies (2-4) have demonstrated this effect.
As reported by Smith et al (5), the intervention was effective.
Prior research supports these findings (1,3,7).

Examples (superscript style):

The treatment showed significant improvement in outcomes.1
Several studies2-4 have demonstrated this effect.
As reported by Smith et al,5 the intervention was effective.

Note: Check the specific journal's instructions for whether to use parentheses, superscript, or square brackets. The underlying numbering and reference format remains the same.

2. Reference List Format

References are listed numerically at the end of the manuscript in the order cited.

2.1 Author Names

• Format: Last name followed by initials (no periods between or after initials)
• Multiple authors: separate with commas
• Up to 6 authors: list all, followed by the last author
• 7 or more authors: list the first 6, then add "et al"
• No "and" before the last author

Examples:

Smith JA, Jones BR, Williams CD
Smith JA, Jones BR, Williams CD, Brown EF, Davis GH, Wilson IJ, et al.

2.2 Journal Article

Format:

Author(s). Title of article. Abbreviated Journal Name. Year Mon;Volume(Issue):Pages. doi:

Rules:

• Article title: sentence case, no quotation marks
• Journal name: abbreviated per Index Medicus/NLM catalog
• No italics for journal names (unlike APA)
• Year and month follow the journal abbreviation
• Period only at the very end (or after DOI if included)

Example -- 6 or fewer authors:

1. Halpern SD, Ubel PA, Caplan AL. Solid-organ transplantation in HIV-infected patients.
   N Engl J Med. 2002 Jul 25;347(4):284-7. doi: 10.1056/NEJMsb020632.

Example -- 7 or more authors:

2. Rose ME, Huerbin MB, Melick J, Marion DW, Palmer AM, Schiding JK, et al. Regulation
   of interstitial excitatory amino acid concentrations after cortical contusion injury.
   Brain Res. 2002;935(1-2):40-6. doi: 10.1016/S0006-8993(02)02445-9.

Example -- article with no author:

3. 21st century heart solution may have a sting in the tail. BMJ. 2002;325(7357):184.

Example -- volume with supplement:

4. Geraud G, Spierings EL, Keywood C. Tolerability and safety of frovatriptan with
   short- and long-term use for treatment of migraine and in comparison with sumatriptan.
   Headache. 2002;42 Suppl 2:S93-9.

Example -- epub ahead of print:

5. Yu WM, Bhatt DL. Cardiovascular outcomes in special populations. Circulation. 2024
   Mar 5. doi: 10.1161/CIRCULATIONAHA.123.067891. Epub ahead of print.

2.3 Book

Format -- personal author(s):

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

Example:

6. Murray PR, Rosenthal KS, Pfaller MA. Medical microbiology. 4th ed. St. Louis: Mosby;
   2002.

Format -- editor(s) as author:

Editor(s), editor(s). Title of book. Edition. Place of publication: Publisher; Year.

Example:

7. Gilstrap LC 3rd, Cunningham FG, VanDorsten JP, editors. Operative obstetrics. 2nd ed.
   New York: McGraw-Hill; 2002.

2.4 Book Chapter

Format:

Author(s) of chapter. Title of chapter. In: Editor(s), editor(s). Title of book.
Edition. Place of publication: Publisher; Year. p. Pages.

Example:

8. Meltzer PS, Kallioniemi A, Trent JM. Chromosome alterations in human solid tumors.
   In: Vogelstein B, Kinzler KW, editors. The genetic basis of human cancer. 2nd ed.
   New York: McGraw-Hill; 2002. p. 93-113.

2.5 Electronic / Online Sources

Format -- journal article online:

Author(s). Title of article. Abbreviated Journal Name [Internet]. Year [cited date];
Volume(Issue):Pages. Available from: URL

Example:

9. Abood S. Quality improvement initiative in nursing homes: the ANA acts in an advisory
   role. Am J Nurs [Internet]. 2002 Jun [cited 2002 Aug 12];102(6):[about 1 p.].
   Available from: https://journals.lww.com/ajnonline/

Format -- website:

Organization or Author. Title of page [Internet]. Place of publication: Publisher;
Date of publication [updated date; cited date]. Available from: URL

Example:

10. Cancer Research UK. Cancer statistics for the UK [Internet]. London: Cancer Research
    UK; 2022 [updated 2023 Jan 15; cited 2024 Feb 20]. Available from:
    https://www.cancerresearchuk.org/health-professional/cancer-statistics

Example -- database on the internet:

11. Who's Certified [Internet]. Evanston (IL): The American Board of Medical Specialties.
    c2000 [cited 2001 Mar 8]. Available from: https://www.abms.org/

2.6 Government / Agency Document

Format:

Issuing body. Title of document. Place of publication: Publisher; Year. Report No.:
Number.

Example:

12. World Health Organization. World health report 2002: reducing risks, promoting
    healthy life. Geneva: WHO; 2002.

Example with report number:

13. National Institute of Mental Health. Genetics and mental disorders. Bethesda (MD):
    National Institute of Mental Health; 1998. NIH Pub. No.: 98-4268.

2.7 Conference Paper (Published)

Format:

Author(s). Title of paper. In: Editor(s), editor(s). Title of conference proceedings;
Date of conference; Place of conference. Place of publication: Publisher; Year. p. Pages.

Example:

14. Christensen S, Oppacher F. An analysis of Koza's computational effort statistic for
    genetic programming. In: Foster JA, Lutton E, editors. Genetic programming. EuroGP
    2002; 2002 Apr 3-5; Kinsale, Ireland. Berlin: Springer; 2002. p. 182-91.

2.8 Dissertation / Thesis

Format:

Author. Title [dissertation/thesis]. Place: University; Year.

Example:

15. Borkowski MM. Infant sleep and feeding: a telephone survey of Hispanic Americans
    [dissertation]. Mount Pleasant (MI): Central Michigan University; 2002.

3. Journal Name Abbreviations

Use Index Medicus / NLM abbreviations. The official list is maintained by the NLM.

Common abbreviations:

Full Name	Abbreviation
New England Journal of Medicine	N Engl J Med
The Lancet	Lancet
British Medical Journal	BMJ
Annals of Internal Medicine	Ann Intern Med
Journal of the American Medical Association	JAMA
The Lancet Oncology	Lancet Oncol
Nature Medicine	Nat Med
Journal of Clinical Investigation	J Clin Invest
American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine	Am J Respir Crit Care Med
European Heart Journal	Eur Heart J

• Look up abbreviations at: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/nlmcatalog/
• Single-word journal names are not abbreviated (e.g., Circulation, Pediatrics, Lancet)

4. Page Number Conventions

• Abbreviate page ranges by omitting redundant digits from the end page:
  • 321-328 becomes 321-8
  • 1087-1095 becomes 1087-95
  • 200-204 becomes 200-4
• Use "p." for pages in books and chapters, but not for journal articles
• For online articles with no page numbers, use article number or [about X p.]

5. Key Differences from AMA Style

Feature	Vancouver	AMA
Citation format	Varies (parentheses, superscript, or brackets)	Superscript only
Authors before "et al"	6	3 (when 7+)
Month in reference	Included after year	Not typically included
Place of publication (books)	Included	Not required
Page abbreviation	Abbreviated (321-8)	Full (321-328)
DOI format	doi: 10.xxx	doi:10.xxx (no space)

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Checklist

Citations

• Citation format matches journal requirements (parentheses, superscript, or brackets)
• References numbered sequentially in order of first appearance
• Multiple citations properly formatted with commas or hyphens
• Citation numbers match reference list

References

• References numbered to match in-text citations
• Author names formatted as LastName Initials (no periods)
• First 6 authors listed when 7 or more, followed by "et al"
• No "and" before the last author
• Article titles in sentence case, no quotation marks
• Journal names abbreviated per Index Medicus/NLM
• Year and month included for journal articles
• Page numbers abbreviated (e.g., 321-8)
• DOIs or URLs included where available
• Place of publication included for books
• Access dates provided for online sources
• All references cited in text; no orphan references

Format Verification

• Journal-specific formatting requirements checked
• Reference limit not exceeded (check journal policy)
• Reference format consistent throughout
• Personal communications cited in text only (not in reference list)

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References

• International Committee of Medical Journal Editors. Recommendations for the Conduct, Reporting, Editing, and Publication of Scholarly Work in Medical Journals. Updated 2023. http://www.icmje.org/recommendations/
• Patrias K. Citing Medicine: The NLM Style Guide for Authors, Editors, and Publishers. 2nd ed. Bethesda (MD): National Library of Medicine; 2007. https://www.nlm.nih.gov/citingmedicine/
• National Library of Medicine. NLM Catalog. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/nlmcatalog/