What Is Vancouver Style?
Vancouver referencing style was established by the International Committee of Medical Journal Editors (ICMJE) following a 1978 meeting in Vancouver, British Columbia — hence the name. The resulting guidelines, known as the Uniform Requirements for Manuscripts Submitted to Biomedical Journals, standardised citation formatting for hundreds of medical and scientific journals worldwide.
Vancouver uses a sequential numbered system: every source is assigned a number in the order it is first cited in the text, and that number appears in superscript¹ or in square brackets [1] in the text. The full reference details appear at the end of the paper in a numbered list, ordered by first appearance — not alphabetically.
It is the citation standard for most journals published under the biomedical umbrella, including many listed in PubMed, MEDLINE, and the NLM (National Library of Medicine) catalog. NLM style is a closely related variant that uses the same numbering approach with minor formatting differences.
Which Dissertations Use Vancouver?
Vancouver is the citation standard expected for dissertations in the following health-related disciplines:
- Nursing and Midwifery — most DNP and PhD nursing programmes require Vancouver for dissertation research
- Medicine and Clinical Sciences — clinical research dissertations, systematic reviews, case studies
- Pharmacology and Pharmacy — drug studies, pharmacokinetics, clinical trials
- Public Health — population studies, health policy, epidemiology dissertations
- Allied Health and Biomedical Sciences — physiotherapy, occupational therapy, biomedical research
Always check your dissertation handbook — many nursing and public health programmes accept APA instead of Vancouver, so confirm with your committee chair before you begin citing. If your dissertation is in education, business, or social science, you almost certainly need APA instead.
Core Rules of Vancouver Style
- Number sources in the order they first appear in the text — not alphabetically
- In-text: superscript numbers¹ or numbers in brackets [1] — check your journal or institution
- Once a source has been assigned a number, always use the same number for subsequent citations of that source
- Multiple citations: [1,2] or [1–4] for a range
- Author names: Last name followed by initials without full stops — e.g. Chen JK (not J. K. Chen)
- List up to 6 authors, then add "et al." — e.g. Smith A, Jones B, Brown C, et al.
- Journal titles are abbreviated using standard NLM abbreviations
- No italics required in the reference list (unlike APA)
- Year;Volume(Issue):pages — semicolon after year, colon before pages
In-Text Citations
Vancouver in-text citations are superscript numbers placed immediately after the punctuation of the relevant sentence, or after the name of the author being cited. Some institutions and journals use square brackets instead of superscripts — both are acceptable variants of Vancouver; just be consistent throughout your document.
Superscript format
Transformational leadership has been linked to reduced nurse turnover in acute care settings.¹
This finding has been replicated across multiple studies.²⁻⁴
As Chen et al.⁵ demonstrated, mentorship programmes significantly reduce early-career attrition.
Square bracket format (equally valid)
Transformational leadership has been linked to reduced nurse turnover in acute care settings. [1]
This finding has been replicated across multiple studies. [2-4]
As Chen et al. [5] demonstrated, mentorship programmes significantly reduce early-career attrition.
Key rule on reuse: if you cite source [3] early in your paper and then refer to it again in your discussion, you still write [3] — you never assign a new number to a source already in the list. Only new sources get new numbers.
Journal Articles
Journal articles are the backbone of most nursing and health science dissertation reference lists. Use NLM abbreviations for journal names — these can be looked up via the NLM catalog at nlm.nih.gov.
Format
Author AA, Author BB, Author CC. Title of article. Journal Abbrev. Year;Volume(Issue):StartPage-EndPage.
Example — up to 6 authors
1. Chen JK, Patel RM, Torres LD. Transformational leadership and nurse turnover intention in acute care settings: a systematic review. J Nurs Manag. 2023;31(4):512-525.
Example — more than 6 authors (truncate at 6 + "et al.")
2. Smith A, Jones B, Brown C, Wilson D, Taylor E, Johnson F, et al. Mentorship structures and early-career nurse attrition across diverse care settings. J Adv Nurs. 2022;78(6):890-901.
Example — with DOI (recommended when available)
3. Nguyen TH, Rahman AM, Park SY. Servant leadership practices and staff retention in long-term care facilities. Lancet Digit Health. 2023;5(7):e445-e453. doi:10.1016/S2589-7500(23)00089-5
Example — article number (no page range)
4. Liu Y, Zhang H. Burnout and compassion fatigue among frontline nursing staff during sustained high-acuity periods. Nurs Res Rep. 2023;42(8):112893.
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Books
Whole book
Format
Author AA, Author BB. Title of Book. Edition ed. Place of Publication: Publisher; Year.
Examples
5. Creswell JW, Creswell JD. Research Design: Qualitative, Quantitative, and Mixed Methods Approaches. 6th ed. Thousand Oaks: SAGE Publications; 2022.
6. Polit DF, Beck CT. Nursing Research: Generating and Assessing Evidence for Nursing Practice. 11th ed. Philadelphia: Wolters Kluwer; 2021.
Chapter in an edited book
Format
Author AA. Title of chapter. In: Editor AA, Editor BB, editors. Title of Book. Edition ed. Place: Publisher; Year. p. StartPage-EndPage.
Example
7. Nguyen T. Servant leadership in healthcare administration. In: Brown P, Wilson C, editors. Handbook of Organizational Leadership Research. 3rd ed. London: Routledge; 2021. p. 245-78.
Websites and Online Resources
Online sources should include the date you accessed the page, since web content can change. Use the organisation's name as author when no individual author is listed.
Format
Author/Organisation. Title of page [Internet]. Place: Publisher; Year [cited Year Month Day]. Available from: URL
Examples
8. World Health Organization. Global report on nursing 2023 [Internet]. Geneva: WHO; 2023 [cited 2024 Jan 10]. Available from: https://www.who.int/publications/nursing-report
9. American Nurses Association. Nurse staffing standards and patient outcomes [Internet]. Silver Spring (MD): ANA; 2022 [cited 2024 Feb 5]. Available from: https://www.nursingworld.org/
Conference Papers and Proceedings
Format
Author AA, Author BB. Title of paper. In: Editor(s) AA, editors. Title of Proceedings; Date of Conference; Location. Place: Publisher; Year. p. StartPage-EndPage.
Example
10. Park SY, Kim JH, Lee MJ. Mentorship interventions and early-career nurse retention in acute care settings. In: Chen L, editor. Proceedings of the American Educational Research Association Annual Meeting; 2023 Sep 15-18; Chicago, IL. New York: ACM; 2023. p. 201-8.
Theses and Dissertations
Many Vancouver references appear within your own dissertation's literature review — see our dedicated guide on how to cite a dissertation for more detail on this source type.
Format
Author AA. Title of thesis [dissertation/thesis]. [Place]: University Name; Year.
Examples
11. Almeida SM. Transformational leadership practices and nurse retention in acute care hospitals [PhD thesis]. London: University College London; 2022.
12. Park JY. Mentorship structures and early-career teacher attrition in urban school districts [Master's thesis]. Seoul: Seoul National University; 2023.
Journal Abbreviations
Vancouver style uses abbreviated journal names from the NLM catalog. Below are common abbreviations used in life sciences:
| Full Journal Name | NLM Abbreviation |
|---|
| Nature Biotechnology | Nat Biotechnol |
| The New England Journal of Medicine | N Engl J Med |
| The Lancet | Lancet |
| Cell | Cell |
| Science | Science |
| PLOS Biology | PLoS Biol |
| The Journal of Biological Chemistry | J Biol Chem |
| Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences | Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A |
| BMJ (British Medical Journal) | BMJ |
| Lancet Digital Health | Lancet Digit Health |
Finding abbreviations: search the NLM catalog at nlm.nih.gov/tsd/serials/lji.html. Type the full journal name and it returns the official abbreviation. Never guess an abbreviation — incorrect abbreviations are a common reason papers are rejected at submission.
Vancouver vs AMA — What Is the Difference?
Both Vancouver and AMA are numbered sequential citation systems used in biomedical fields. They look very similar but have some differences worth knowing:
| Feature | Vancouver | AMA |
|---|
| Author cutoff | 6 authors, then et al. | 3 authors (in some versions), then et al. |
| Year position | Year;Vol(Iss):pages | Year;Vol(Iss):pages (same) |
| Italics | No italics in references | No italics in references |
| Page separator | Hyphen: 512-525 | Hyphen: 512-525 |
| Used mainly in | Biology, medicine, nursing | Medical journals (JAMA standard) |
| In-text marker | Superscript or [brackets] | Superscript (preferred) |
If your dissertation handbook specifies "Vancouver," use this guide. If it specifies "AMA," see our AMA citation guide. When neither is specified, check what journals in your field use — searching a paper in PubMed from a comparable journal will show you the house style.
Common Mistakes in Vancouver Style
- Alphabetical ordering: Vancouver reference lists are in citation order — numbered by when the source first appeared. Alphabetical ordering is the most common formatting error.
- Assigning a new number to a repeated source: if source 3 appears again later, it is still 3 — not a new number.
- Listing more than 6 authors without "et al.": list the first six, then "et al." — do not list all authors.
- Wrong author format: Vancouver uses Last Name Initials (no full stops) — Chen JK, not J.K. Chen or Jun K. Chen.
- Missing issue number: always include the issue in parentheses — 2023;41(4):512 — some students omit it.
- Using full journal names: journal titles must be abbreviated per NLM conventions, not written out in full.
- Italics in the reference list: Vancouver does not use italics for journal or book titles (unlike APA or Harvard).
- No access date for websites: always include "[cited Year Month Day]" for web sources.
Frequently Asked Questions
Should I use superscripts or square brackets?
Both are accepted variants of Vancouver. Superscripts (¹²³) are traditional; square brackets ([1][2][3]) are common in university assignments and easier to type. Check your institution's specific guidelines — if none are given, square brackets are generally safe and clear.
What if the same source is cited 10 times throughout my paper?
Use the same number every time. If source [4] is cited at the start, middle, and end of your paper, all three in-text citations read [4]. You only ever have one entry in the reference list for each unique source.
Do I need to include DOIs?
DOIs are increasingly expected and should be included when available. They are particularly important for journal articles because they provide a permanent, reliable link regardless of whether a journal changes its URL structure. Format as: doi:10.1016/xxxx (no space after the colon).
Can I use Vancouver for a systematic review or meta-analysis?
Yes — in fact, Vancouver is the standard for systematic reviews published in biomedical journals. When you search PubMed for systematic reviews, the vast majority will use Vancouver or NLM style. Follow the same rules as a regular journal article — the citation format for a primary study and a systematic review is identical.
What is the difference between Vancouver and NLM style?
NLM (National Library of Medicine) style is developed by the US National Library of Medicine and is closely aligned with Vancouver. The main difference is that NLM uses specific punctuation patterns in some reference types and is the official style for NCBI/PubMed publications. For most undergraduate and postgraduate assignments specifying "Vancouver," the formats are interchangeable.
My article has no volume or issue number — what do I do?
Some newer open-access journals publish articles continuously without traditional volume and issue numbers. In this case, include the article ID or DOI as the locator: Author AA. Title. Journal Abbrev. 2023;e112893. doi:10.xxxx/xxxxx