How to cite in Vancouver
Vancouver is a numeric citation-sequence system: the first source you cite becomes reference 1, the next new source becomes reference 2, and the reference list at the end is numbered in that order rather than alphabetized. In the body, the number sits in parentheses where an author–date style would put the author and year — for example, “…predicts reading comprehension (1).” Cite the same source again and you reuse its original number.
Reference entries are compact. Authors are listed by surname and initials with no commas or periods inside the name (Chen MS, not Chen, M. S.), titles use sentence case, and journal names appear in their NLM-standard abbreviation (J Cogn Dev). The most distinctive rule is that nothing is italicized — not journal names, not book titles, not Latin abbreviations. A DOI, when one exists, is appended in the compact doi:10.1037/cogdev0000412 form.
This generator follows NLM Citing Medicine 2nd edition, the style most biomedical journals point to via the ICMJE Recommendations. For the complete rules — author thresholds for et al., every source type, and common mistakes — read the full Vancouver citation guide.
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Vancouver citation FAQs
What is the Vancouver citation style?
Vancouver is a numeric citation-sequence system used across medicine, nursing, dentistry, public health, and most biomedical sciences. Sources are numbered in the order they first appear in your text — (1), (2), (3) — and the reference list at the end is numbered in that same order rather than alphabetized. It is maintained by the U.S. National Library of Medicine (NLM Citing Medicine) and the International Committee of Medical Journal Editors (ICMJE). This generator follows NLM Citing Medicine 2nd edition.
How do Vancouver in-text citations work?
Each source is assigned a number the first time you cite it, and that number is reused every time you cite the same source again. The number sits in parentheses where an author–date style would put the author and year: "Working memory predicts reading comprehension (1)." Multiple sources collapse into one set of parentheses — consecutive numbers as a range, (1–3), and non-consecutive numbers separated by commas with no spaces, (1,4,7). See our in-text citations guide for the full rules.
Why don't Vancouver references use italics?
Vancouver descends from a print-economy tradition where italic type was reserved for emphasis and avoided in dense reference lists. As a result, the standard NLM reference italicizes nothing — not journal names, not book titles, not Latin abbreviations like et al. A reference list rendered with italicized journal names is a recognizable submission error. Journal names also appear in their NLM-abbreviated form, such as J Cogn Dev rather than Journal of Cognitive Development.
Does the Vancouver generator include DOIs?
Yes. NLM Citing Medicine recommends including a DOI whenever one exists. The generator renders it in the compact doi:10.1037/cogdev0000412 form — lowercase prefix, no https:// — appended after the page range. For online-only sources without a DOI, it instead includes the full URL prefixed with Available from:.
Is this Vancouver citation generator free?
Yes, it is completely free. Paste a URL, DOI, or ISBN, choose Vancouver, and copy a formatted reference in seconds. You can also generate citations in APA, MLA, Chicago, Harvard, IEEE, and AMA with the same tool, or switch styles at any time.
