Vancouver Citation Style: Complete Guide for Medical and Health Research (2026)
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Vancouver citation style is the standard referencing system for medical and biomedical research. It uses sequential numbers in the text, with a matching numbered reference list at the end. Used by The Lancet, BMJ, JAMA, NEJM, and thousands of other health science journals, mastering Vancouver formatting is essential for every medical researcher and health science PhD student.
This complete 2026 guide covers everything you need to know about Vancouver citation style — including in-text citation format, reference list examples for all source types, how it differs from APA, and practical tips for applying it correctly in your medical thesis or journal paper.
Vancouver Citation Style — Key Facts at a Glance
Vancouver Style — Quick Reference
Sequential order of first appearance
Matches order cited in text
International Committee of Medical Journal Editors
Lancet, BMJ, JAMA, NEJM
pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/nlmcatalog
Surname then initials (no periods)
How to Format In-Text Citations in Vancouver Style
In Vancouver style, in-text citations are numbers that correspond to sources in the reference list. Two formats are accepted:
| Format | Example in Text | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Superscript | Several studies have demonstrated this effect.<sup>1,3</sup> | Most common in journals |
| Brackets | Several studies have demonstrated this effect [1,3]. | Common in theses and some journals |
| Brackets (in text) | Smith et al. (1) reported that... | Used when author name is integral to text |
| Multiple consecutive | [1-4] or 1-4 | Use hyphen for three or more consecutive references |
| Non-consecutive | [1,3,7] or 1,3,7 | Use commas to separate non-consecutive numbers |
Vancouver Reference List Format — Examples for All Source Types
Journal Articles
| Source Type | Format | Example |
|---|---|---|
| 1–6 authors | Surname Initials. Title. Abbrev J Name. Year;Vol(Issue):Pages. | Patel RK, Kumar S. Low-dose aspirin in primary prevention. Lancet. 2025;405(10488):1234-42. |
| 7+ authors | First 6 authors, et al. | Singh A, Mehta R, Gupta S, Sharma P, Verma K, Joshi N, et al. Outcomes of bariatric surgery. JAMA. 2024;332(5):456-64. |
| Article with DOI | Add doi:xxxxx at end | Brown T, Jones M. Vaccine efficacy update. N Engl J Med. 2025;392:1122-31. doi:10.1056/NEJMoa2025123 |
| Online ahead of print | Add [Epub ahead of print] | Sharma V, Nair R. Antibiotic resistance patterns. BMJ. 2026 Jan 15 [Epub ahead of print]. doi:10.1136/bmj.xyz123 |
Books and Chapters
| Source Type | Format | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Book (entire) | Author(s). Title. Edition. Place: Publisher; Year. | Murray PR, Rosenthal KS, Pfaller MA. Medical Microbiology. 9th ed. Philadelphia: Elsevier; 2021. |
| Book chapter | Author(s). Chapter title. In: Editor(s), editor(s). Book title. Ed. Place: Publisher; Year. p. Pages. | Harrison G. Anaesthesia in elderly patients. In: Miller RD, editor. Miller's Anesthesia. 9th ed. Philadelphia: Elsevier; 2020. p. 2245-68. |
| Indian edition | Add Indian Edition note | Guyton AC, Hall JE. Textbook of Medical Physiology. 14th ed. South Asian Edition. New Delhi: Elsevier India; 2021. |
Websites and Online Sources
| Source Type | Format | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Website | Author/Organisation. Title [Internet]. Place: Publisher; Year [cited Year Month Day]. Available from: URL | World Health Organization. Global tuberculosis report 2025 [Internet]. Geneva: WHO; 2025 [cited 2026 Jan 10]. Available from: https://www.who.int/publications/i/item/9789240061729 |
| Government website | Same format as website | Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, India. National Health Policy 2017 [Internet]. New Delhi: MoHFW; 2017 [cited 2026 Feb 5]. Available from: https://mohfw.gov.in |
Key Vancouver Formatting Rules to Remember
(1) Use NLM abbreviations for journal names — find them at pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/nlmcatalog. (2) List authors as Surname Initials (e.g., Patel RK, not Patel R.K. or R.K. Patel). (3) Do NOT use 'p.' for page numbers in journal articles (use them only for book chapters). (4) Include the DOI wherever available — most journals now require it. (5) For 7 or more authors, list the first 6 then add 'et al.' with no period after 'al'... wait — actually there IS a period: 'et al.'
Vancouver vs APA vs Harvard: Comparison
| Feature | Vancouver | APA 7th | Harvard |
|---|---|---|---|
| In-text format | Numbered [1] or superscript | Author-date (Smith, 2022) | Author-date (Smith 2022) |
| Reference list order | Numerical (order cited) | Alphabetical by author | Alphabetical by author |
| Primary discipline | Medicine, biomedical, nursing | Psychology, social sciences | Business, law, humanities |
| Journal abbreviation | NLM abbreviated name | Full journal name | Full journal name |
| DOI format | doi:xxxxx or https://doi.org/ | https://doi.org/xxxxx | doi:xxxxx (varies) |
| Author format | Surname Initials (Patel RK) | Surname, Initials (Patel, R. K.) | Surname, Initials (Patel, R.K.) |
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Frequently Asked Questions
Click a question to expand the answer.
Vancouver citation style is a numbered referencing system widely used in medical, biomedical, and health science research. References are numbered sequentially in the order they first appear in the text (using superscript numbers or numbers in parentheses), and the full reference list at the end of the paper follows the same numerical order. Vancouver style is based on the ICMJE (International Committee of Medical Journal Editors) recommendations and is used by thousands of medical journals worldwide, including The Lancet, BMJ, JAMA, and NEJM.
The key difference is the citation format in the text: Vancouver uses numbered citations (e.g., superscript 1 or [1]) in order of first appearance. APA uses author-date citations (e.g., Smith, 2022). In the reference list: Vancouver orders references numerically by order of citation in the text; APA orders references alphabetically by first author surname. Vancouver is standard in medical and health sciences; APA is standard in psychology, social sciences, and education.
The standard format for a journal article in Vancouver style is: Author(s) Surname Initials. Title of article. Abbreviated journal name. Year;Volume(Issue):Page numbers. Example: Patel RK, Kumar S, Sharma M. Efficacy of low-dose aspirin in primary prevention of cardiovascular events: a randomised controlled trial. Lancet. 2025;405(10488):1234-42. Note: use the official NLM journal abbreviation; list all authors if 6 or fewer; if 7 or more, list the first 6 then add 'et al.'.
Vancouver (ICMJE) style is used by thousands of biomedical journals including: The Lancet, New England Journal of Medicine (NEJM), JAMA (Journal of the American Medical Association), BMJ (British Medical Journal), Nature Medicine, PLOS Medicine, Indian Journal of Medical Research, and most journals published by Elsevier, Wolters Kluwer/Lippincott Williams & Wilkins, and BMJ Publishing Group. Always check the specific journal's Author Guidelines as minor formatting variations exist.
Yes, Vancouver style is essentially synonymous with ICMJE (Recommendations for the Conduct, Reporting, Editing, and Publication of Scholarly Work in Medical Journals) style. The ICMJE guidelines were first developed at a meeting in Vancouver, Canada in 1978, which is why the format is called Vancouver style. The current ICMJE Recommendations are maintained at icmje.org and are updated periodically. Always refer to the current ICMJE guidelines for authoritative formatting rules.