Vancouver Citation Style: Start Here

1. Check that your instructor has asked you to use Vancouver citation style for your assignment. They have? Great! Continue on...

2. Read the 'Vancouver in a Nutshell' section below to ensure you know you need both in-text citations and reference list entries in your assignment.

3. Find the source type you are trying to cite in the tabs at the top. Is it a book, a magazine, a website? Once you've found your source type, look for the option that best describes your source (e-book instead of print book, for example). 

4. Use the template for your source type to create your in-text citation(s) and your reference list entry for that particular source. If you run into a scenario that isn't covered in the template or in the example, scroll down to the "What if" section for detailed information on how to incorporate this information. Examples of such scenarios are multiple authors, a source without a publication date, etc.

Have questions about citations that aren't covered in this guide? Check out the 'Additional Help' tab or meet with your librarian for in-depth support.

Have questions about writing (paraphrasing, summarizing, directly quoting)? Connect with a writing specialist for support.

Please note: Vancouver is also known as the National Library of Medicine style guide as outlined in Citing Medicine: The NLM Style Guide for Authors, Editors, and Publishers. This guide acts as a condensed version interpreted for SAIT programs that use Vancouver style. 

A Vancouver citation has two parts:

In text (immediately after a paraphrase or a direct quote) - to let the person who's reading your work know that this isn't your idea and to give them a quick way to know whose idea it is and where to find it in your reference list. Vancouver in-text citations can take many forms, but at SAIT, you should number each source you use sequentially and place it in rounded brackets after any closing punctuation. 

Reference list (at the end of your assignment) - to allow the reader to find where the idea came from. This will give them enough information that they can locate the source and find the information that you included in your assignment. Reference list citations are ordered sequentially. See each source type tab for guidance. Pay attention to all formatting features in the templates and examples including capitalization, punctuation, spacing, etc.

Anytime you use someone else's words, ideas, opinions, or illustrations, you need to show where you first retrieved or read that information. You need to provide both the in-text citation whenever you use that source in your paper, and a single reference list entry at the end of your paper for each source that you use. This guide provides examples of Vancouver citations for various resources.

Note: Vancouver style is also referred to as the National Library of Medicine (NLM) style. Full guidance can be found in Citing Medicine. Specific chapters are linked to under formatting guidelines when applicable.