How Vancouver references look
These examples were formatted by the same engine the generator uses.
Vancouver referencing generator
Find any article, book or chapter and copy it in Vancouver referencing (NLM). Free, no sign-up.
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Journal article
Suri T, Jack W. The long-run poverty and gender impacts of mobile money. Science. 2016 Dec 9;354(6317):1288–92. doi:10.1126/science.aah5309
In-text: (1)
Book
Achebe C. Things fall apart. London: Heinemann; 1958.
In-text: (1)
Web page
World Health Organization. World Health Organization [Internet]. 2023 [cited 2026 Oct 1]. Malaria. Available from: https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/malaria
In-text: (1)
Vancouver rules at a glance
- Reference list
- References: numbered in the order of first citation
- In-text citations
- a number in round brackets, square brackets or superscript, e.g. (1), in the order sources are first cited
- Author names
- Surname and initials without full stops, e.g. Suri T, Jack W
- Many authors
- Seven or more authors: first six followed by “et al.”
- Date
- After the journal name, with abbreviated month: 2016 Dec;354(6317):1288–92
- Titles
- Sentence case; article titles: plain text, sentence case
- Italics
- Nothing: titles and journal names are plain text
- DOIs and links
- “Available from:” before URLs, “[cited date]” for web pages, “doi:” for DOIs
Who uses Vancouver?
Vancouver is the standard numbered style in medicine, nursing, dentistry and biomedical sciences, especially at UK, Australian and African universities. The style is published by the International Committee of Medical Journal Editors, following the US National Library of Medicine; CiteSwap follows the NLM Citing Medicine, 2nd edition.
Vancouver referencing generator: frequently asked questions
How do I cite a journal article in Vancouver?
Search for the article by title, author or DOI above and copy the formatted reference. For example, the Suri and Jack article in Science becomes: Suri T, Jack W. The long-run poverty and gender impacts of mobile money. Science. 2016 Dec 9;354(6317):1288–92. doi:10.1126/science.aah5309
How do in-text citations work in Vancouver?
Vancouver uses a number in round brackets, square brackets or superscript, e.g. (1), in the order sources are first cited. For the same article: (1).
What is the Vancouver reference list called?
References. Numbered in the order of first citation.
Which edition of Vancouver does this generator use?
Vancouver referencing (NLM), published by the International Committee of Medical Journal Editors, following the US National Library of Medicine (NLM Citing Medicine, 2nd edition). CiteSwap formats references with the official Citation Style Language definition of the style.
How do I cite a website in Vancouver?
Use “Cite manually” under the search box: enter the author or organisation, page title, website name, date and URL. A web page in Vancouver looks like this: World Health Organization. World Health Organization [Internet]. 2023 [cited 2026 Oct 1]. Malaria. Available from: https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/malaria
Is this Vancouver referencing generator free?
Yes. There is no sign-up and no limit. Everything runs in your browser, and your references are not stored anywhere.