How to Cite a Journal Article in Vancouver Style
Learn the exact format with examples, in-text citations, and common mistakes to avoid.
Citation Format
Basic Template
[#] Author(s). Article title. Journal Name. Year;Volume(Issue):pages.
Citation Components
Reference Number
Numbered [1], [2], etc.
Author(s)
Last name Initial(s). Multiple: Author A, Author B, Author C.
Article Title
Sentence case. No italics or quotation marks.
Journal Name
Standard abbreviations (e.g., JAMA, Lancet).
Year;Volume(Issue)
Format: 2022;145(3):pages
Pages
First-last page numbers.
Real-World Example
Example Source
1
Anderson K, Smith J, Williams R
Efficacy of new treatment protocol in diabetes management
Diabetes Care
2022
45
8
1842-1858
Formatted Citation
[1] Anderson K, Smith J, Williams R. Efficacy of new treatment protocol in diabetes management. Diabetes Care. 2022;45(8):1842-1858.
In-Text Citation
[1]
[1], [2], [3] - numbered in order of appearance
Common Mistakes
Wrong:
[1] Anderson, K.; Smith, J.; Williams, R. (2022). Efficacy...Diabetes Care, 45: 1842-1858.
Right:
[1] Anderson K, Smith J, Williams R. Efficacy of new treatment protocol in diabetes management. Diabetes Care. 2022;45(8):1842-1858.
Why: Use initials without periods, no parentheses for year, semicolon after journal, and include issue number in parentheses.
Wrong:
[1]. 'Efficacy of New Treatment Protocol.' Diabetes Care 2022;45(8)
Right:
[1] Anderson K, Smith J, Williams R. Efficacy of new treatment protocol in diabetes management. Diabetes Care. 2022;45(8):1842-1858.
Why: Include author names at start, don't use quotation marks for titles, include page numbers.
Wrong:
[1] Anderson, K., et al. 2022. Diabetes Care 45 no. 8 pp 1842-1858
Right:
[1] Anderson K, Smith J, Williams R. Efficacy of new treatment protocol in diabetes management. Diabetes Care. 2022;45(8):1842-1858.
Why: Use commas (not periods) between authors, no 'et al.', and use semicolon/parentheses format for year;volume(issue):pages.
Frequently Asked Questions
How many authors do I include before stopping? ▼
List all authors. If more than 6, list first 6 followed by 'et al.' - but this is primarily for reference lists, not in-text.
Do I use full journal titles or abbreviations? ▼
Vancouver typically uses standard journal abbreviations (found in Index Medicus). Full titles are acceptable if abbreviations are unknown.
What's the format for DOI in Vancouver? ▼
Add at the end: doi: 10.xxxx/xxxxx or include the full DOI URL.
Need to Generate a Citation?
Use our free Vancouver Style citation generator tool to instantly format your citations.
Go to Vancouver Citation Generator →Looking for other citation styles or source types?
View All Citation Guides →