How to Reference in Vancouver Style
Quick answer: Vancouver is a numbered referencing style used in nursing, medicine and the health sciences. You insert a number in the text each time you cite a source — e.g. ‘...improves recovery (1).’ — and list sources in numerical order of first appearance in the reference list.
What is Vancouver referencing?
Vancouver is a numeric citation system widely used in the health and biomedical sciences. Instead of author names in the text, you use sequential numbers that correspond to a numbered reference list.
It keeps the body text clean, which suits clinical and scientific writing where many sources are cited.
In-text citations
- Insert a number at the point of citation: Handwashing reduces infection (1).
- Reuse the same number if you cite the source again.
- Cite multiple sources as (1,2) or a range (1–3).
- Numbers usually appear in brackets or as superscript — follow your university’s guide.
Reference list format
| Source | Vancouver format |
|---|
| Journal article | Author AA, Author BB. Title of article. Journal Abbrev. Year;Volume(Issue):pages. |
| Book | Author AA. Title of book. Edn. Place: Publisher; Year. |
Worked example
1. Gould D, Moralejo D. Interventions to improve hand hygiene compliance. Cochrane Database Syst Rev. 2017;9(9):CD005186.
Vancouver in nursing and midwifery
Many NHS-facing and NMC-aligned nursing programmes require Vancouver, though some use APA or Harvard. Always confirm which your module specifies before you start, as the systems are not interchangeable.
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Frequently Asked Questions
Is Vancouver the same as Harvard?
No. Vancouver is numeric (sources numbered in order of appearance); Harvard is author–date. They use completely different in-text and reference-list formats.
Do Vancouver numbers go in order?
Yes — they are assigned in the order sources first appear in your text, and the reference list follows that same numerical order.
Is Vancouver used in nursing?
Frequently. It is common in nursing, medicine, pharmacy and the biomedical sciences, though some nursing courses use APA or Harvard — check your module guide.
How do I cite the same source twice in Vancouver?
Reuse its original number every time; do not assign it a new one.
Where do the numbers appear?
At the end of the relevant sentence or clause, either in brackets (1) or as superscript, depending on your university’s guide.