How to Cite Articles in Periodicals in Vancouver Style

How to cite articles?

Well, it depends.

You should pay attention to the number of authors, volume and issue numbers, etc.

However, our samples will help you to make sure that everything is formatted correctly.

First of all, mind the general format:

Author A, Author B. Article title. Journal title abbreviation. Year Month shortened;vol(no): page-page.

The titles of scholarly journals from which cited articles are taken need to be abbreviated based on the generally accepted standards.

The list of correct abbreviations of the scholarly journals is provided by the U.S. National Library of Medicine (NLM).

In our citation examples we use the following color coding:

  • Red – Author
  • Blue – Title of book/article/charter/webpage
  • Pink – Date
  • Green – Title of journal
  • Black – Volume/Issue
  • Sienna – Pages
  • Gray – URL/database/website where the source is retrieved
  • Peach – Additional information about the source (i.e. its type, specific features etc.)

Journal article (print source)

Example:

15. Jones E, Shi L, Hayashi AS, Sharma R, Daly C, Ngo-Metzger Q. Access to oral health care: the role of federally qualified health centers in addressing disparities and expanding access. Am J Public Health. 2013 March;103(3): 488-493.

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Journal article for more than six authors

Note that in an article that has more than six authors, only the first six names are listed. The other names are replaced with ‘et al.’

Example:

16. Melville JL, Reed SD, Russo J, Croicu CA, Ludman EL, Cockburn AL, et al. Improving care for depression in obstetrics and gynecology: a randomized controlled trial. Obstet Gynecol, 2014 Jun;123(6): 1237-1246.

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Article without an author

Skip the author statement when an article without a known author is cited.

Example:

17. Evidence-based nutrition principles and recommendations for the treatment and prevention of diabetes and related complications. Diabetes Care 2002 Jan;25(suppl 1): s50-s60.

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Article authored by an organization

Similarly to the example of a book authored by an organization, an article by an organization will have the organization’s name put in the author statement area.

Example:

18. American Diabetes Association. Report of the expert committee on the diagnosis and classification of diabetes mellitus. Diabetes Care 2002 Jan;25(suppl 1): s5-s20.

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Article issue with a supplement

Example:

19. Herman HE. Patients’ rights in the European Union: cross-border care as an example of the right to health care. Eur J Public Health 1997 Sep;7(3) Suppl: 11-17.

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Article volume with a supplement

Example:

20. Chang WY. A study on the key success factors of service quality for international hotels. AOEcon 2014;64 Suppl 3: 20-25.

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Articles that are in press or are forthcoming

Forthcoming articles are the ones that have not been published yet. When citing this type of article, it is necessary to add ‘Forthcoming year’ at the end of the citation.

Example:

21. van Haveren R, Ogryczak W, Verduijn G, Keijzer M, Heijmen B, Breedveld S. Fast and fuzzy multi-objective radiotherapy treatment plan generation for head-and-neck cancer patients with the lexicographic reference point method (LRPM). IOPScience. Forthcoming 2016.

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Article from an online source (without known page numbers)

Example:

22. Vaziri D, Aal K, Ogonowski C, Von Rekowski T, Kroll M, Marston H, et al. Exploring user experience and technology acceptance for a fall prevention system: results from a randomized clinical trial and a living lab. Eur Rev Aging Phys Act [Internet]. 2016 Jun [cited 2017 Jan 24];13:6 [about 3 p.]. Available from: BioMed Central.

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Article from a library or a subscribed database

Example:

23. Vaziri D, Aal K, Ogonowski C, Von Rekowski T, Kroll M, Marston H, et al. Exploring user experience and technology acceptance for a fall prevention system: results from a randomized clinical trial and a living lab. Eur Rev Aging Phys Act [Internet]. 2016 Jun [cited 2017 Jan 24]; 13:6-8. Available from: PubMed.

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Article from the Internet

Example:

24. Weston M, Roberts D. The influence of quality improvement efforts on patient outcomes and nursing work: a perspective from chief nursing officers at three large health systems. OJIN [Internet]. 2013 Sep [cited 2017 Jan 23]; 18(3): n.p. Available from: http://www.nursingworld.org/Quality-Improvement-on-Patient-Outcomes.html.

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Further study