Indicating the Relevant Reference in the Text
- A number in superscript format, placed in the text of the essay, indicates the relevant reference.
- Citations are numbered consecutively in the order in which they appear in the text and each citation corresponds to a numbered reference containing publication information about the source cited in the reference list at the end of the publication, essay or assignment.
- Once a source has been cited, the same number is used in all subsequent references.
- No distinction is made between print and electronic references when citing within the text.
- Here are some examples of this kind of referencing :
- The largest lesion in the first study was 10 cm.13
- The theory was first put forward in 1987.1
- Scholtz2 has argued that...
- Several recent studies3,4,15,16 have suggested that...
- For example, see 7.
- It is not necessary to mention either the author(s) or the the date of the reference unless it is relevant to your text.
- It is not necessary to say "In reference26 ...", "In26 ..." is sufficient.
Citing More Than One Reference at a Time
When citing more than one source at a time, the preferred method is to list each reference number separately with a comma or dash (without spaces) between each reference:
- 1,3,5
- 1-5
- 2-5,9,13
Including Page or Figure Numbers
Page number references are rarely included when citing within the text of an assignment or essay when using Vancouver style. However, if you wish to be specific regarding the source of information, quotations or statistics, page or figure numbers may be given in the following format:
- Westman5(pp3-5),9 reported 8 cases where vomiting occurred.
- These patients showed no sign of nausea.3(p21),4
- The incidence of the syndrome was rare.12(fig4)
