Free citation generator
Vancouver Citation Generator
Paste a DOI or link and get a correct Vancouver reference plus the in-text citation in seconds. Free for students, with no sign-up needed to try it.
What a Vancouver reference looks like
Vancouver is the numbered citation system of the international medical journal editors (ICMJE), used by many biomedical journals and medical programmes. Each source gets a number on first use and keeps it for the whole paper.
Reference list entry (made-up example article)
Berg L. Climate adaptation in coastal cities. J Urban Stud. 2023;18(2):101-18.
In-text citation
(1) or [1] in citation order
Key Vancouver rules
- Cite with numbers in parentheses or brackets, (1) or [1], in order of first appearance.
- List up to 6 authors; for more, give the first 6 followed by "et al."
- Journal titles are abbreviated per the NLM catalog without periods or italics.
- End pages are compressed: 101-18 rather than 101-118.
Frequently asked questions
How do you write an in-text citation in Vancouver?
Vancouver is a numbered style: instead of the author's name, you put a number in the text that points to the numbered entry in the reference list. It looks like this: (1) or [1] in citation order
What does a Vancouver reference look like?
A journal article in Vancouver style is formatted like this (the article is a made-up example): Berg L. Climate adaptation in coastal cities. J Urban Stud. 2023;18(2):101-18.
What are the main formatting rules in Vancouver?
Cite with numbers in parentheses or brackets, (1) or [1], in order of first appearance. List up to 6 authors; for more, give the first 6 followed by "et al." Journal titles are abbreviated per the NLM catalog without periods or italics. End pages are compressed: 101-18 rather than 101-118.
Which subjects use Vancouver style?
Vancouver is most common in medicine, dentistry and the health sciences. Always check your course guide, since departments sometimes use their own variant.
Which Vancouver edition does CitApp follow?
CitApp follows the ICMJE recommendations and NLM's Citing Medicine, 2nd edition.
Is the Vancouver citation generator free?
Yes. You can generate Vancouver citations free of charge: paste a DOI or URL above and copy the result. A free account saves unlimited sources to projects, and the full reference list is free for everyone.
Keep every source organized
Save sources to projects, drag them into chapters and export a finished reference list. Free to start, no credit card.