Vancouver referencing style for medical and health papers
Updated 19 October 2026
Vancouver style is used in medicine, nursing and the health sciences. Like IEEE it uses numbers instead of author names, so the text stays easy to read. Journals publish their own small variations, so always check their instructions.
At a glance
- In-text citation
- A number: [1] or (1) or a superscript, depending on the journal
- Order
- Numbers follow the order of first citation
- Reference list
- Numbered, in the order cited, not alphabetical
- Authors
- Surname and initials; many journals list the first six authors, then "et al."
- Journal names
- Abbreviated as in the NLM catalogue
- Used in
- Medicine, nursing, public health, biomedical journals
Citations in the text
The first source you cite is number 1, the next new source is 2, and so on. If you cite a source again, reuse its number. Depending on the journal the number is written in square brackets, in round brackets or as a superscript. Pick one way and use it throughout the paper.
The reference list
The list is numbered and follows the order in which sources are first cited. A common pattern for a journal article is below. The ICMJE recommendations, which many biomedical journals follow, are the usual reference for the details.
1. Author AA, Author BB. Title of the article in sentence case. J Abbrev. 2021;12(3):100-15. doi:10.xxxx/xxxxx
Quick checklist
- Numbers in the text are in order of first use and have a matching entry in the list.
- Journal names are abbreviated the way your target journal expects.
- The number style (brackets or superscript) is the same everywhere.
- You have read the instructions to authors of your journal or your course.
Common questions
Is Vancouver the same as IEEE?
Both use numbers in the order of first citation. The paper layout and the format of each reference are different: Vancouver references are compact and used in medicine, IEEE is used in engineering.
How many authors do I list in Vancouver?
Many journals ask for the first six authors followed by "et al." when there are more. Some ask for all authors. Check the journal.
Do I list references alphabetically in Vancouver?
No. They are listed by number, in the order they are first cited.
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