QuickRef 14d

Citing sources - sequential numbering (Vancouver)

Used for Medicine, Humanities

With this system each source is given a number in the order in which it is first cited in the text. Whenever the source is referred to again, the same reference number is used. A list of references provides details of all the cited texts, listed in numerical order, on a separate page at the end of the paper.

Note: There is some variation in the formatting of citations even within a particular referencing style. Always check your own faculty department's guidelines and be consistent in whatever format you use.

In-text citations

• Numbering should be consecutive (1, 2, 3, 4) throughout the chapter or paper.
• Citations should be placed in square brackets at the end of the sentence either before or after the full stop. Check whether your department has a preference. Either square [ ] or curved brackets ( ) can be used as long as it is consistent, or superscripts can be used instead of brackets. For example:

The history of educational innovations is far from encouraging.[3]

The history of educational innovations is far from encouraging. ³

• Within a sentence, citations should be placed before commas, semi-colons or colons. For example:

The history of educational innovations is far from encouraging [3]; nevertheless,some advances have been made.

• If the author's surname is included in the text it should be followed immediately by the reference number in brackets. For example:

Henman [1] states that...

• If the citation contains more than one work the reference numbers should appear within one set of brackets, separated by commas:

...our social history [2,5]

• If the citation is a direct quote, the page number or numbers must be given:

Swales [2, p. 42] points out that 'the propensity for early categorization can lead to failure'.

Wilson [5, pp. 30-33] states that 'university employees should be valued for their contribution to society'.

List of references

For books, book chapters, journals, or periodicals, the information should be in this order:

• author's family name followed by initials, or editor's name (for edited book)
• title of paper (in journal) or chapter (in book)
• editor's name (for chapter in an edited book)
• title of the book, journal or periodical with subtitle (if any) separated by a colon (:)
• edition (for book, if other than 1st edition)
• copyright date (year, month, day) and volume (issue) numbers (for journal)
• place of publication (for book) followed by a colon (:)
• publisher's name (if applicable) followed by a semi-colon (;)
• year of publication (for book)
• page numbers (for book chapter or journal article)

For online sources, the information should follow the same basic order and include the type of medium, the URL and the date you accessed the page. Note: A PDF version of a journal article is listed as for a hardcopy version.

• name of the author, editor or authoring organisation
• title of the page (look in the bar at the top of your browser)or online journal article
• title of the site (go to the site's homepage) or online journal
• type of medium in square brackets ('online' for a web page or listserv, 'CD-ROM', 'networked CD-ROM', 'electronic' if you are not sure which)
• date the page was last updated or copyright date (year, month,day)
• date you accessed the page in square brackets
• volume and issue numbers (for online journal)
• the full internet address (URL) of the page (i.e. http://etc.), underlined, or the distributor (for CD-ROMS and networked databases). For an article from an electronic database, include the accession number if possible.

Example list of references

1. Henman P. Myths of welfare reform. Aust J Soc Issues. 2002; 37(1):71-84.
2. Palmer GR, Short SD. Healthcare and public policy: an Australian analysis. 3rd ed. South Yarra, Vic: Macmillan; 2000.
3. Ansari A. Langevin modes of analysis of myoglobin. J Chem Phys [online journal]. 1999 [cited 2003 July 2]; 110 (3).
4. International Narcotics Control Board [online]. 2002 [cited 2 July 2002].
5. Austroads. Rural road design. Guide to the geometric design of rural roads. Sydney, NSW: Austroads; 1999.
6. Goldschmidt S, Junghagen S, Harris U. Strategic affiliate marketing. Cheltenham: Edward Elgar Publishing; 2003.
7. Burka LP. A hypertext history of multi-user dungeons [online] 2003 [updated 2003 November 22; cited 2004 January 22].
8. Sked A. The political parties. In: Hollowell J, editor. Britain since 1945. Oxford: Blackwell; 2003. p. 40-58.
9. Royal Adelaide Hospital; University of Adelaide, Department of Clinical Nursing. Compendium of nursing research and practice development, 1999-2000. Adelaide, SA: Adelaide University; 2001.
10. Brack EV. Re: Computing short courses. Lis-link [online]. 1995 May 2 [cited 2003 April 17].
11. Dowling RK. Politics of ethical behaviour. N Engl J Med. [networked CD-ROM]. 1999 [cited 2002 May 21] 12:5, 63-65:1. Available from: Tour CD/CAB Abstracts/CAB International/19991811764
12. Paige RM, editor. Education for the intercultural experience. Maine: Intercultural Press; 1993.

Other useful references

International Committee of Medical Journal Editors Uniform Requirements

Database of Journal Abbreviations

Style manual for authors, editors and printers 2002, 6th edn, John Wiley and Sons, Australia

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