How does Vancouver in-text citation work?

A superscript or parenthetical number is placed in the text where the source is cited, for example Smith et al.¹ or (1). The same number is used for all later citations of that source.

What is the difference between Vancouver and APA?

Vancouver is a numeric style with a citation-order reference list, whereas APA is an author-date style with an alphabetical reference list. They are used in different disciplines.

Is Vancouver used in medical journals?

Yes. Vancouver (also called the ICMJE style) is the basis for citation guidelines used by many biomedical journals and was developed by the International Committee of Medical Journal Editors.

Vancouver Citation Generator

Generate accurate Vancouver citations in seconds. Search by title, DOI, ISBN, or URL — or add references manually. Free, instant, and works for books, journal articles, websites, and more.

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What is Vancouver?

Vancouver is a numeric citation style widely used in medicine, nursing, and the biomedical sciences. Sources are numbered in the order they appear in the text, and the reference list is arranged in that same citation order.

How to cite in Vancouver

Worked examples generated by CiteOrbit:

Book: [1]Kuhn TS. The Structure of Scientific Revolutions. Chicago: University of Chicago Press; 1962.
Journal article: [1]Hilal N. Anxiety and depression among medical students. European Journal of Medical and Health Sciences 2026;8:1–2. https://doi.org/10.24018/ejmed.2026.8.1.1.
Website: [1]CiteOrbit. What is a citation? CiteOrbit 2026. https://citeorbit.com/citation-generator (accessed June 20, 2026).

Vancouver FAQ

How does Vancouver in-text citation work?: A superscript or parenthetical number is placed in the text where the source is cited, for example Smith et al.¹ or (1). The same number is used for all later citations of that source.
What is the difference between Vancouver and APA?: Vancouver is a numeric style with a citation-order reference list, whereas APA is an author-date style with an alphabetical reference list. They are used in different disciplines.
Is Vancouver used in medical journals?: Yes. Vancouver (also called the ICMJE style) is the basis for citation guidelines used by many biomedical journals and was developed by the International Committee of Medical Journal Editors.