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How to Cite an Article in Vancouver Style

Vancouver citation format for newspaper and magazine articles in medical writing.

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Quick Answer

To cite a newspaper or magazine article in Vancouver style, use: Author. Title. Publication. Year Mon Day;Section:Pages. Write author initials without periods or spaces (Smith J, not Smith, J.). The article title is plain text — no italics, no quotation marks. The publication name is also not italicized, which differs from most other citation styles. Use the full date in Year Mon Day format with three-letter month abbreviations (2024 Mar 15). If the article is from a specific section, include the section name followed by a colon and the page number. For online articles, add [Internet] after the publication name, then [cited Year Mon Day] and "Available from: URL." In-text citations use numbered references: (1). Example: Smith J. New treatment shows promise for rare disease. The Times. 2024 Mar 15;Health:12. Newspaper articles are generally considered secondary sources in medical writing — prefer peer-reviewed journal articles when possible. CiteMe formats newspaper and magazine citations in Vancouver style with correct date formatting for medical and health sciences papers.

By CiteMe Editorial Team·

Quick answer: To cite a article in Vancouver (Standard), use this template: Author. Title. Publication. Year Mon Day;Section:Pages.

Citation template

Author. Title. Publication. Year Mon Day;Section:Pages.

Full example

Reference / Bibliography

Smith J. New treatment shows promise for rare disease. The Times. 2024 Mar 15;Health:12.

In-text citation

(1)

Source breakdown

author
Smith J
title
New treatment shows promise for rare disease
site
The Times
year
2024 Mar 15
pages
12

Tips

  • Include section name when available
  • Use full date for newspapers
  • No italics needed
  • Keep numbered citation format

Common mistakes

  • Omitting the date
  • Using author-date format
  • Italicizing publication name
  • Forgetting section designation

Before & after

Using author-date instead of numbered citation

Wrong

According to Smith (2024), a new treatment shows promise...

Correct

According to a recent report (1), a new treatment shows promise...

Vancouver uses numbered references in parentheses (1), not author-date citations. Numbers are assigned in order of first appearance in the text.

Italicized publication name and wrong date format

Wrong

Smith J. New treatment shows promise. The Times. March 15, 2024;Health:12.

Correct

Smith J. New treatment shows promise for rare disease. The Times. 2024 Mar 15;Health:12.

Vancouver does not use italics for any element. Dates must follow Year Mon Day format with three-letter month abbreviations (2024 Mar 15, not March 15, 2024).

Frequently asked questions

How do I cite an online news article?

Add [Internet] after publication name and include [cited Date] and URL.

Are newspaper articles appropriate for medical papers?

Prefer peer-reviewed sources when possible. Use news articles for current events context only.

Related resources

Other Vancouver guides