Vancouver · Standard

How to Cite a Journal Article in Vancouver Style

Master Vancouver journal citations for medical and scientific papers. ICMJE compliant format.

Quick Answer

To cite a journal article in Vancouver style, use: Author AA. Article title. Journal Abbrev. Year;Volume(Issue):Pages. doi: number. Write author initials without periods or spaces (Smith JD, not Smith, J.D.). The article title is not italicized and not placed in quotation marks. Abbreviate the journal name using NLM (National Library of Medicine) standard abbreviations — for example, "N Engl J Med" for the New England Journal of Medicine. Note the punctuation pattern: a period after the journal abbreviation, then Year;Vol(Issue):Pages with no spaces around the semicolon or colon. Include the DOI using the "doi:" prefix. List up to 6 authors; for 7+, list the first 6 and add "et al." In-text citations use numbered references: (1). Example: Smith JD, Johnson MR. Treatment outcomes in clinical trials. N Engl J Med. 2023;389(12):1102-1115. doi:10.1056/NEJMoa2301234. CiteMe retrieves PubMed-indexed articles and formats them in Vancouver style with verified NLM journal abbreviations.

By CiteMe Editorial Team·Updated March 27, 2026

Quick answer: To cite a journal article in Vancouver (Standard), use this template: Author AA. Article title. Journal Abbrev. Year;Volume(Issue):Pages. doi:

Citation template

Author AA. Article title. Journal Abbrev. Year;Volume(Issue):Pages. doi:

Full example

Reference / Bibliography

Smith JD, Johnson MR. Treatment outcomes in clinical trials. N Engl J Med. 2023;389(12):1102-1115. doi:10.1056/NEJMoa2301234.

In-text citation

(1)

Source breakdown

author: Smith JD, Johnson MR
title: Treatment outcomes in clinical trials
site: N Engl J Med
year: 2023
pages: 1102-1115
url: doi:10.1056/NEJMoa2301234

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Tips

✓Use standard journal abbreviations
✓No spaces in author initials
✓Include DOI when available
✓Use numbered references in order of appearance

Common mistakes

⚠Not abbreviating journal names
⚠Spaces between author initials
⚠Omitting the DOI
⚠Italicizing journal names (not required)

Before & after

Spaces and periods in author initials

Wrong

Smith, J.D., Johnson, M.R. Treatment outcomes in clinical trials. N Engl J Med. 2023;389(12):1102-1115.

Correct

Smith JD, Johnson MR. Treatment outcomes in clinical trials. N Engl J Med. 2023;389(12):1102-1115.

Vancouver writes author initials without periods, spaces, or commas before them. Write "Smith JD" not "Smith, J.D." — this compact format is a defining feature of Vancouver style.

Unabbreviated journal name

Wrong

Smith JD, Johnson MR. Treatment outcomes in clinical trials. New England Journal of Medicine. 2023;389(12):1102-1115.

Correct

Smith JD, Johnson MR. Treatment outcomes in clinical trials. N Engl J Med. 2023;389(12):1102-1115.

Vancouver requires abbreviated journal names following NLM (National Library of Medicine) standards. Use the PubMed/NLM catalog to find correct abbreviations.

Spaces around semicolon and colon in volume notation

Wrong

Smith JD, Johnson MR. Treatment outcomes in clinical trials. N Engl J Med. 2023; 389 (12): 1102-1115.

Correct

Smith JD, Johnson MR. Treatment outcomes in clinical trials. N Engl J Med. 2023;389(12):1102-1115.

Vancouver uses no spaces around the semicolon between year and volume or the colon between issue and pages. The compact format Year;Vol(Issue):Pages is mandatory.