Vancouver · Standard

How to Cite a Website in Vancouver Style

Learn Vancouver citation format for websites. Medical and scientific referencing with examples.

Quick Answer

To cite a website in Vancouver style, use: Author. Title [Internet]. Place: Publisher; Year [cited Date]. Available from: URL. Vancouver is the standard citation style for medical and biomedical writing, following ICMJE (International Committee of Medical Journal Editors) recommendations. Add [Internet] after the title to indicate an online source. Include the place of publication and publisher, separated by a colon, with a semicolon before the year. The cited date goes in square brackets using Year Mon Day format with three-letter month abbreviations: [cited 2024 Mar 20]. Use "Available from:" before the URL — not "Retrieved from" or "Available at." In-text citations use numbered references in parentheses: (1). Example: World Health Organization. Diabetes [Internet]. Geneva: WHO; 2024 [cited 2024 Mar 20]. Available from: https://www.who.int/health-topics/diabetes. References are numbered in order of first appearance, similar to IEEE. CiteMe formats Vancouver citations with correct [Internet] tags and cited dates for medical and health sciences writing.

By CiteMe Editorial Team·Updated March 27, 2026

Quick answer: To cite a website in Vancouver (Standard), use this template: Author. Title [Internet]. Place: Publisher; Year [cited Date]. Available from: URL

Citation template

Author. Title [Internet]. Place: Publisher; Year [cited Date]. Available from: URL

Full example

Reference / Bibliography

World Health Organization. Diabetes [Internet]. Geneva: WHO; 2024 [cited 2024 Mar 20]. Available from: https://www.who.int/health-topics/diabetes

In-text citation

(1)

Source breakdown

author: World Health Organization
title: Diabetes
location: Geneva
publisher: WHO
year: 2024
url: https://www.who.int/health-topics/diabetes
accessDate: 2024 Mar 20

Generate this citation now

Skip the theory — generate your Vancouver citation now.

Generate Vancouver website citations

Tips

✓Include [Internet] after title for web sources
✓Use [cited Date] format for access dates
✓Use "Available from:" before URLs
✓Follow numbered citation system

Common mistakes

⚠Forgetting [Internet] designation
⚠Omitting cited date
⚠Using "Retrieved from" instead of "Available from"
⚠Incorrect date format

Before & after

Missing [Internet] designation

Wrong

World Health Organization. Diabetes. Geneva: WHO; 2024 [cited 2024 Mar 20]. Available from: https://www.who.int/health-topics/diabetes

Correct

World Health Organization. Diabetes [Internet]. Geneva: WHO; 2024 [cited 2024 Mar 20]. Available from: https://www.who.int/health-topics/diabetes

Vancouver style requires [Internet] after the title for all online sources. This tag identifies the medium and is a mandatory element of the citation.

Using "Retrieved from" instead of "Available from"

Wrong

World Health Organization. Diabetes [Internet]. Geneva: WHO; 2024 [cited 2024 Mar 20]. Retrieved from: https://www.who.int/health-topics/diabetes

Correct

World Health Organization. Diabetes [Internet]. Geneva: WHO; 2024 [cited 2024 Mar 20]. Available from: https://www.who.int/health-topics/diabetes

Vancouver uses "Available from:" before URLs. "Retrieved from" is an APA convention and "Available at:" is Harvard. Using the wrong prefix is a common cross-style error.

Wrong date format in cited date

Wrong

World Health Organization. Diabetes [Internet]. Geneva: WHO; 2024 [cited March 20, 2024]. Available from: https://www.who.int/health-topics/diabetes

Correct

World Health Organization. Diabetes [Internet]. Geneva: WHO; 2024 [cited 2024 Mar 20]. Available from: https://www.who.int/health-topics/diabetes

Vancouver uses Year Mon Day format for cited dates: [cited 2024 Mar 20]. Months are abbreviated to 3 letters without a period. Do not use full month names or American date order.