BibTeX to Vancouver Converter
Paste BibTeX entries and get ICMJE-compliant Vancouver numbered references for your medical paper. Works with .bib files from Overleaf, Zotero, Mendeley, JabRef. Free, no signup.
Free to use — no account required
What to do next
How it works
Step 1
Paste your BibTeX
Copy BibTeX entries from your .bib file, Overleaf, Zotero, Mendeley, or JabRef. Paste one or more @article, @book, or @inproceedings entries.
Step 2
Convert to Vancouver
CiteMe parses the BibTeX fields and builds an ICMJE-compliant Vancouver reference numbered in your input order — surname-initials authors, abbreviated journal titles, year-volume-pages.
Step 3
Copy your Vancouver references
Get numbered Vancouver references for your medical paper. 1. Smith JD, Johnson MR. Article title. Nat Med. 2024;29(4):123-145.
Why use CiteMe for BibTeX to Vancouver?
ICMJE / NLM Vancouver
Author surnames with initials (no commas: Smith JD), abbreviated journal titles preserved, year-volume-issue-pages, DOI optional. Up to 6 authors before "et al."
All BibTeX Entry Types
@article, @book, @inproceedings (conference), @phdthesis, @incollection, @misc — each formatted with the Vancouver rule for that source kind.
Works with Overleaf
Convert a LaTeX project's .bib to Vancouver for medical journals that don't use BibTeX. Keep BibTeX for your LaTeX build; export Vancouver for submissions.
Numbered in Citation Order
Vancouver numbering matches the order you cite — paste BibTeX in manuscript order and the converter assigns numbers automatically. No reordering needed.
BibTeX to Vancouver — example
BibTeX input
@article{smith2024ml,
author = {Smith, John D. and
Johnson, Maria R.},
title = {Machine Learning in
Healthcare Diagnostics},
journal = {Nat Med},
year = {2024},
volume = {29},
number = {4},
pages = {123--145},
doi = {10.1038/s41591-024-0001}
}Vancouver (ICMJE) output
In-text: as shown1
Works with BibTeX from anywhere
Overleaf
Copy the content of your .bib file directly from the Overleaf editor.
Zotero
Right-click references > Export Items > BibTeX (.bib).
Mendeley
File > Export > BibTeX. Paste the exported file content.
JabRef
Native BibTeX — open your .bib file and copy entries directly.
PubMed (via Zotero)
Send PubMed records to Zotero, then export as BibTeX. Useful for medical literature.
Google Scholar
Click the cite icon under any result > BibTeX. Copy the entry.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do I convert BibTeX to Vancouver style?
Paste your BibTeX entries into CiteMe. The tool parses the BibTeX fields (author, title, journal, year, doi) and formats each entry as a numbered Vancouver / ICMJE reference — author surnames with initials (no commas), abbreviated journal title, year-volume-issue-pages, exactly the format used in medical journals.
Is this Vancouver or ICMJE Vancouver?
They're the same in everyday use. Vancouver style was originally codified by the International Committee of Medical Journal Editors (ICMJE) and refined by NLM for Index Medicus / PubMed. CiteMe outputs the modern ICMJE-compliant format used by most medical journals.
Why convert BibTeX to Vancouver instead of writing them by hand?
Many medical researchers manage references in BibTeX (Overleaf, JabRef, Zotero) but their target journal requires Vancouver. Manually rewriting authors, abbreviating journal titles, and re-numbering by citation order is tedious and error-prone. CiteMe does it in one paste.
Does it abbreviate journal titles per ICMJE?
CiteMe preserves the journal title as it appears in your BibTeX. If your `journal` field already contains an NLM/ICMJE abbreviation (e.g., "N Engl J Med", "JAMA"), the output is correct as-is. For full titles, double-check abbreviations against the NLM Catalog before submitting.
How does Vancouver differ from APA on the same BibTeX entry?
Vancouver uses superscript numbers in-text (e.g., "as shown¹") instead of author-year. The reference list is numbered in citation order, not alphabetical. Authors use surname-initials with no commas (Smith JD), and there are up to 6 authors before "et al."
Does it handle conference papers (@inproceedings)?
Yes. @inproceedings formats as "1. Smith JD, Johnson MR. Paper title. In: Proceedings Name. City: Publisher; 2024:123-145." with conference name, location, and proceedings page range pulled from BibTeX fields.
Is this suitable for systematic reviews?
Yes. On Pro you can paste hundreds of BibTeX entries from PubMed (exported as RIS, then converted to BibTeX in your manager) and get a complete numbered reference list. Numbered in citation order means manuscript and reference list match without manual reordering.
Keep the medical reference workflow moving
After converting BibTeX to Vancouver, the next step is usually checking citations against your manuscript draft, importing PubMed records, or formatting an Endnote library for a separate APA-required course.
Paste BibTeX. Get Vancouver numbered references. No signup required.
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