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References/Bibliography
Vancouver Style
Quick guide - How to Use it

NOTE:

· A list of references contains details only of those works cited in the text.

· A bibliography lists sources not cited in the text but which are relevant to the subject.

· Before you compile your bibliography/reference list check with your lecturer/tutor for the bibliographic style preferred by the Academic Department.

· There are many ways of setting out bibliographies and reference lists. The following are examples of one style - the Vancouver System. It is commonly used in medical and scientific journals.

· Your reference list should identify references cited (eg. book, journal article, pamphlet, cassette tape or film) in sufficient detail so that others may locate and consult your references.

· Your reference list should appear at the end of your essay/report with the entries listed numerically and in the same order that they have been cited in the text.

· If you have cited sources from the Internet, these should be in your reference list.

· The bibliography is a separate list from the reference list and should be arranged alphabetically by author or title (where no author is given).

· Punctuation marks and spaces within the bibliographic citation are very important. Follow the punctuation order in the examples given.

Indicating References in the Text of Your Essay Citing Multimedia Material
Citing a Book Citing Internet and Other Electronic Sources
Citing a Journal Article Additional Notes on the Vancouver Style
Citing Conferences
  • Tables
  • Illustrations and Figures
  • Measurement
  • Abbreviations and Symbols
  • Citing a Newspaper Article A Sample Reference List

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    n INDICATING REFERENCES IN THE TEXT OF YOUR ESSAY

    The identification of references within the text of your essay/paper may vary according to the preferred style of the journal or the preferred style of the department or lecturer. In the Vancouver style - references are identified by Arabic numbers either in round or square brackets or as superscripts. This applies to references in text, tables and figures.

    Example:

      Moir and Jessel maintain "that the sexes are interchangeable".(1)

      It is futile to maintain that the sexes are interchangeable.2

    ** It is important to BE CONSISTENT when you are referencing. **

    ·The Vancouver System assigns a number to each reference as it is cited. A number must be used even if the author(s) is named in the sentence/text.

    ·The original number assigned to the reference is reused each time the reference is cited in the text, regardless of its subsequent position in the text.

    · When multiple references are cited at a given place in the text, use a hyphen to join the first and last numbers that are inclusive. Use commas (without spaces) to separate non-inclusive numbers in a multiple citation eg [2-5,7,10] = 2,3,4,5,7,10.

    · The placement of citation numbers within text should be carefully considered, for example a particular reference may be relevant to only part of a sentence. As a general rule, reference numbers should be placed outside full-stops and commas, inside colons and semicolons, however, this may vary according to the requirements of a particular journal.

    Example:

    There have been efforts to replace mouse inoculation testing with invitro tests, such as enzyme linked immunosorbent assays57,60 or polymerase chain reaction,20-22 but these remain experimental.

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    n CITING A BOOK

    The essential details required are (in order):

    1.

    Name/s of author/s, editor/s, compiler/s or the institution responsible.

      · Where there are 6 or less authors you must list all authors.

      · Where there are 7 or more authors, only the first 6 are listed and add "et al" (et al means "and others").

      · Put a comma and 1 space between each name. The last author must have a full-stop after their initial(s).

    Format: surname (1 space) initial/s (no spaces or punctuation between initials) (full-stop OR if further names comma, 1 space)

    Example 1.1: Smith AK, Jones BC, editors.
    Example 1.2: Smith AK, Jones BC, Bloggs TC, Ashe PT, Fauci AS, Wilson JD et al.
    Example 1.3: The Cardiac Society of Australia and New Zealand.
    Example 1.4: When no author is given "Anonymous" or "Anon" is unnecessary. Use the title of the article or book.

     

    2.

    Title of publication and subtitle if any

      · Do not use italics or underlining.

      · Only the first word of journal articles or book titles (and words that normally begin with a capital letter) are capitalised.

    Format 1: title (full-stop, 1 space)

    Example 2.1: Harrison's principles of internal medicine.
    Example 2.2: Physical pharmacy: physical chemical principles in the pharmaceutical
    sciences.

     

    3.

    Edition, if other than first edition.

      · Abbreviate the word edition to "ed." (Do not confuse with editor.)

    Format: edition statement (fullstop, 1 space)

    Example 3.1: 3rd ed.

     

    4.

    Place of publication

      · If the publishers are located in more than one city, cite the name of the city that is printed first.

      · Write the place name in full.

      ·If the place name is not well known, add a comma, 1 space and the state or the country for clarification. For places in the USA, add after the place name the 2 letter postal code for the state. This must be in upper case eg. Hartford, CN (where CN=Connecticut).

    Format: place of publication (colon, 1 space)

    Example 4.1: Hartford, CN:
    Example 4.2: Texas, NSW:
    Example 4.3: Kyoto, Japan:

     

    5.

    Publisher

      · The publisher's name should be spelt out in full.

    Format: publisher (semi-colon, 1 space)

    Example 5.1: Australian Government Publishing Service;
    Example 5.2: Raven Press;
    Example 5.3: Williams & Wilkins;

     

    6.

    Year of publication.

    Format: year (full-stop, add 1 space if page numbers follow)

    Example 6.1: 1999.
    Example 6.2: 2000. p. 12-5.

     

    7.

    Page numbers (if applicable).

      · Abbreviate the word page to "p.".

      · NOTE: do not repeat digits unnecessarily - abbreviate.

    Format: p (full-stop, 1 space) page numbers (full-stop).

    Example 7.1: p. 122-9.
    Example 7.2: p. 1129-57.

     

    8.

    Series title and individual volume (if any).

      · Put in brackets.

      · Abbreviate the word volume to "vol".

    Format: (Series title (semi-colon, 1 space) vol (1 space) volume number) full-stop outside brackets

    Example 8.1: (Annals of the New York academy of sciences; vol 288).

     

    Examples of Citing Books:

    ® One to six authors

      Getzen TE. Health economics: fundamentals of funds. New York: John Wiley & Sons; 1997.

    Explanation of above citation:

    Getzen TE.[=AUTHOR] Health economics: fundamentals of funds.[=TITLE] New York:[=PLACE OF PUBLICATION] John Wiley & Sons;[=PUBLISHER] 1997.[=YEAR OF PUBLICATION]

      Lodish H, Baltimore D, Berk A, Zipursky SL, Matsudaira P, Darnell J. Molecular cell biology. 3rd ed. New York: Scientific American; 1995.

    ® More than six authors

    Give the first six names in full and add "et al". The authors are listed in the order in which they appear on the title page.

      Fauci AS, Braunwald E, Isselbacher KJ, Wilson JD, Martin JB, Kasper DL, et al, editors. Harrison's principles of internal medicine. 14th ed. New York: McGraw Hill, Health Professions Division; 1998.

    ® Editor/s

    Follow the same methods used with authors but use the word "editor" or "editors" in full after the name/s. The word editor or editors must be in lower case. (Do NOT confuse with "ed." used for edition.)

      Millares M, editor. Applied drug information: strategies for information management. Vancouver, WA: Applied Therapeutics, Inc.; 1998.

    ® Sponsored by institution, corporation or other organisation (including PAMPHLET)

      Australian Pharmaceutical Advisory Council. Integrated best practice model for medication management in residential aged care facilities. Canberra: Australian Government Publishing Service; 1997.

    Example of pamphlet (if available include additional information eg place of production, printer):

      Pharmaceutical Society of Australia. Medicines and driving [pamphlet]. Pharmaceutical Society of Australia;1998. DR-7.

    ® Package insert (leaflet supplied with medicine):

      Lamasil [package insert]. East Hanover, NJ: Sandoz Pharmaceuticals Corp; 1993.

    ® Edition (other than first)

      Blenkinsopp A, Paxton P. Symptoms in the pharmacy: a guide to the management of common illness. 3rd ed. Oxford: Blackwell Science; 1998.

    ® Chapter or part of a book to which a number of authors have contributed

      Porter RJ, Meldrum BS. Antiepileptic drugs. In: Katzung BG, editor. Basic and clinical pharmacology. 6th ed. Norwalk, CN: Appleton and Lange; 1995. p. 361-80.

    ® Dictionary and similar references

      Stedman's medical dictionary. 26th ed. Baltimore: Williams & Wilkins; 1995. Apraxia; p. 119-20.

      Note: Include the Definition looked up - in this case "Apraxia"

    ® Book in a Series

      Bennett GL, Horuk R. Iodination of chemokines for use in receptor binding analysis. In: Horuk R, editor. Chemokine receptors. New York: Academic Press; 1997. p. 134-48. (Methods in enzymology; vol 288).

      Chemokine receptors = name of the book
      Methods in enzymology = title of the series

    ®Legal Material

    Note: (s = section of act, r = regulation)

      Pharmacy Act 1976 (Qld)
      Airlines Equipment Amendment Act 1981 (Cwlth), s. 19(1)(a)(ii)
      Public Service Regulations (Cwlth), r.83(2)(a)(ii)

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    n CITING A JOURNAL ARTICLE

    The essential details required are (in order):

    1.

    Name/s of author/s of the article.

      ·See step 1 of "Citing a book" for full details.

       

    2.

    Title of article.

      ·See step 2 of "Citing a book" for full details.

    Example 2.1: Validation of an immunoassay for measurement of plasma total
    homocysteine.

     

    3.

    Title of journal (abbreviated).

      · Abbreviate title according to the style used in Medline. A list of abbreviations can be found at: http://www.nlm.nih.gov

      · Note: no punctuation is used in the abbreviated journal name.

    Format: journal title abbreviation (1 space)

    Example 3.1: Bol Soc Dent Guatem
    Example 3.2: J Mol Biol

     

    4.

    Year (and month/day if necessary*) of publication.

      · Abbreviate the month to the first 3 letters.

      · *If the journal has continuous page numbering through volume, the month/day and issue information can be omitted.

    Format: year (1 space) month (1space) day (semi-colon, no space) OR year (semi-colon, no space)

    See step 6 below for examples

     

    5.

    Volume number (and issue/part if necessary*).

      · *If the journal has continuous page numbering through volume, the month/day and issue information can be omitted.

    Format: volume number (no space) issue number in brackets (colon, no space) OR volume number (colon, no space)

    See step 6 below for examples

     

    6.

    Page numbers

      · NOTE: do not repeat digits unnecessarily

      Format: page numbers (full-stop)

      Example 6.1: (Non-continuous page numbers) - 1996 Jun 1;12(5):127-33.
      Example 5.2: (Continuous page numbers) - 1996;12:127-33.

       

    Examples of Citing Journals:

    Option 1 Non-continuous page numbers - include month/day and issue:

    Russell FD, Coppell AL, Davenport AP. In vitro enzymatic processing of radiolabelled big ET-1 in human kidney as a food ingredient. Biochem Pharmacol 1998 Mar 1;55(5):697-701.

    Explanation of above citation:

    Russell FD, Coppell AL, Davenport AP.[=AUTHORS] In vitro enzymatic processing of radiolabelled big ET-1 in human kidney as a food ingredient.[=TITLE OF ARTICLE] Biochem Pharmacol[TITLE OF JOURNAL] 1998 Mar 1[=PUBLICATION YEAR/MONTH/DAY];55(5)[=VOLUME/ISSUE NO.]:697-701[=PAGE NOS.].

    Option 2 Continuous page numbers - omit month/day and issue:

    Russell FD, Coppell AL, Davenport AP. In vitro enzymatic processing of radiolabelled big ET-1 in human kidney as a food ingredient. Biochem Pharmacol 1998;55:697-701.

    ® No author given in article

      Coffee drinking and cancer of the pancreas [editorial]. BMJ 1981;283:628.

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    n CITING CONFERENCES

    Treat the proceedings of a conference like a book, adding pertinent information about the conference and cite a presentation from the proceedings like a work in a collection of pieces by different authors:

    ®Conference Papers:

      Bengtsson S, Solheim BG. Enforcement of data protection, privacy and security in medical informatics. In: Lun KC, Degoulet P, Piemme TE, Reinhoff O, editors. MEDINFO 92. Proceedings of the 7th World Congress on Medical Informatics; 1992 Sep 6-10; Geneva, Switzerland. Amsterdam: North-Holland; 1992. p. 1561-5.

    ® Conference Proceedings:

      Kimura J, Shibasaki H, editors. Recent advances in clinical neurophysiology. Proceedings of the 10th International Congress of EMG and Clinical Neurophysiology; 1995 Oct 15-19; Kyoto, Japan. Amsterdam: Elsevier; 1996.

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    n CITING A NEWSPAPER ARTICLE

    The details may vary depending on the layout of the newspaper eg. section may not be relevant.

    Format: Author if given (full-stop, 1 space) Title of article (full-stop, 1 space) Name of newspaper (1 space) Date of edition (year Month Day) (semi-colon, no space) Section if applicable (section abbreviated to Sect.) (colon, no space) Page/s (1 space) Column number in round brackets (column abbreviated to col.) (full-stop)

      Lee G. Hospitalizations tied to ozone pollution: study estimates 50,000 admissions annually. The Washington Post 1996 Jun 21;Sect. A:3 (col. 5).

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    n CITING MULTIMEDIA MATERIAL

    The details required are the same as for a book, with the form of the item indicated in brackets after the title and edition statement.

      Get the facts (and get them organised) [videocassette]. Williamstown, Vic.: Appleseed Productions; 1990.

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    n CITING INTERNET and OTHER ELECTRONIC SOURCES

    This includes software and Internet sources such as web sites, electronic journals and databases. These sources are proliferating and the guidelines for citation are developing and subject to change. The following information is based on the recommendations of the National Library of Medicine. The basic form of the citations follow the principles listed for print sources (see above).

    In the case of sources that may be subject to alteration it is important to acknowledge the DATE THE INFORMATION WAS ACCESSED. This is particularly true for web sites that may disappear or permit changes to be made and for CD-ROMS that are updated during the year.

    Journal on the Internet

    Format: Author/s (full-stop after last author, 1 space) Title of article (full-stop, 1 space) Abbreviated title of electronic journal (1 space) [serial online] Publication year (month if applicable) (semi colon, no space) Volume number (no space) (Issue number in round brackets if applicable) (colon, no space) Number of screens in square brackets or pages (full-stop, 1 space) Available from (colon, 1 space) URL address (full-stop, 1 space) Accessed month in full, day of month (comma, 1 space) year (full-stop)

      Examples:

      Morse SS. Factors in the emergence of infectious disease. Emerg Infect Dis [serial online] 1995 Jan-Mar;1(1):[24 screens]. Available from: URL:http://www/cdc/gov/ncidoc/EID/eid.htm. Accessed December 25, 1999.

      LaPorte RE, Marler E, Akazawa S, Sauer F. The death of biomedical journals. BMJ [serial online]. 1995;310:1387-90. Available from: http://www.bmj.com/bmj/archive/6991ed2.htm. Accessed September 26,1996.

    WWW site

    (If the author is not documented, the title becomes the first element of the reference.)

    Format: Author (full-stop after last author, 1 space) Title (full-stop, 1 space) Year (if available) (semi colon) Number of screens in square brackets or pages (full-stop, 1 space) Available at (colon, 1 space) URL address (full-stop, 1 space) Accessed month in full, day of month (comma, 1 space) year (full-stop)

      Examples:

      Hoffman DL. St John's Wort. 1995;[4 screens]. Available at: URL:http://www.healthy.net/library/books/hoffman/materiamedica/stjohns.htm. Accessed July 16, 1998.

      Health on the net foundation. Health on the net foundation code of conduct (HONcode) for medical and health web sites. Available at: http://www.hon.ch/Conduct.html. Accessed June 30, 1998.

    CD-ROM

    ®Books on CD-ROM

    Format: Title (1 space) [book on CD-ROM] (full-stop, 1 space) (edition if applicable) (full-stop, 1 space) Place of production (colon, 1space) Producer (semi-colon, 1 space) Year (full-stop, 1 space) Based on (colon, 1 space) Author/s or editor/s of book (full-stop, 1 space) Title of book (full-stop, 1 space) Place of publication (colon, 1 space) Publisher (semi-colon, 1 space) Year (full-stop, 1 space) Title of CD-ROM series or database (if applicable) (full-stop)

      Examples:

      AMA drug evaluations annual 1993 [book on CD-ROM]. Jackson, WY: Teton Data Systems; 1993. Based on: Snugden R, editor. AMA drug evaluations annual 1993. Chicago, IL: American Medical Association; 1993. STAT!-Ref Medical Reference Library.

      The Oxford english dictionary [book on CD-ROM]. 2nd ed. New York, NY: Oxford University Press; 1992.

      Martindale: the complete drug reference [book on CD-ROM]. Englewood, CO: Micromedex; 1999. Based on: Parfitt K, editor. Martindale: the complete drug reference. London: Pharmaceutical Press; 1999. International Healthcare Series.

    ®Journal on CD-ROM

    Format: Author/s (full-stop, 1 space) Title of article (full-stop, 1 space) Abbreviated title of journal (1 space) [serial on CD-ROM] Year (semi-colon, no space) Volume (colon, no space) Pages (full-stop)

      Example:

      Gershon ES. Antisocial behavior. Arch Gen Psychiatry [serial on CD-ROM]. 1995;52:900-901.

    Software

    Format: Title (1 space) medium in square brackets [eg. computer program, computer file] (full-stop, 1 space) Version (full-stop, 1 space) Place of production (colon, 1 space) Producer (semi-colon, 1 space) Year (full-stop)

      Example:

      Epi Info [computer program]. Version 6. Atlanta, GA: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention; 1994.

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    n ADDITIONAL NOTES ON THE VANCOUVER STYLE:

    ® TABLES

      · Each table should be given a brief title.

      · Number each table in the text in consecutive order.

      · Explanatory matter is placed in footnotes, not in the heading.

    ®ILLUSTRATIONS and FIGURES

      · Number each figure in the text in consecutive order.

      · The original source should be acknowledged.

      · The legends should be labelled with numerals corresponding to the figures etc.

    ® MEASUREMENT

      · Length, height, weight and volume should be reported in metric units.

      · Temperatures should be in degrees Celsius.

      · Blood Pressure measured in mm of mercury.

      · All haematological and biochemistry measurements stated in SI units.

    ®ABBREVIATIONS and SYMBOLS

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    n A Sample REFERENCE LIST:

    · The following are examples of entries in a bibliography or list of references.

    · A list of references contains details only of those works cited in the text.

    · The references are listed in the same numerical order as they appear in the body of the text

      1. Getzen TE. Health economics: fundamentals and flow of funds. New York: John Wiley & Sons; 1997.

      2. Millares M, editor. Applied drug information: strategies for information management. Vancouver,WA: Applied Therapeutics, Inc.; 1998.

      3. Australian Government Publishing Service. Style manual for authors, editors and printers. 5th ed. Canberra: Australian Government Publishing Service; 1994.

      4. Australian Pharmaceutical Advisory Council. Integrated best practice model for medication management in residential aged care facilities. Canberra: Australian Government Publishing Service; 1997.

      5. Bennett GL, Horuk R. Iodination of chemokines for use in receptor binding analysis. In: Horuk R, editor. Chemokine receptors. New York: Academic Press; 1997. p. 134-48. (Methods in enzymology; vol 288).

      6. Coffee drinking and cancer of the pancreas [editorial]. BMJ 1981;283:628.

      7. Morse SS. Factors in the emergence of infectious disease. Emerg Infect Dis [serial online] 1995 Jan-Mar;1(1):[24 screens]. Available from: http://www.cdc.gov/ncidoc/EID/eid.htm. Accessed August 8, 1998.

      8. ASTEC. The networked nation. 1995 Oct 10; Available at: http://astec.gov.au/astec/net_nation/contents.html. Accessed December 5, 1995.

    If you require further information, refer to:

    Australian Government Publishing Service. Style manual for authors editors and printers. 5th ed. Canberra: Australian Government Publishing Service; 1994.

    International Committee of Medical Journal Editors. Uniform requirements for manuscripts submitted to biomedical journals. Med Educ 1999;33:66-78.

    Iverson C, Flanagin A, Fontanarosa PB, Glass RM, Glitman P, Lantz JC, et al. American Medical Association manual of style: a guide for authors and editors. 9th ed. Baltimore: Williams & Wilkins; 1998.

    Li X, Crane N. Electronic styles: a handbook for citing electronic information. Medford, NJ: Information Today; 1996.

    Ask at the Information Desk in any Branch Library.

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