• Only the author's initials are given, regardless of the presentation of the author's name on the journal article.
• List the first six authors followed by et al.
• Capitalisation practice should also be consistent
• Capitalise only the first word of the article title, proper nouns and acronyms.
• The titles of journals should be abbreviated as they appear in the NLM Catalog.
• Volume, issue and page numbers are given but not labeled.
• To indicate a page range use 123-9, 126-34 or 111-222. If you refer to only one page, use only 111.
• Include the name of the full text database used to source the article (e.g. ProQuest, ScienceDirect and PsycARTICLES).
• Include the DOI of the article.
• If no DOI is available, include the complete internet address.
When including the internet address of articles retrieved from searches in full-text databases, please use the Recommended URLs for Full-text Databases, which are the URLs for the main entrance to the service and are easier to reproduce.
Standard format for citation
Journal article from a full text database:
DOI available:
|
#. Author A, Author B. Title of article. Abbreviated Title of Journal. year;vol(no):page numbers. doi:10.XXX/XXXXX.XX. |
No DOI available:
|
#. Author A, Author B. Title of article. Abbreviated Title of Journal [format]. year [cited year abbreviated month day];vol(no):page numbers. Available from: Internet address. |
Journal article from the internet:
DOI available:
|
#. Author A, Author B. Title of article. Abbreviated Title of Journal. year;vol(no):page numbers. doi:10.XXX/XXXXX.XX. |
No DOI available
|
#. Author A, Author B. Title of article. Abbreviated Title of Journal [format]. year [cited year abbreviated month day];vol(no):page numbers. Available from: Internet address. |
From print journal:
|
#. Author of article AA, Author of article BB, Author of article CC. Title of article. Abbreviated Title of Journal. Year;vol(issue):page number(s). |
Journal article from a full text database
1. Palsson G, Hardardottir KE. For whom the cell tolls: debates about biomedicine (1). Curr Anthropol. 2002;43(2):271+. doi:10.1086/338302.
2. Abalos E, Carroli G, Mackey ME. The tools and techniques of evidence-based medicine. Best Pract Res Clin Obstet Gynaecol. 2005;19(1):15-26. doi:10.1016/j.bpogyn.2004.10.008.
3. Allen C, Crake D, Wilson H, Buchholz A. Polycystic ovary syndrome and a low glycemic index diet. Can J Diet Pract Res [Internet]. 2005 [cited 2005 Jun 30];Summer:3. Available from: http://il.proquest.com.
Journal article from the internet
4. Scholz T. Evidence based medicine: from science to patient. J Tissue Sci Eng. 2012;3:e113. doi: 10.4172/2157-7552.1000e113.
5. Eisen SA, Kang HK, Murphy FM, Blanchard MS, Reda DJ, Henderson WG, et al. Gulf War veterans' health: medical evaluation of a U.S. cohort? Ann Intern Med [Internet]. 2005 [cited 2005 Jun 30];142(11):881+. Available from: http://www.annals.org/.
6. Sillick TJ, Schutte NS. Emotional intelligence and self-esteem mediate between perceived early parental love and adult happiness. E-Jnl Appl Psych [Internet]. 2006 [cited 2010 Aug 6];2(2):38–48. Available from: http://ojs.lib.swin.edu.au/index.php/ejap/article/view/71/100.
Journal article from a preprint database
7. Kording KP, Mensch B. Ten simple rules for structuring papers. BioRxiv [preprint]. 2016 bioRxiv 088278 [posted 2016 Nov 28; revised 2016 Dec 15; revised 2016 Dec 15; cited 2017 Feb 9]: [12 p.]. Available from: https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1101/088278v5.
Journal article from a print journal
1. Drummond PD. Triggers of motion sickness in migraine sufferers. Headache. 2005;45(6):653-6.
2. Halpern SD, Ubel PA, Caplan AL. Solid-organ transplantation in HIV-infected patients. N Engl J Med. 2002;347(7):284-7.
3. Geck MJ, Yoo S, Wang JC. Assessment of cervical ligamentous injury in trauma patients using MRI. J Spinal Disord. 2001;14(5):371-7.
Journal article from a print journal: More than six authors
4. Gillespie NC, Lewis RJ, Pearn JH, Bourke ATC, Holmes MJ, Bourke JB, et al. Ciguatera in Australia: occurrence, clinical features, pathophysiology and management. Med J Aust. 1986;145:584-90.
Journal article from a print journal: No author
5. 21st century heart solution may have a sting in the tail. BMJ. 2002;325(7537):184.
Journal article from a print journal: Organization as author
6. Diabetes Prevention Program Research Group. Hypertension, insulin, and proinsulin in participants with impaired glucose tolerance. Hypertension. 2002;40(5):679-86.
Journal article from a print journal: Volume with supplement
7. Geraud G, Spierings EL, Keywood C. Tolerability and safety of frovatriptan with short- and long-term use for treatment of migraine and in comparison with sumatriptan. Headache. 2002;42 Suppl 2:S93-9.
Journal article from a print journal: Issue with supplement
8. Glauser TA. Integrating clinical trial data into clinical practice. Neurology. 2002;58(12 Suppl 7):S6-12.
Journal article from a print journal: Volume with part
9. Abend SM, Kulish N. The psychoanalytic method from an epistemological viewpoint. Int J Psychoanal. 2002;83(Pt 2):491-5.
Journal article from a print journal: Issue with part
10. Ahrar K, Madoff DC, Gupta S, Wallace MJ, Price RE, Wright KC. Development of a large animal model for lung tumors. J Vasc Interv Radiol. 2002;13(9 Pt 1):923-8.
Journal article from a print journal: Issue with no volume
11. Banit DM, Kaufer H, Hartford JM. Intraoperative frozen section analysis in revision total joint arthroplasty. Clin Orthop. 2002;(401):230-8.
Journal article from a print journal: Forthcoming
12. Staartjes VE, Siccoli A, de Wispelaere MP, Schröder, ML. Do we need 2 years of follow-up? Spine J. Forthcoming 2019.
• A digital object identifier (DOI) is a unique alpha-numeric string used to identify electronic documents and provides a persistent link to its location on the internet.
• A DOI is assigned to a document when it is published.
• All DOI numbers begin with 10 and contain a prefix of four or more digits and a suffix separated by a slash: 10.1037/0278-6133.27.3.379.
• When referencing a document with a DOI in Vancouver style, the information regarding the doi should be given in the following format: doi:10.1037/0278-6133.27.3.379.
• A DOI is usually located with the author and title information or on the first page of an electronic article. You may need to open the abstract or full text of an article to find it.
• When referencing an electronic document;
• Include the DOI if one is assigned.
• If no DOI is assigned, include the internet address.