The Vancouver reference style, also known as the Vancouver system or the author-number system, is a citation style in which numbers are used within the text that are related to numbered entries in the reference list. The Vancouver system is popularly used in the physical sciences and is normally used in medicine. There are two referencing styles that are normally used in medicine, the Vancouver reference style and the Harvard system, which is also known as the author-date system. The Vancouver style is used by PubMed and MEDLINE. The Vancouver reference generator helps you create references in accordance to the Vancouver system.

The author-number system is used by hundreds of scientific journals. The same logic is used that numbered list entries are indicated by numbered citations. Minor details of the output such as casing of titles, punctuation and italics vary widely amongst different journals. The Vancouver reference style has existed since 1978. ‘Citing medicine’ is the latest version of the Vancouver style. Using a Vancouver reference generator helps generate references in the Vancouver style.

Regardless of the formatting details, any author-number system is referred to as the Vancouver system. In a narrower sense the Vancouver system refers to a specific author-number format that is specified by the ICMJE Recommendations (Uniform Requirements for Manuscripts, URM). In a broad sense the AMA reference style is Vancouver style because it is an author-number system conforming to the URM, but in a narrow sense the AMA reference style is not Vancouver style because when it comes to minor details the formatting differs from the PubMed/NLM style (such as if the citation numbers are bracketed and what is italicized).

For over a century the author-number system has been one of the main citation styles used in scientific journals (the other most commonly used citation style was author-date). In 1978, editors of various medical journals who form a committee called the International Committee of Medical Journal Editors, met in Vancouver, BC, Canada to decide on the requirements for articles of medical journals. The meeting led to the formation of the Uniform Requirements for Manuscripts Submitted to Biomedical Journals (URMs). The reference style is part of the URMs, and the ICMJE chose the author-number principle for this.

The Vancouver Reference Generator and AMA Generator automatically creates and formats the required citations in the Vancouver Referencing style. All that is required is to enter the details of the source to be cited and the generator will generate the relevant reference. No registration is required to use a Vancouver reference generator.

Author Bio: Leo K Wall is an academic writer and content marketer who formerly worked at a Digital Marketing Agency. Find him on Twitter here: @leokwall