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Vancouver Rules

Many associations at a global level have been in charge of establishing specific criteria on the bibliographic regulations to be followed in the writing and publication of scientific research projects. The most followed ones are those of the American Psychological Association (APA), the Associação Brasileira de Technical Standards (ABNT) and the Vancouver style.

The following paragraphs are intended to contemplate the different possibilities that the researcher can use at the time of writing and citing the bibliography following the Vancouver style criteria.

The basic guidelines are:

  • General regulations for citations in the text
  • Tables and figures
  • Bibliographical references at the end of the text

Furthermore, when using the Vancouver style, a series of premises must be known:

  • Any research starts with a pre-existing information, consequently, original sources must always be cited. Otherwise, you are plagiarizing.
  • Every citation needs to be adequately quoted (source, year and publisher, author(s), and so on).
  • Citation style always matches the corresponding means (it differs, for example, a book needs a different citation than an article).
  • During the writing process, the citation must appear simultaneously in two ways: in-text citation and in the section called “references list”.

1. Background: Vancouver style

The Vancouver System emerged in 1978, when a group of medical journal publishers met in Vancouver (Canada) with the purpose of establishing the format regulations for the articles submitted to be published in journals. As a result of this team’s work, in 1979, guidelines for all types of publications were introduced, including a bibliographic reference model developed by the U.S National Library of Medicine.

In addition, the Vancouver Group, as it is known, formed the International Committee of Medical Journal Editors (ICMJE). The Uniformity Requirements are established at their regular meetings, which include reviews and adjustments to the publishing regulations depending on the demands of their members.

The Vancouver style is one of the most used in the Health Sciences area.

2. General regulations for in-text citations

The in-text citation is a paragraph or idea drawn from the work of another author whose purpose is to support, say or contrast the idea’s development. A distinction is made between direct and indirect citations.

The inclusion of the bibliographic citations in the text and at the text’s end is essential in the research report, because it reflects the work done in the investigation.

2.1. Direct citations

These are the verbatim transcripts of paragraphs extracted from an author’s work, i.e. words of one author that should be recognized and considered, without any kind of doubt in this regard.

Direct citations are enclosed within quotation marks. The number corresponding to the bibliographic citation will be placed in parentheses following the author.

The extension of a citation determines its location in the text:

Citations up to 3 lines

They should be included in the same paragraph and highlighted with double quotation marks.

Example
According to the WHO (5), “non-communicable diseases (NCD) are the main cause of mortality worldwide, because they cause more deaths than all other causes combined”.

Citations longer than 3 lines

Longer transcripts must appear in a separate paragraph, and highlighted with double quotation marks.

Example
The Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC), the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) and the Inter-American Institute for Cooperation on Agriculture (IICA) (6) state that:

“The world scenario of increase and volatility in food prices experienced in recent years has had a negative impact in the economies of the Caribbean. With the exception of Belize and Guyana, this subregion exhibits an important reliance on the world market for its food supply, since it imports between 60% and 80% to cover its needs.”

2.2. Indirect citations

These are free citations that the author rephrases without losing the original meaning, i.e. the author expresses in his/her own words the ideas of another author.

Since the ideas are contained in the used source and rephrased in the words of the author, the Vancouver citations do not require the use of double quotation marks.

  • The number corresponding to the bibliographic citation will be placed in parentheses following the author.
  • In case of more than one citation, they must be separated by commas; for example: (1.2). If they are correlated, the first and the last one are cited, separated by a dash, for example: (1-3).
  • If the text refers to an author, the reference number is placed after the name of the author. In case of a work that has been undertaken by more than two authors, the first of them is cited followed by the abbreviation “et al.” and the reference number.
Example
The BMI provides the most useful measure of overweight and obesity in the population, since it is the same for both genders and for adults of all ages. However, it must be considered as an indicative because it is possible that it does not correspond to the same level of thickness in different people (7).

According to the WHO (7), the BMI provides the most useful measure of overweight and obesity in the population, since it is the same for both genders and for adults of all ages. However, it must be considered as an indicative because it is possible that it does not correspond to the same level of thickness in different people.

2.3. Tables and figures

Tables and figures should complement the development of the research report. They must be located all over the text, after the paragraph to which they refer.

The considerations to be taken into account are:

  • At the left top of the table you must include:
    • In the first place, the numbering (on the Formal aspects the format to be followed in the numbering of tables and figures is described; everything is available in the first step of the Step II of the Final Project Rules).
    • Right after the numbering, the heading of the table or figure.
    • And right after the title, the corresponding bibliographic citation in parentheses.
  • Following the heading, the table or figure is included.
  • In case you need to include explanatory notes, they are placed right below the table or figure (not in the title), using the following sequence of symbols: *, **, ***, etc.
  • When the table or figure is of your own, omit the source.
Examples
Table 1. Definitions of abnormalities in the excretion of albumin (8).
Category μg/mg creatinine
Normal  <30
Increased excretion of albumin in urine* ≥30
* Historically, ratios between 30 and 299 have been considered as microalbuminuria and ≥ 300 as macroalbuminuria (or clinic albuminuria).
Figure 1. Direct health care expenses as a percentage of total health expenses, 2013 (9).

3. Bibliographical references at the end of the text

In the regulations defined by Vancouver, the pattern for the references is mostly based on the ANSI standard style adapted by the National Library of Medicine (NLM). In addition to the examples available in the sequence of this chapter, you can consult other references on the web page: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK7256/?amp=&depth=2

Aspects to be taken into account:

  • Number the references consecutively in the order in which they are mentioned for the first time in the text. Tables, legends, and references will be identified by arabic numbers in parentheses.
  • The bibliographic references are not included as footnotes. All the consulted documents are written in the Bibliography section.
  • Including only those references which have been personally consulted by the authors is recommended. It is understood that citing through the opinions of third parties can lead to atributting non-existing points of view.

3.1. Books and monographs

  • The references that the Vancouver regulations follow in which there are several authors, include the names separated by commas and no full stop after the name’s initial letter. If there are more than six authors, after mentioning the first six ones, include the expression “et al.”.
  • There is no need to indicate the edition if it is the first one. In case of several editions, the corresponding edition must always be in arabic numerals and abbreviated (for example: 5th ed).
  • If the work has more than one volume, you must cite below the book title (for example: Vol. 2).

3.1.1. Individual authors

The format is the following:

Author/s. Book title. Edition. Publication place: Publisher; year.

Examples
One author:

Cruz RM. Avaliação psicológica. 2nd ed. São Paulo: Casa do Psicólogo; 2004.

Butler SW. Secrets from the black bag. London: The royal college of General Practicioners;2005.

2 to 6 authors:

Koolman J, Röhm K-H. Bioquímica Humana. Texto y atlas. 4th ed. Madrid: Editorial Médica Panamericana; 2012.

Cheers B, Darracott R, Lonne B. Social care practice in rural communities. Sydney: The Federation Press; 2007.

More than six authors:

Azpitarte M, Butrón P, Castillo F, González Puertas F, Díaz Cabiale JA, Guerrero MC et al. El principio constitucional de intervención incidiaria. Granada: Grupo Editorial Universitario; 2000.

Hofmery GJ, Neilson JP, Alfirevic Z, Crowther CA, Gulmezoglu AM, Hodnett ED et al. A Cochrane pocketbook: Pregnancy and childbirth. Chichester, West Sussex, England: John Wiley & Sons LÑtd; 2008.

3.1.2. As authors: publishers, editors and organizations

The Vancouver regulations difference citations that contain:

  • Director(s), compiler(s) as author.
  • Author(s) and editor(s).
  • Organization as author.
Examples
Director(s), compiler(s) as author:

Serna MC de la, coordinador. Tecnologías de la información y comunicación para la formación de docentes. Madrid: Pirámide; 2005.

Espinás Boquet J, coordinador. Guía de actuación en Atención Primaria. 2nd ed. Barcelona: Sociedad Española de Medicina; 2002.

Author(s) and editor(s).

Breedlove GK, Schorfheide AM. Adolescent pregnancy. 2nd ed. Wieczorek RR, editor. White Plains (NY): March of Dimes Education Services; 2001.

Mataix J. Nutrición y alimentación humana I. Nutrientes y alimentos. 2nd ed. Serra L, Sánchez de Medina F, Salas I Salvador J, Martínez JA, Rodríguez Navarrete G, López Magdalena, et al, editores. Madrid: Ergon; 2009.

Organization as author:

Royal Adelaide Hospital. Compendium of nursingresearch and practice development 1999-2000. Adelaide: Adelaide University; 2001.

American Psychiatric Association. Guías clínicas para el tratamiento de los trastornos psiquiátricos. Barcelona: Ars MEDICA; 2004.

3.1.3. Book chapter

The format for book chapters is:

Author/s of the chapter. Title of the chapter. In: Director/Coordinator/ Editor of the book. Book title. Edition. Publication place: Publisher; year. First-last page of the chapter.

Examples
Mataix Verdú J, Martínez de Victoris Muñoz E. Sistema digestivo. Bases fisiológicas. In: Mataix Verdú J, editor. Nutrición y alimentación humana. Vol 1. Majadahonda: Ergon; 2002. p. 3-25.

Speroff L. Fritz MA. Clinical gynaecologic endocrinology and infertility. 7th ed. Philadelphia: Lippincott Williams and Wilkins, 2005. Chapter 29, Endometriosis; p.1103-33.

3.1.4. Other Book Formats

Below are different cases of books that have some feature that differences them from the ones described above.

Examples
Book with several editions or reprints:

Severino AJ. Metodologia do Trabalho Científico. 23rd ed. São Paulo: Cortez; 2007.

Murtagh J, John Murtagh´s General practice. 4th ed. Sydney: McGraw-hill Australia Pty Ltd; 2007.

Book in press:

Tian D, Araki H, Stahl E, Bergelson J, Kreitman M. Signature of balancing selection in Arabidopsis. Proc Natl Acad Sci USA. In Press 2002.

Leshner AI. Molecular mechanisms of cocaine addiction. N Engl J Med. In Press 1997.

Book when the author is an agency or institution:

Unibave. Plano de Desenvolvimento Institucional. Orleans: Unibave; 2008.

WHO. Equity, Social, determinants and public health programmes. Geneve: WHO; 2010.

Book without author:

A guide for women with early breast cancer. Sydney: National Breast Cancer; 2003.

Manual de estilo da APA. Reglas básicas (2006). Porto Alegre, RS: Artmed Editor.

3.1.5. Monographs on the Internet

For monographs on the Internet, the following items are included:

Author/s or Director/Coordinator/Editor. Title [monograph on the Internet]*. Edition. Publication place: Publisher; year [consultation date]**. Available from: Electronic address.

*[Monograph on the Internet] or [On-line Monograph] or [Internet] or [Book on the Internet]

**[Access date…] or [Viewed…] or [Cited…].

Example
Fundación Española de la Nutrición. Libro blanco de la nutrición en España [Internet]. Madrid: Spanish Nutrition Foundation (nPS); 2013 [cited 2014 April 3]. Available from:http://www.fesnad.org/pdf/Libro_Blanco_FEN_2013.pdf

3.2. Scientific journal

To cite articles of scientific journals, the Vancouver style indicates that:

  • Same as in the case of books, if there are several authors, include names separated by commas and no full stop after the name’s initial letter. If there are more than six authors, after mentioning the first six ones, include the expression “et al.”.
  • Journal titles, in turn, must be abbreviated according to the style that the Index Medicus uses. More information can be found on the “List of journals indexed in Index Medicus” in http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/. To access to the list of journals indexed for MEDLINE, which has an annual separate publication by the National Library of Medicine, see the webpage http://www.nlm.nih.gov/tsd/serials/lji.html. In case of abbreviations of Spanish journals, you can look at the 17 catalog (http://www.c17.net/) and the directory of Spanish journals from the CSIC – The Spanish National Research Council (http://bddoc.csic.es:8080/index.jsp).
  • The number and the month is optional if the journal has a continuous paging along the volume.

For a standard article, the elements to be included in the references according to these regulations are:

Author/s Title of the article. Abbreviated name of the magazine. Year; Volume (Number): first-last page of the article.

Examples
Medrano MJ, Cerrato E, Boix R, Delgado-Rodríguez M. Factores de riesgo cardiovascular en la población española: metaanálisis de estudios transversales. Med Clin (Barc). 2005; 124(16): 606-12.

Maceira D, Paraje G, Aramayo F, Duarte Masi S, Sánchez D. Financiamiento público de la investigación en salud en cinco países de América Latina. Rev Panam Salud Publica. 2010; 27(6): 442-51.

3.2.1. Scientific journal article on the Internet

For the journal article on the Internet, references include:

Author/s of the article. Title of the article. Name of the magazine [journal on the Internet]* year [cited date]**; volume (number): first-last page of the article***. Available from: Electronic address****

*[Journal on the Internet] or [On-line Magazine] or [Internet].

**[Cited date] or [Access…] or [Viewed…].

***Only if applicable.

****Replace by the DOI number if applicable.

Examples
Tomás-Casterá V, Sanz-Valero J, Juan-Quilis V. Estudio bibliométrico de la producción científica y de consumo de las revistas sobre nutrición indizadas en la red SciELO. Nutr. Hosp. [Internet]. 2013 [cited 2014 April 3]; 28(3): 969-970. Available from: http://scielo.isciii.es/scielo.php?script=sci_arttext&pid=S0212-16112013000300058&lng=es&nrm=iso

Shaw KA, O’rouke P, Del Mar C, Kenardy J. Psychological interventions for overweight or obesity. Cochrane datebese of systematic Reviews [Internet] 2005 [cited 2010 apr 10]. Available from: http://www.mrw.intersciencie.wiley.com/cochrane/clsysrev/articles/CD003818/frame.html

Fletcher D, Wagstaff CRD. Organisational psychology in elite sports: its emergence, application and future. Psychol Sport Exerc. 2009;10(4):427-34. doi:10.1016/j.psychsport.2009.03.009.

3.3. Scientific or technical report

The format is the following:

Author/s Report’s title. Publication place: Organizations/Editor; year. Identification number or series of the report.

Example
World Health Organization. Dieta, nutrición y prevención de enfermedades crónicas. Informe de una Consulta Mixta de Expertos OMS/FAO. Geneva: WHO; 2003. Serie de Informes Técnicos: 916.

3.4. Presentation or communication published in a minutes book

The citation regulations are identical to those followed until now for book chapters, with small variations that are listed below:

Author/s of the Communication/Presentation. Title of the Communication/ Presentation. In: Official title of the Congress. Publication place: Publisher; year. First-last page of the communication/presentation.

This same structure applies to seminars, symposia, scientific meetings, etc.

Examples
Pantoja A, Díaz Linares, MA. Evaluación de proyectos para la mejora de la convivencia en contextos sociales. In: XIV Congreso Nacional y III Iberoamericano de Pedagogía. Zaragoza: SEP; 2008. p. 2041-2047.

Sancho MI. El seseo: estado de la cuestión. In: I Jornadas sobre seseo. Jaén: Servicio de Publicaciones de la Universidad; 2007. p. 13-46.

3.5. PHD thesis

The references of the thesis contain the following items:

Author. Title of the thesis [doctoral thesis]. Publication place: Publisher; year.

Example
Castillo MA. La educación emocional en la Educación Primaria: Currículo y práctica [tesis doctoral]. Barcelona: Universidad de Barcelona; 2003.

Muñiz García J. Estudio transversal de los factores de riesgo cardiovascular en población infantil del medio rural gallego [tesis doctoral]. Santiago: Servicio de Publicaciones e Intercambio Científico, Universidad de Santiago; 1996.

3.6. Tables and figures

3.6.1. From books and scientific articles

To cite references of tables and figures in the final bibliographical list, first, include the normal citation according to the typology of the original source (book, article, etc.), followed by:

Table/Figure followed by the Number of the table/figure in the original source, Title of the table/figure in the original source; number of the page on which the table/figure is located in the original source.

Examples
Lara F, Corral E. El nuevo reglamento sobre declaraciones de salud y la industria alimentaria. In: Aranceta J, Amarilla N. Alimentación y Derecho. Aspectos legales y nutricionales de la alimentación. Madrid: Editorial Médica Panamericana; 2011. p. 151-163. Figure 9.1., Esquema para la solicitud y dictamen de una declaración de propiedades saludables; p. 158.

Álvarez-Lario B, Alonso-Valdivielso JL. Hiperuricemia y gota: el papel de la dieta. Nutr Hosp. 2014; 29(4): 760-770. Table I, Prevalencia de comorbilidades en la gota; p. 761.

3.6.2. From the Internet

To cite tables and figures, in the final bibliographical list, that are obtained from a digital format or web page, first, you must include the following information:

Author*. Publication Title [Image/Table/Figure on the Internet]. Publication place: Publisher*; Publication date** [update*/review*; access date]. Electronic address.

* if applicable.

** If it does not include the publication date, include the access date.

Examples
World Health Organization. BMI adults % normal (18.5-24.99), Most recent. [Table on the Internet]. Geneva: World Health Organization; 2012 [cited 2014 May 7]. Available from: http://apps.who.int/bmi/index.jsp

Scarlet Fever Rash Picture (Hardin MD Super Site Sample) [Image on the Internet]. 2005 [updated 2008 February 1; cited 2014 May 15]. Available from: http://www.lib.uiowa.edu/hardin/md/dermatlas/scarletfever.html

3.7. Electronic documents

3.7.1. CD-ROM or other media

For CD-ROM or other media (e.g., DVD), the listed items are:

Author/s Title [CD-ROM]*. Edition. Place: Publisher; year.

* The CD-ROM or DVD (as appropriate).

Example
Best CH. Bases fisiológicas de la práctica médica [CD-ROM]. 13rd ed. Madrid: Editorial Médica Panamericana; 2003.

Duane’s Ophthalmology en CD-ROM User Guide. [monograph on CD-ROM]. Tasman W, Jaeger E editor. version 2.0. Hagenstown: Lippincolt-Raven; 1997.

3.7.2. Home page of a website

For the home page of a website:

Name of the institution or author [Web Site]*. Publication place: Publisher*; Publication date** [update*/review*; access date]. Electronic address.

* [Website] or [Home Page on the Internet] or [Internet] or [Homepage].

* If applicable.

** If it does not include the publication date, include the access date.

Example
Top Center of Scientific Research [Home Page]. Madrid, 2014 [cited 2014 April 3]. Available from: http://www.csic.es/web/guest/home

3.7.3. Section of a website

For the section of a website:

Name of the institution [Website]*. Publication place**: Publisher**; Publication date*** [update*/review***; access date]. Title of the section. Electronic address.

* [Website] or [Home Page on the Internet] or [Internet] or [Homepage]. [Homepage].

** If applicable.

*** If it does not include the publication date, include the access date.

Example
World Health Organization [Website]. Geneva: World Health Organization; 2012 [2013 March 13]. Obesidad y sobrepeso. Descriptive Note No.311. Available from: http://www.who.int/mediacentre/factsheets/fs311/es/

3.7.4. Audiovisual media

Although they are not very common citations in research projects, sometimes they provide data that otherwise would not be possible, for example, video and audio recordings.

For references of audiovisual means using the Vancouver style, you need to include the following aspects which are applicable to all audiovisual media:

Author/s Title of the videotape [Video]. Edition place: Publisher; year.

Example
Chason KW, Sallustio S. Hospital preparedness for bioterrorism. [Video]. Secaucus: Network for Continuing Medical Education; 2002.

3.8. Decrees and laws

By their very nature, references to laws and decrees must include the number of the law, its official denomination, the title of the official publication in which it appears, the place of publication, and complete date. In the body of work, unlike other sources, it must be referenced with a law number and year.

Title of the page or place. Name of the Official Gazette, Number of the gazette where it was published, (date of publication: day-month-year).

Example
Royal Decree 943/2003, of July 18, 2003, which regulates the conditions to make the duration of the different levels and stages of the educational system more flexible for intellectually gifted students. Official State Gazette, No. 182, (July 31, 2003).

4. Bibliographic references

  1. Pantoja A, Zwierewicz M y Moraes R. Normas Internacionales de Citas Bibliográficas. In: Pantoja A, coordinador. Manual básico para la realización de Tesis, Tesinas y trabajos de Investigación. Madrid: EOS; 2009. p. 189 -218.
  2. Patrias K. Citing medicine: the NLM style guide for authors, editors, and publishers [Internet]. 2nd ed. Wendling DL, editor. Bethesda: National Library of Medicine; 2007 [cited 2014 April 3]. Available from: http://www.nlm.nih.gov/citingmedicine
  3. The University of Queensland. References/Bibliography. Vancouver Style [Internet]. Queensland: The University of Queensland; [cited 2014 April 2]. Available from: https://www.library.uq.edu.au/training/citation/vancouv.pdf
  4. Fisterra [Internet]. A Coruña: Fisterra, 2003 [cited 2014 April 3]. Estilo de Vancouver. Requisitos de Uniformidad para Manuscritos enviados a Revistas Biomédicas [aprox. 26 pantallas]. Available from: http://www.fisterra.com/herramientas/recursos/vancouver/#ejemplos
  5. World Health Organization. Informe sobre la situación mundial de las enfermedades no transmisibles 2010. Resumen de orientación [Internet]. Geneva: WHO; 2011 [Cited 2014 March 28]. Available from: http://www.who.int/nmh/publications/ncd_report_summary_es.pdf
  6. Comisión Económica para América Latina (CEPAL), la Organización de las Naciones Unidas para la Agricultura y la Alimentación (FAO) y el Instituto Interamericano de Cooperación para la Agricultura (IICA). Perspectivas de la agricultura y del desarrollo rural en las Américas: una mirada hacia América Latina y el Caribe 2014. [Internet]. San José (Costa Rica): CEPAL, FAO, IICA; 2013 [Cited 2014 March 28]. Available from: http://www.fao.org/docrep/019/i3702s/i3702s.pdf
  7. World Health Organization [Website]. Geneva: World Health Organization; 2012 [2013 March 13]. Obesidad y sobrepeso. Descriptive Note No. 311 [approximately 4 screens]. Available from: http://www.who.int/mediacentre/factsheets/fs311/es/
  8. American Diabetes Association. Standards of Medical Care in Diabetes-2014. Diabetes Care [Table on the Internet] 2014 [cited 2014 April 1]; 37 (Supplement 1): [66 pages]. Available from: http://m.care.diabetesjournals.org/content/37/Supplement_1/S14.full.pdf
  9. World Health Organization. Investigaciones para una cobertura sanitaria universal. Informe sobre la salud en el mundo 2013 [Figure on the Internet]. Geneva: WHO; 2013 [Cited 2014 June 3]. Available from: http://apps.who.int/iris/bitstream/10665/85763/1/9789240691223_spa.pdf?ua=1