Books, book chapters and theses
You may need to consult more than one section to accurately represent the source used. (eg. Number of authors and source descriptions)
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No author
In text citation example
…as discussed in The Good Housekeeping illustrated book of child care.(1)
Format for reference list
Elements, punctuation & capitalisation
1. Title of book: subtitle. Edition. Place of publication: Publisher; Year of publication.
Reference list example
1. The Good Housekeeping illustrated book of child care: from newborn to preteen. 1st ed. New York: Hearst Books; 1995.
Style notes for this referencing type
- If no author or editor can be identified, begin the reference with the title of the book.
- Capitalise only the first word of a title (as well as words that would normally begin with a capital letter).
- Include edition if not the first (unless citing a first edition where subsequent editions exist).
- Commonly used words in publisher names may be abbreviated. For example: Dept. for Department.
- Place of publication:
- If the publisher is located in more than one city: cite the city that is printed first.
- For cities that are not well known follow with the country name either written out in full or as the ISO country code. For example: Melbourne (Australia) OR Melbourne (AU).
- Pagination is optional.
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One author
In text citation example
Hassan (2) has argued that…
Format for reference list
Elements, punctuation & capitalisation
2. Author. Title of book. Edition. Place of publication: Publisher; Year of publication.
Reference list example
2. Hassan R. Media, politics and the network society. Maidenhead: Open University Press; 2004.
Style notes for this referencing type
- Capitalise only the first word of a title (as well as words that would normally begin with a capital letter).
- Include edition if not the first (unless citing a first edition where subsequent editions exist).
- Commonly used words in publisher names may be abbreviated. For example: Dept. for Department.
- Place of publication:
- If the publisher is located in more than one city: cite the city that is printed first.
- For cities that are not well known follow with the country name either written out in full or as the ISO country code. For example: Melbourne (Australia) OR Melbourne (AU).
- Pagination is optional.
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Two or more authors
In text citation example
…is used in everyday life.(3)
Format for reference list
Elements, punctuation & capitalisation
3. Authors. Title of book. Place of publication: Publisher; Year of publication.
Reference list example
3. Wellman B, Haythornwaite C. The Internet in everyday life. Oxford, UK: Blackwell Pub.; 2002.
Style notes for this referencing type
- For books with many authors, list all.
- List the authors names in the order they appear in the text.
- Capitalise only the first word of a title (as well as words that would normally begin with a capital letter).
- Include edition if not the first (unless citing a first edition where subsequent editions exist).
- Commonly used words in publisher names may be abbreviated. For example: Dept. for Department.
- Place of publication:
- If the publisher is located in more than one city: cite the city that is printed first.
- For cities that are not well known follow with the country name either written out in full or as the ISO country code. For example: Melbourne (Australia) OR Melbourne (AU).
- Pagination is optional.
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Edited book
In text citation example
…is thought to be the most comprehensive work in this field.(4)
Format for reference list
Elements, punctuation & capitalisation
4. Editor, editor. Title of book. Edition. Place of publication: Publisher; Year of publication.
Reference list example
4. Beckman K, Ma J, editors. Still moving: between cinema and photography. Durham: Duke University Press; 2008.
Style notes for this referencing type
- Format is the same as for 'Authors' but follow the last named editor with a comma and the word editor or editors.
- List all editors regardless of number.
- Capitalise only the first word of a title (as well as words that would normally begin with a capital letter).
- Include edition if not the first (unless citing a first edition where subsequent editions exist).
- Commonly used words in publisher names may be abbreviated. For example: Dept. for Department.
- Place of publication:
- If the publisher is located in more than one city: cite the city that is printed first.
- For cities that are not well known follow with the country name either written out in full or as the ISO country code. For example: Melbourne (Australia) OR Melbourne (AU).
- Pagination is optional.
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Book chapter
In text citation example
…has been argued.(5)
Format for reference list
Elements, punctuation & capitalisation
5. Author. Title of chapter. In: Editors, editors. Title of book. Edition. Place of publication: Publisher; Year of publication. Page numbers.
Reference list example
5. Daniels PJ. Australia's foreign debt: searching for the benefits. In: Maxwell PA, Hopkins S, editors. Macroeconomics: contemporary Australian readings. 2nd ed. Pymble: HarperEducational; 1993. p. 200-50.
Style notes for this referencing type
- Use this example when there is an overall editor and chapter contributions have been made by various authors.
- The word 'In' is used to introduce the book's editor.
- List all authors and editors.
- List editor's/author's names in the order they appear in the text.
- Capitalise only the first word of a title (as well as words that would normally begin with a capital letter).
- Include edition if not the first (unless citing a first edition where subsequent editions exist).
- Commonly used words in publisher names may be abbreviated. For example: Dept. for Department.
- Place of publication:
- If the publisher is located in more than one city: cite the city that is printed first.
- For cities that are not well known follow with the country name either written out in full or as the ISO country code. For example: Melbourne (Australia) OR Melbourne (AU).
- Pagination is optional.
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Group as author
In text citation example
…as found in a recent study.(6)
Format for reference list
Elements, punctuation & capitalisation
6. Organisation Name. Title of book. Edition. Place of publication: Publisher; Year of publication.
Reference list example
6. Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development. Babies and bosses, reconciling work and family life: a synthesis of findings for OECD countries. Paris: OECD; 2007.
Style notes for this referencing type
- Organisation name replaces author name.
- If the organisation is the editor follow the organisation name with a comma and the word editor.
- Capitalise only the first word of a title (as well as words that would normally begin with a capital letter).
- Include edition if not the first (unless citing a first edition where subsequent editions exist).
- Commonly used words in publisher names may be abbreviated. For example: Dept. for Department.
- Place of publication:
- If the publisher is located in more than one city: cite the city that is printed first.
- For cities that are not well known follow with the country name either written out in full or as the ISO country code. For example: Melbourne (Australia) OR Melbourne (AU).
- Pagination is optional.
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Thesis or Dissertation
In text citation example
…was found in a recent study.(7)
Format for reference list
Elements, punctuation & capitalisation
7. Author. Title: subtitle [book type]. [Place of publication]: Publisher; Year of publication. Pages.
Reference list example
7. Cassidy ME. Thirteenth-century English Cistercian monasteries: monastic spaces and their meanings [master's thesis]. [Melbourne]: University of Melbourne; 1997.124 p.
Style notes for this referencing type
- Book type: for masters level use thesis, for doctorate level use dissertation.
- Place of publication is the University’s location.
- For cities that are not well known follow with the country name either written out in full or as the ISO country code. For example: Melbourne (Australia) OR Melbourne (AU).
- Publisher is the University.
- Capitalise only the first word of a title (as well as words that would normally begin with a capital letter).
- Commonly used words in publisher names may be abbreviated. For example: Dept. for Department.
Before selecting a referencing style check with your tutor, lecturer or supervisor for the style preferred by the School or Department.
Introduction to the style
This version of the Vancouver style uses a numeric system of in-text referencing. A consecutive number is assigned to each reference as it is cited in the text. If a source is cited again in the text the reference number remains the same.
References are presented in two ways:
- A reference list (or bibliography) at the end of the work.
- In text citations.
Three major systems of in-text references can be used: citation-sequence, citation-name, and name-year. This guide refers only to the citation-sequence (numeric) system of in-text referencing. In this system numbers are used in the text to refer to the reference list.
Access to the full style manual
The full style manual is available as a library eBook from the University of Melbourne library. The full style manual is not available as a library print book.Consult the official manual for more information.
In-text citations
- References are numbered in the order they first appear in the text.
- Assigned numbers are re-used each time a particular reference is cited.
- Citation numbers can be superscripts e.g. "…was the most significant.4" or in round brackets e.g. "…was the most significant.(4)".
- When citing multiple references join inclusive numbers using a hyphen e.g. (2-5). If numbers are non-inclusive separate with commas. e.g. (2,4,7,10).
Reference list
- A reference list should include all (directly quoted or paraphrased) sources cited, a bibliography should include all sources consulted, whether or not they are directly quoted or paraphrased.
- Entries are listed numerically (the same order that they are cited in the text).
- Capitalise only the first word of a title (as well as words that would normally begin with a capital letter).
- If no author or editor can be identified, begin the reference with the title.
- Commonly used words in publisher names may be abbreviated. For example: Dept. for Department.
- Place of publication:
- If the publisher is located in more than one city: cite the city that is printed first.
- For cities that are not well known follow with the country name either written out in full or as the ISO country code. For example: Melbourne (Australia) OR Melbourne (AU).
- If no place of publication can be found but can reasonably be inferred, place the city in square brackets. e.g. [Melbourne].
- If no publisher can be found, use [publisher unknown].
- If no date of publication can be found, use the copyright date preceded with ‘c’ c2010. If no copyright date can be found, use [date unknown].