Electronic source
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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Web page with author
In text citation example
…was described.(12)
Format for reference list
Elements, punctuation & capitalisation
12. Author. Title of web page [Medium]. Place of publication: Publisher; Date of publication [updated Year Month Day; cited Year Month Day]. Available from : URL
Reference list example
12. Greenblatt S. A special letter from Stephen Greenblatt. [Internet]. New York: Modern Language Association; 2002 Jan 1 [updated 2008 Oct 12; cited 2008 Oct 15]. Available from: http://www.mla.org/scholarly_pub
Style notes for this referencing type
- Medium = [Internet]
- If no place of publication can be found but can reasonably be inferred, place the city in square brackets. Example: [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’ Example: c2010.
- If no dates can be found, use date cited.
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Web page with no author
In text citation example
Greenblatt (13) argues that…
Format for reference list
Elements, punctuation & capitalisation
13. Title of web page [Medium]. Place of publication: Publisher; Date of publication [updated Year Month Day; cited Year Month Day]. Available from: URL
Reference list example
13. Ecocen fossils [Internet]. Colorado: Colorado Mountain College; 1998 Jan 1 [updated 1998 Aug 1; cited 2010 Dec 10]. Available from: http://www.coloradomtn.edu/campus_rfl/staff_rfl/kohls/eocene.shtml
Style notes for this referencing type
- Medium = [Internet]
- If no place of publication can be found but can reasonably be inferred, place the city in square brackets. Example: [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’ Example: c2010.
- If no dates can be found, use date cited.
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Blog post
In text citation example
…as used by students.(16)
Format for reference list
Elements, punctuation & capitalisation
16. Author of posting. Comments on: “Title of contribution” Date of publication of contribution [date cited]. In: Author or editor of blog. Title of blog [Medium]. Place of publication:Publisher. Date of publication. [Extent]. Available from: URL
Reference list example
16. Melissa. Comments on: "Students' use of weblogs for research" 2008 Jan 24 [cited 2010 May 28]. In: McMeekin J. E-Resources at the University of Melbourne [Internet]. Melbourne: University of Melbourne. 2007. [15 lines]. Available from: http://blogs.unimelb.edu.au/eresource
Style notes for this referencing type
- Use this example for a contribution to a blog by someone other than the author of the blog.
- Use the author's city if the Place of Publication is absent.
- If no beginning date for the blog can be found, use the date of the earliest message posted and place in square brackets.
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Online forum post
In text citation example
…in cats.(17)
Format for reference list
Elements, punctuation & capitalisation
17. Author. Title of message. In: Title [Medium]. Place of Publication: Publisher; Date of publication[Date of Citation]. [Extent].
Reference list example
17. Rodin P. How cats hunt. In: Cat health [Internet] Chicago: Veterinary Library Association; 2007 Apr 27[cited 2008 May 28]. [13 lines].
Style notes for this referencing type
- Medium = [Internet]
- If no place of publication can be found but can reasonably be inferred, place the city in square brackets. Example: [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’ Example: c2010.
- If no dates can be found, use date cited.
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].
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