Vancouver Referencing Guide: Reference List

Reference List - General Format

The Reference List is a detailed list of all of the sources that you have cited in your text.  The list should be placed at the back of your assignment. The details provided with each entry will enable the readers of your assignment to be able to locate your original sources should they wish. For example, Reference List entries will include the names of publishers for printed work, and web site addresses for online sources.

Your Reference list should contain the details of all of the work that specifically support the ideas, claims, and concepts of your assignment. In general, each work that you cite in your text must also appear in your Reference list, and each entry in your Reference list must also be cited in the main text of your assignment. 

A reference list of items cited is located at the end of your work, starting on a new page.

The general rules for creating a list are:

• The citations in the reference list are numbered sequentially, i.e. 1–5, and not in alphabetical order.
• Reference numbers are listed on the left side of the page and form a column of their own. 
• The name of the author(s) should be cited by the surname followed by the initial.
• No comma between surname and initial, nor full stop.
• Use "and" in between two authors' names or before the last if listing more than two.
• Put the names of all authors up to six names. If there are more than six names use "et al." (in italics) after the first author.
• Anonymous works should start with the title.
• Each reference should end with a full stop unless ending with a URL.
• Remove accents and diacritics from letters in authors names. For example ň should be written as n, and Ø written as O.
• Names of organisations are spelt out, not abbreviated.

Introduction

Order of Works

Authors & Editors

Page Numbers