From RGU Vancouver to Cite Them Right Vancouver
This page provides information for staff on the updates to the institutional Harvard and Vancouver referencing styles.
Info
RGU Library is working on a refresh of the recommended institutional Harvard and Vancouver referencing styles. Consultation was held with DELTA and Associate Deans for Academic Development and Student Experience, and the project was approved by QAEC.
This page gives some essential information for staff. Further details will become available as the project progresses.
The intention is to have the new styles in place for Semester 1 in September 2024.
Vancouver Referencing
The Cite them Right Vancover style is based on the official guidance available for Vancouver. The authoritative source for Vancouver referencing is (include reference here in Vancouver style along with link to NLM site)
A full set of templates will be created for the Cite them Right style, but this section shows the main differences between the current RGU Vancouver and the new Cite them Right Vancouver and provides some examples for the most common resource types.
Some of the main overall differences are:
- No use of italics in most references
- Changes to media type descriptions e.g. [internet] rather than [monograph on the internet].
- Change to pagination information for journal articles and books.
- No requirement to include both updated date and publication date in website references
- Removal of requirement for place of publication and publisher in all except book references.
Journal articles
Cite them Right (CtR) Vancouver is much better placed to handle journal articles accessed online. The current RGU style stipulates that journal articles should be referenced as print unless they are published online only. This can be very confusing for students and also leads to DOIs or URLs not being included in most article references. CtR Vancouver will allow us to address this.
One specific change to note is that journal titles are no longer required to be in italics.
| Current RGU Vancouver (old style) | Cite them Right (CtR) Vancouver (new style) |
|---|---|
| Author's surname Initial(s). Article title. Journal title. Year of publication; Volume(issue). | Author's surname Initial(s). Article title. Journal title (using official abbreviation if available) [Internet*]. Date of publication as year month day (if available) [cited date*]; Volume(issue): page numbers. Available from: DOI or URL* *to be included if accessed online |
| Journal in print or online Ngwezi DP, Savu A, Yeung RO, Butalia S, Kaul P. Validity of alternative claims-based algorithms for Type 1, Type 2 and gestational diabetes in pregnancy. Canadian Journal of Diabetes. 2023; 47(8):643-648 |
Journal accessed in print Ngwezi DP, Savu A, Yeung RO, Butalia S, Kaul P. Validity of alternative claims-based algorithms for Type 1, Type 2 and gestational diabetes in pregnancy. Can J Diabetes. 2023; 47(8):643-648. |
| Journal accessed online with DOI or URL Ngwezi DP, Savu A, Yeung RO, Butalia S, Kaul P. Validity of alternative claims-based algorithms for Type 1, Type 2 and gestational diabetes in pregnancy. Can J Diabetes [Internet]. 2023 [cited 2024 Jan 31]; 47(8):643-648. Available from: 10.1016/j.jcjd.2023.07.003 |
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| Citation A number is assigned to each citation within the text and placed in brackets e.g "a study on gestational diabetes (1) states that..... If the citation involves a direct quote then the page number should be added to the citation e.g. (1 p. 644) |
Citation The process for writing in-text citations will not change in CtR Vancover. It will remain the same as current RGU Vancouver practice. |
Note that the method of constructing the reference is identical in each case and either the DOI or URL is added if the article was accessed online. If it is the case that some publication elements are missing, such as the volume or page numbers, these can simply be left out with no further amendments or separate templates needed. A different template will be required for articles that are 'in press' or pre-publication and that will be addressed in the full template update.
Websites
Website references in RGU and Cite them Right (CtR) Vancouver look very similar, but have the crucial difference that there is no longer a requirement to include place of publication or publisher. This element of the reference has been a major source of confusion for students in the past so the CtR reference is much simpler to construct.
| Current RGU Vancouver (old style) | Cite them Right (CtR) Vancouver (new style) |
|---|---|
| Author's surname First initial(s). Page title. [internet]. Place of publication: Publisher; Year of publication [updated date; cited date]. Available from: URL | Author's surname First initial(s). Page title [internet]. Year of publication [cited date]; Available from: URL |
| NHS Inform. Covid status: common questions. [internet]. Edinburgh: NHS Inform; 2022 [updated 2023 Jan 08; cited 2023 Apr 05]. Available from: https://www.nhsinform.scot.nhs-scotland-covid-status/covid-status-common-questions/ | NHS Inform. Covid status: common questions [internet]. 2022 [cited 2023 Apr 05]; Available from: https://www.nhsinform.scot.nhs-scotland-covid-status/covid-status-common-questions/ |
| Citation A number is assigned to each citation within the text and placed in brackets e.g "a study on covid vaccination rates (2) stated that..... |
Citation The process for writing in-text citations will not change in CtR Vancover. It will remain the same as current RGU Vancouver practice. |
The above example shows a website with an organisation as author. Acronymns can be used if the organisation is very well known e.g. NHS or BBC. Otherwise, the full name of the organisation should be used e.g. World Wildlife Fund.
If the website has a named author then standard rules around author names (as laid out in the books and journals section) should be followed.
Books
Book references in RGU Vancouver and Cite them Right (CtR) Vancouver are very similar and the main change is that book titles are no longer italicised. Author rules such as the use of et al. when there are more than six authors will remain the same as in current RGU Vancouver guidance.
| Current RGU Vancouver (old style) | Cite them Right Vancouver (new style) |
|---|---|
| Author's surname First Initial(s). Book title. Edition (if not first). Place of publication: Publisher; Year of publication. | Author's surname First initial(s). Book title [internet]*. Edition (if not first). Place of publication [cited date]*: Publisher; Year of publication. Available from: DOI or URL *to be included if accessed online |
| Thomas JR, Martin PE, Etnier JL, Silverman SJ. Research methods in physical activity. 8th ed. Champaign, IL: Human Kinetics; 2022. | Thomas JR, Martin PE, Etnier JL, Silverman SJ. Research methods in physical activity. 8th ed. Champaign, IL: Human Kinetics; 2022. |
| E-book Thomas JR, Martin PE, Etnier JL, Silverman SJ. Research methods in physical activity [internet]. 8th ed. Champaign, IL: Human Kinetics; 2022 [cited 2023 Nov 04]. Available from: https://ezproxy.rgu.ac.uk/login?url=https://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&AuthType=ip,shib&db=ccm&AN=166098134&scope=site |
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| Citation A number is assigned to each citation within the text and placed in brackets e.g "a recommended techique for studying physical activity (3) shows that..... |
Citation The process for writing in-text citations will not change in CtR Vancover. It will remain the same as current RGU Vancouver practice. |
Note about pagination in citations and references
If a direct quote from a book is included in an assignment then the citation or reference should include the pagination details.
If a book has been quoted from only once then the page number can be included in the reference, after the year of publication - e.g. Champaign, IL: Human Kinetics; 2022. 62 p.
If a source has been quoted from on multiple occasions then the page number should be included with the citation e.g (3, p. 62)