Referencing and RefWorks
Vancouver Templates
Our templates will help you to reference correctly for your assignments, and there are plenty to choose from! Just remember, you'll have to follow the guidance exactly as shown, including text formatting and punctuation.
The templates below represent some of the most common sources of information, and these have been updated to reflect the new Cite Them Right Vancouver referencing style. The templates will be added to over the coming months. If you require a template that is not available on this page, please contact us and we will add it in.
The decision on whether to use the new CTR or classic RGU Vancouver styles will be at the discretion of schools for 2024/25. We recommend that final year or January 2024 starts should continue to use the classic RGU Vancouver templates.
If you require the older style templates then please visit the Vancouver classic templates page.
If you require feedback on some of your references, please submit them using our feedback request form only. Please make sure you have read the terms of service on the form before submitting your request.
Find a referencing template
What kind of material do you want to reference? Use the filter selectors below to choose the right category.
By default, you will see our most frequently used templates. You can switch to view specific types of materials, or see them all.
Frequently Asked Questions
This is called secondary referencing. You must make the situation clear in your text e.g.
Chandler, in a letter quoted by Hiney (1, p. 2) claimed that most people could do without literature “far more easily than they could do without coffee or whisky”.
As we are using a direct quote in this example, we also give the page number within the brackets for the numbered citation (1, p. 2)
You only reference the work you have read. In this case the reference which would appear in your Reference List would be:
(1) Hiney T. Raymond Chandler: a biography. London: Vintage; 1998
You simply put the citation in one set of brackets. Citations appear in number order separated by a comma.
Example
Several studies indicate that …………. (1, 2, 6, 12, 15)
We know this isn't what you want to hear, but we're afraid there's no exact answer to this question.
In some cases, your lecturers will tell you specifically how many references they expect from you in a particular assignment. More often though, the number of references will be determined by the nature of the assignment and it will be down to yourself and what you have written and the sources you have consulted. If you are worried you have not used enough sources, and therefore do not have enough references, we would suggest you seek guidance from whoever is marking your assignment.
Of course! We're a friendly bunch who are here to help, support, and give you all the right tools to get those references right!
What we can do for you
- Come along to one of our drop-in sessions. These are great for seeking in-person help with quick queries. Drop-in sessions are included on the timetable.
- We can help by email. If you have a quick question or are struggling with a pesky reference then get in touch at library.support@rgu.ac.uk
- You can book a 45-minute appointment with one of the team.
What we can't do for you
- We can't proofread your reference list. We can provide feedback on up to 15 references. If you require feedback on some of your references, please submit them using our feedback request form only. Please make sure you have read the terms of service on the form before submitting your request..
What you can do to help yourself
- Have a look through the online guides and make sure your reference list conforms to the templates. We recommend copying and pasting the template examples into your own assignment and overwriting with your own information. That'll help with making sure the punctuation and formatting are correct.
- If you get stuck with a reference and can't find the answer in the templates or our guidance then email it to us for advice. We can't write your references for you (references are ususually a marked part of an assignment and your lecturers are expecting to see your own work) but we don't want you to struggle in silence!
Support for Referencing
If you need further support with Vancouver referencing then you can:
- Come along to a drop in session
- Send us an email at library.support@rgu.ac.uk
- Book a 45-minute appointment with one of the team
How we can help
If you're not sure which template is right for your source or if you're struggling to identify the information you need then you can email the team for support. This is a high demand service and we can't always guarantee a quick response. Please use the information we provide online to help yourself as much as possible first. This includes looking at the templates and ensuring that you have adhered to these when writing your references. We can't offer a proof-reading or correction service for your entire reference list. As referencing is a marked part of most assignments your lecturers are expecting to see your own work.
Appointments, workshops, and email support are available during the Academic Support Team working hours of Monday-Friday 9am-5pm.
Appointment and email response times will depend on team availability and demands on the service. These are high demand services so please make sure you contact us well ahead of your deadline.
We can support your academic skills development in a variety of areas including literature searching, databases, search techniques, referencing and more. We will:
- Scan a selection of your reference list, ensuring we cover a good range of source types, and provide useful comments where we notice issues. However, we can't carry out a full proofreading or correction service and we can't write references for you.
- Advise on your search strategy, providing guidance to help you search more effectively and offer suggestions on where to search, but we don't carry out searches on your behalf.