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Referencing style - Vancouver (based on Citing Medicine): Quotes and page numbers

A guide to using the Vancouver citation style for in text citations and reference lists.

Quotes and page numbers

When to include page numbers

Direct quotation

You should include the page number in the in-text citation when directly quoting the exact wording of a source.

Short direct quotes are enclosed within quotation marks.

For example:

"Paragraph indents are generally not used unless the quoted material is known to begin a paragraph."(1 p361) 

Note: in-text citations go after the full stop.

Quotes longer than 4 lines should be off-set (indented) in a block, i.e, in reduced type (smaller font) and without quotation marks.

For example:

Type 2 diabetes mellitus is increasing at a rapid rate, predominantly because of changes in environmental factors interacting with individual genetic susceptibility to the disease. Data from 20 longitudinal cohort studies present a consistent picture indicating that regular physical activity substantially reduces risk of type 2 diabetes. Adjustment for differences in body mass index between active and inactive groups attenuates the magnitude of risk reduction, but even after adjustment, a high level of physical activity is associated with a 20–30% reduction in diabetes risk. The data indicate that protection from diabetes can be conferred by a range of activities of moderate or vigorous intensity, and that regular light-intensity activity may also be sufficient, although the data for this are less consistent.(2 p807)

 

Citing different page numbers from a single reference source

If you want to cite different page numbers from a single reference source at different places in your text, the page numbers are included in the in text citation and the source appears only once in the list of references. Note that the in text citation may include more than 1 page number, more than 1 reference, or both, and that all spaces are closed up.

 

1.  AMA manual of style: a guide for authors and editors. 10th ed. New York: Oxford University Press; 2007.1010p.

2.  Gill JM, Cooper AR. Physical activity and prevention of type 2 diabetes mellitus. Sports Med. 2008;38(10):807-24.

 

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