- 2-minute read
- 4th March 2013
How to Reference an Ebook Using the Vancouver Style
The Vancouver referencing style is widely used in medical and scientific writing. In this blog post, then, we’re looking at how to cite an ebook using a version of Vancouver referencing. However, since this system can vary between universities, you may want to check your style guide as well.
Citing an Ebook with Vancouver Referencing
Rather than use footnotes, Vancouver referencing indicates citations with a number in the text. For instance, we could cite an ebook as follows:
This condition has been studied for decades (1).
This number points to an entry in the reference list, where you should give full source information. If you have named the author in the text, give the citation immediately afterwards rather than at the end of the clause.
Adding Ebooks to Your Reference List
The reference list is a list of all cited sources in your document. You should list these sources in the same order as you cite them in the text, so the entry number will match the citations. The information required for an ebook is:
- Citation number (i.e. the number used for the first citation)
- Author surname and initials
- Book title
- Edition (if not first)
- Place of publication
- Publisher
- Year of publication
- A URL or database
- Date ebook was accessed
The basic format for referencing an ebook is thus:
(Citation Number) Surname, Initial(s). Title. Place of publication: Publisher; year Available from: database or URL [Accessed date].
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And, in practice, the reference list entry for an ebook should look like this:
(1) Venkman P. The Science of Extrasensory Perception. New York: Columbia University Press; 1984 Available from: www.paranormalarchive.net/books/venkman-science-extrasensory-perception.html [Accessed 17 July 2018].
Check Your Style Guide!
Different versions of Vancouver referencing can vary in some respects (e.g. how citations are presented). In this post, we’ve used a generic Vancouver footnote style. However, you should check your style guide (if available) to make sure this is consistent with the system your university uses.
And if you’d like an expert to check the referencing in your work, along with every other aspect of your writing, just let us know.
