Your project report has to be written in the style of PNAS journal. However, you should use the Vancouver referencing style as detailed below.
Vancouver is a numbered style. Each piece of work cited should have a unique number, assigned in order (your first reference is 1, your second is 2 etc.). It is a very plain style with little punctuation and no text formatting such as italics, underlining or bold.
When adding an in-text citation to your document you can write the number in brackets:
Medical systems need to be carefully considered and designed to reduce the likelihood of medication errors (1).
For example:
There are many studies that have examined the effect of alcohol on cognitive impairment (1,2, 4-7, 9).
You do not have to refer to the authors' names in the text but it may help the flow of your writing to do so.
Two authors: give both author's surnames linked with 'and'. For example:
A recent study by Chen and Lee (4) found that...
Three or more authors: use the first author's surname followed by "et al.". For example:
A recent study by Rang et al. (2) found that...
An organisation: give the full name with any recognised abbreviation in brackets afterwards e.g. National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE). Thereafter you can refer to it using the abbreviation. Give the full name and abbreviation in the full reference. For example:
A survey by Asthma UK found that one in 20 people suffer from severe asthma (6).
If directly quoting from a work, you need to use single quotation marks. Include a page number in the in-text citation. For example:
More recently, a paper by Walker et al. (3) stated that 'student pharmacists are valuable and important to practice model transformation' (p. 47).
A paper by Walker et al.stated that 'student pharmacists are valuable and important to practice model transformation' (3, p. 47).
This type of referencing is known as secondary referencing and should be avoided wherever possible, as the author citing the work may have their own bias or misinterpretation. It is better to seek out the original reference (in this example, Ahmed’s) and cite it directly if it is useful.
You need to include both authors' names in the body of your text to show that you have not read the original article. In the final reference list, you should only include the reference you have read yourself (Jones in this example):
According to Ahmed as cited in Jones (5)...
References must be listed at the end of your document in numerical order based on the order of citation. If you use the same source more than once, the original citation number should be used.
Cited by Surname Initials - there is no comma between the surname and initials, nor any full stop or space between initials.
Chen ZL
Authors should be listed in the order they appear on the publication. Only list the first six authors followed by et al.
Monzer NL, Hartmann M, Buckert M, Wolff K, Nawroth P, Kopf S et al.
See the tabs in this box for additional guidance and relevant examples. Our Vancouver guidance is closely aligned with that given in the 'Cite them right' book and website (below). You can find extra publication types and examples via this website. Note that we deviate from this guide in some case to make references simpler. For instance you should put journal names in full not abbreviated.
Find an overview of the essentials of Vancouver referencing in this video (8 mins). You will need to login with your University username and password to view this video.
Most books and e-books can be cited in the same way. If you are viewing the PDF of a printed book there is no need to include the web address in your reference if you have the place published and publisher.
Include the following in your reference:
Copy the format and punctuation of these examples:
Some books are born digital and are not published in a traditional format. If the book does not have a Place published and Publisher then you will need to follow this guidance. Include the following in your reference:
Note: if you are unable to find a place published and publisher you will need to cite the item following the web page guidance.
Copy the format and punctuation of these examples:
Note: Using StatPearls? Follow the guidance on citing an online only book chapter.
Follow this guidance to cite a printed book or an e-book which has the publisher and place published information. Include the following in your reference:
Copy the format and punctuation of this example
Some books are born digital and are not published in a traditional format. When citing chapters in these include the following in your reference:
Copy the format and punctuation of these examples:
Note that the way you enter a chapter on EndNote for the Vancouver style is different from the way you enter it for the Harvard style. It is not possible to reuse one entry in both styles.
Include the following in your reference:
Copy the format and punctuation of this example:
Rana MN, Neeland IJ. Adipose tissue inflammation and cardiovascular disease: an update. Current Diabetes Reports. 2022; 22(1):27-37.
Vartiainen VA, Lavorini F, Murphy AC, Rabe KF. High inhaler resistance does not limit successful inspiratory maneuver among patients with asthma or COPD. Expert Opinion on Drug Delivery. 2023; 20(3):385–93.
Monzer NL, Hartmann M, Buckert M, Wolff K, Nawroth P, Kopf S et al. The cardiac autonomic response to acute psychological stress in type 2 diabetes. PloS One. 2022; 17(3):e0265234.
Include the following in your reference:
Copy the format and punctuation of this example:
Azpiroz F, Dubray C, Bernalier-Donadille A, Cardot JM, Accarino A, Serra J, Wagner A, Respondek F, Dapoigny M. Effects of scFOS on the composition of fecal microbiota and anxiety in patients with irritable bowel syndrome: a randomized, double blind, placebo controlled study. Neurogastroenterology & Motility [Internet]. 2017 [cited 2024 Jan 24] ;29(2). Available from: https://doi.org/10.1111/nmo.12911.
Note: if an article is in press and doesn't yet have a volume number treat like as above but add 'Forthcoming' before the year:
Vaghari-Tabari M, Jafari-Gharabaghlou D, Mohammadi M, Hashemzadeh MS. Zinc oxide nanoparticles and cancer chemotherapy: helpful tools for enhancing chemo-sensitivity and reducing side effects? Biological Trace Element Research [Internet]. Forthcoming 2024 [cited 2024 Jan 28]. Available from: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12011-023-03803-z
You should be able to download details for most articles from databases such as Summon, Web of Science, Scopus and PubMed. If you need to type one in from scratch this is the information to include.
You should avoid citing webpages unless you are clear of their quality and suitability for inclusion in academic work. See the 'Websites' tab within this guide for more information on evaluating webpages.
Only follow this guidance if the item you want to reference is not a book, a book chapter or a journal article. When you search the internet you will find many different types of content. The first step to referencing correctly is to recognise what you are looking at.
For guidance on citing specific, commonly used pharmacy-related sources see the other tabs in this box.
Include the following in your reference:
Use the format and punctuation shown in these examples:
Update July 2024: Licence conditions imposed by Pharmaceutical Press mean you are not permitted to use the BNF on the NICE website or app. Instead you must use and cite the BNF either in print or on the MedicinesComplete website following the guidance given below.
When citing the BNF you only need one generic reference, not specific references for each drug or piece of information you have used. Just make it clear in your text which drug/section you are referring to.
Include the following in your reference:
Use the format and punctuation shown in this example - update the edition and year to the one you are using:
Include the following in your reference:
Copy the format and punctuation of this example:
Full reference:
Joint Formulary Committee. British National Formulary (BNF). 9 July 2024 [Internet]. 2024 [cited 2024 Jul 29]. Available from: https://www.medicinescomplete.com.
For the print version
For the online version:
Update July 2024: Licence conditions imposed by Pharmaceutical Press mean you are not permitted to use the BNFC on the NICE website or app. Instead you must use and cite the BNFC either in print or on the MedicinesComplete website following the guidance given below.
When citing the BNFC you only need one generic reference, not specific references for each drug or piece of information you have used. Just make it clear in your text which drug/section you are referring to.
Include the following in your reference:
Use the format and punctuation shown in this example:
Include the following in your reference:
Copy the format and punctuation shown of this example:
Full reference:
Pediatric Formulary Committee. British National Formulary for children (BNFC). 9 July 2024 [Internet]. 2024 [cited 2024 Jul 29]. Available from: https://www.medicinescomplete.com.
For the print version
For the online version:
Provides access to the British National Formulary, British National Formulary for Children and Stockley’s Drug Interactions.
Please note, due to licensing restrictions students and staff must access the BNF and BNF for Children on the MedicinesComplete platform. Use of the NICE BNF platform is only permitted for those working for, or on placement with, the NHS.
When citing the British Pharmacopoeia you only need one generic reference, not specific references for each drug or section you have used. Just make it clear in your text which drug/section you are referring to.
Include the following in your reference:
Use the format and punctuation shown in this example (make sure you change the Version and dates to match the ones you use):
Access to the latest edition of The British Pharmacopoeia (BP), the leading collection of standards for UK medicinal products and pharmaceutical substances.
These are the details to include:
Copy the format and punctuation of this example.
Include the following in your reference:
Use the format and punctuation shown in these examples:
Local guidelines, although authored by individuals, should be ratified by a designated committee therefore are the work of the organisation.
Include the following in your reference:
Use the format and punctuation shown in this example:
Include the following in your reference:
Use the format and punctuation shown in this example:
For print guidelines
For online guidelines
Include the following in your reference:
Use the format and punctuation shown in these examples.
Include the following in your reference:
Use the format and punctuation shown in this example:
Note that the way you enter a Cochrane Review on EndNote for the Vancouver style is very different from the way you enter it for the Harvard style. It is not possible to reuse one entry in both styles.
Systematic reviews, protocols and trials on the effects of interventions in health care. Free to UK residents
If a trial is still ongoing you may need to refer to it directly instead of to a published paper.
Include the following in your reference:
Use the format and punctuation shown in these examples:
Note that the way you enter a Clinical Trial on EndNote for the Vancouver style is very different from the way you enter it for the Harvard style. It is not possible to reuse one entry in both styles.
Always check with the academic who set the assignment if you are allowed to refer to course materials in your own work. It is preferable to do your own research and use published sources, such as articles and books, instead of referring to lecture materials.
Include the following in your reference:
Copy the format and punctuation of these examples.
Example 1: PowerPoint slides
Cottrell G. The molecules of life: proteins [PowerPoint presentation]. Reading: University of Reading; PM1PY2: Fundamentals of Cell Biology; 2023 [cited 2023 Dec 2]. Available from: https://www.bb.reading.ac.uk.
Example 2: Handout with no date
University of Reading. Direct observation of procedural skills (DOPS) assessment form [Handout] Reading: University of Reading; PM2PY1: Professional Practice 2. [cited 2023 Nov 30]. Available from: https://www.bb.reading.ac.uk.
Note that even with the information entered as above EndNote will not quite format the reference correctly - the module details will be in the wrong place. To correct this, as a final step before submission, create a plain text version of your document. Go to the EndNote toolbar in Word and select 'Convert citations and bibliography' to 'Plain text' (this will be under 'Tools' on the Mac version of the toolbar). This will create a copy of your document which is divorced from EndNote so that you can make final tweaks to the references.
Use the guide and videos below to teach yourself how to use Desktop EndNote to manage your references and insert them in Word documents.
The University has a site licence for EndNote which covers installation on personal computers. Go to the DTS Self-Service Portal to get the software. Note that you will need to have the full version of Office installed before installing EndNote so that the EndNote toolbar can be added to Word (it is also possible to use it with the online version of Word if you have set up the 'Sync' option). You can install Office by logging in to office.com with your University credentials and clicking on 'Install Office' in the top right of the screen.
Make sure you save your EndNote library file to the hard drive of your computer not iCloud or OneDrive, or to a location which is being automatically backed up to the cloud. The Applications area on a Mac, or the Program Files area on a Windows computer should be okay.
Important note for Mac users: If you are Mac user please be aware that once you have installed EndNote it won’t be obvious it is open as it won’t fill the screen until you create a file. Look for the EndNote toolbar across the top of your screen and click ‘File’ then ‘New’ to create a file. It will then fill your screen.
This guide covers:
Watch this series of videos to find out how to use Desktop EndNote.