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Pharmacology: Citing references

A guide to finding information in pharmacology. Includes links to key resources and sources of help.

General guidance on referencing

Whenever you refer to another person's work in your own essay, dissertation or article you must acknowledge them and give full details of your source. You risk being accused of plagiarism if you fail to do so. See the video on Avoiding unintentional plagiarism on the other tab in this box for tips on using sources in your work and avoiding poor academic practice.
Which referencing style should I use?

The School of Pharmacy recommend two different styles of referencing depending on the type of assignment: Harvard (a name-date style) and Vancouver (a numbered style). The versions of these styles used are based on guidance given in the 'Cite Them Right' book. Note that other versions of these styles are not acceptable. 

This guidance applies to students on the MPharm, Pharmacology, Physician Associate and professional development programmes in the School of Pharmacy.

To reference correctly you need to provide the full details for each source in a list at the end of your document AND have a citation in the text to indicate which parts came from each source. The style you use for these will depend on whether you are using Harvard or Vancouver.

Further support with writing references

For further help with formatting your references consult your Academic Liaison Librarian, Jackie Skinner - email, come to the weekly drop-in, or make an appointment (contact details below).

Referencing and avoiding plagiarism

This short video (5 mins) gives an overview of why and how you should reference materials used in your assignments. You will need to login with your University username and password to view this video.

Avoiding unintentional plagiarism

The next short video (4 mins) has tips from our Study Advice Team on how to use references in your work to avoid being accused of plagiarism:

If you are unable to view this video on YouTube it is also available on YuJa - view the Avoiding Unintentional Plagiarism video on YuJa (University username and password required)

Getting the most out of Turnitin

When you submit your work you will be asked to do so through the Turnitin similarity checker. This video (6 mins) explains what this does and how you can use it to improve your writing.

If you are unable to view this video on YouTube it is also available on YuJa - view the Getting the most out of Turnitin video on YuJa (University username and password required)

Using quotes and paraphrasing

The next two videos give guidance on using supporting evidence from publications in your assignments by using quotes or paraphrasing.

If you are unable to view this video on YouTube it is also available on YuJa - view the How to use long and short quotes video on YuJa (University username and password required)

If you are unable to view this video on YouTube it is also available on YuJa - view the Using paraphrases video on YuJa (University username and password required)

Quick links to referencing guidance

Harvard

Guidance on using the name-year Harvard referencing style.

Vancouver

Guidance on using the numbered Vancouver style of referencing.

Citing tables, figures & images

Referencing visual elements taken from other sources.

Secondary referencing

Guidance on citing a source you have read about in another source

Harvard referencing - click on the tabs for guidance on specific publications

Click on the tabs above for guidance on citing specific publications in the Cite Them Right Harvard style.


The 'Cite Them Right' Harvard style is an author-date system. In-text citations include the author and year of the reference. Full references are listed at the end in alphabetical order by the author's surname. See the other tabs in this box for guidance on citing specific types of publication in this style.

In-text citations

For the Harvard style, your in-text citation should include:

  • The author of the cited work
  • The year of publication of the cited work.

There are two ways of including an in-text citation and you can use both depending on how you want to structure each sentence. You can include the citation with the author’s surname and date in brackets at the end of the sentence:

Medical systems need to be carefully considered and designed to reduce the likelihood of medication errors (Ferner, 2020).

Or, you can include the author’s surname as part of your sentence, in which case only the date is in brackets:

More recently, a paper by Ferner (2020) has suggested that...

You can use a mix of these approaches in your assignment.

How many authors do I need to include in the in-text citation?

If the citation has two authors

List both authors with 'and' or '&' in between (but be consistent in your use of 'and' or '&').

A recent study by Morbey and Smith (2021) found that...

... (Morbey and Smith, 2021).

If the citation has three authors

List all three authors with a comma after the first author, '&' or 'and' before the last author (but be consistent in your use of 'and' or '&').

A recent study by Chen, Savana and Patel (2022) found that...

... (Chen, Savana and Patel, 2022).

If the citation has four or more authors

Use the first author's name followed by "et al." in italics.

A recent study by Rang et al. (2020) found that...

It has been shown previously (Rang et al., 2020) that....

Note: you will need to include ALL authors in the full reference at the end of your document.


Other citation questions

How do I cite more than one source for a sentence?

List the sources chronologically, separated by semi-colons.

There are many studies that have examined the effect of alcohol on cognitive impairment (Chen and Xi, 2012; Patel, 2020; Hussein et al., 2022).

How do I differentiate references by the same author in the same year?

Differentiate them using letters after the year - both in the in-text citation and the full reference.

Chen and Hussein (2021a)... and Chen and Hussein (2021b)...

Can I cite a work by a company or organisation?

Many works by organisations do not have individually named authors. In this case, you can use the name of the organisation or company, such as Cancer Research UK or National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE), as the author. This is known as a corporate author. 

Asthma UK (2015) studies have shown...    ... (Asthma UK, 2015).

What if I have multiple references by the same author in a sentence?

If you need to refer to two or more sources by the same author in different years, you do not need to keep repeating the author's surname in the citation. Include the surname and the oldest year first, then separate the other years by semicolons (;). The sources should be ordered by year of publication, with the oldest first.

NHS (2016; 2019; 2021) studies have consistently shown  ...(NHS, 2016; 2019; 2021)

You must include all of the sources separately in your reference list.

Do I need to include page numbers in my citation?

You only need to include a page number if directly quoting from a work. Enclose the quote in single quotation marks and include a page number in the in-text citation. For example:

More recently, a paper by Walker et al. (2020) stated that 'student pharmacists are valuable and important to practice model transformation' (p. 47).

A recent paper stated that 'student pharmacists are valuable and important to practice model transformation' (Walker et al., 2020, p. 47).

How do I refer to a source referenced in another work?

This type of referencing is known as secondary referencing and should be avoided wherever possible, as the author citing the work may bring their own bias or misinterpretation. It is better to seek out the original reference and cite it directly if it is useful.

See further guidance on secondary referencing.


Reference list

Order

References must be listed at the end of your document in alphabetical order by author surname/organisation name. If you use the same source more than once, just use the same in-text citation as previously to refer to the same full reference. 

Author names

Cited using Surname, Initials - place a comma and a space between the surname and initials. Full stops between initials e.g.:

Chen, Z.L.

Multiple authors

List all of the authors in the full reference in the order they appear on the publication.


Additional guidance

See the tabs in this box for additional guidance and relevant examples. Our Harvard 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 e.g. only requiring DOI or web address for articles which do not have page numbers or an article reference number.

Harvard referencing

Find an overview of the essentials of Harvard referencing in this video (10 mins). You will need to login with your University username and password to view this video.

Citing books and e-books

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:

  1. Author/Editor name(s) in the format 'Surname, Initials'
  2. Year of publication (in round brackets)
  3. Book title (in italics or underlined) followed by a full stop.
  4. Edition (if 2nd edn or later)
  5. Place of publication followed by a colon e.g. London:
  6. Publisher.

Copy the format and punctuation of these examples.


Example: book with a single author/editor

Citation in the text:     (Houghton, 2020)

Full reference:     
Houghton, A.R. (2020) Making sense of the ECG: a hands-on guide. 5th edn. Boca Raton: CRC Press.

Example: book with two authors/editors

Citation in the text:   (Jeukendrup and Gleeson, 2019)

Full reference:
Jeukendrup, A. and Gleeson, M. (2019) Sport nutrition. 3rd edn. Champaign: Human Kinetics.

Example: book with four or more authors/editors

Citation in the text:    (Ritter et al., 2023)

Full reference:
Ritter, J.M., Flower, R.J., Henderson, G., Loke, Y.K., MacEwan, D., Robinson, E. and Fullerton, J. (2024) Rang & Dale's pharmacology. 10th edn. London: Elsevier.

Note that all authors are included in the full reference.

Citing online only books

Where an e-book looks like a printed book (usually PDFs) and you can find all the publication information (including place published and publisher) - cite it in the same way as a printed book (above). You do not need to include the web address. 

Some books are born digital and are not published in a traditional format. Where it is not possible to find the publication information include the web address and date accessed instead, as in the examples below:

Example 1:

Citation in the text:   (UK Health Security Agency, 2020)

Full reference:
UK Health Security Agency (2020) Immunisation against infectious disease (The Green Book). Available at: https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/immunisation-against-infectious-disease-the-green-book (Accessed: 21 January 2024).

Example 2:

Citation in the text:    (Grabrucker, 2021)

Full reference:
Grabrucker, A.M. (ed.) (2021) Autism spectrum disorders. Available at: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK573612/ (Accessed: 25 January 2024).

Note: Using StatPearls? Follow the guidance on citing an online only book chapter.


EndNote tips

  • Print and e-books
    • Use the Reference Type 'Book'
    • Fields to complete:
      • Author: in the format surname, initials, each author on a separate line
      • Year:
      • Title:
      • Place published:
      • Publisher:
      • Edition: if not the first - just add the number e.g. 2nd, 3rd
  • Edited books
    • Use the Reference Type  'Edited book'
    • Fields to add:
      • Editor: in the format surname, initials, each editor on a separate line
      • Other fields the same as above
  • Online only books 
    • Use the Reference Type 'Electronic Book'
    • Complete the same fields as above. Also add:
      • Date Accessed: the date you looked looked at the book in the format day month year e.g. 17 January 2024
      • URL: paste in the web link

Citing book chapters

Include the following in your reference:

  1. Chapter author name(s) in the format 'Surname, Initials'
  2. Year of publication (in round brackets)
  3. Chapter title in single quotation marks
  4. in followed by book editor(s) name(s) in the format 'Surname, Initials' followed by (ed.) or (eds)
  5. Book title (in italics)
  6. Edition (if second edition or later)
  7. Place of publication followed by a colon e.g. London:
  8. Publisher's name
  9. Chapter pagination preceeded by pp.

Include the page extent of the whole chapter when writing your full citation. Put just the pages you have referred to in the in-text citation.

Copy the format and punctuation of these examples.


Example: book chapter with three authors

Citation in the text:     (Singh, Khurana and Singh, 2018, p. 38)

Full reference:    
Singh, H., Khurana, L.K. and Singh, R. (2018) 'Pharmaceutical development', in Vohora, D. and Singh, G. (eds) Pharmaceutical medicine and translational clinical research. London: Academic Press, pp.33-46.

Example: book chapter with four or more authors

Citation in the text:     (Hosznyak et al., 2012, p. 199)

Full reference:
Hosznyak, R., Hosznyak, E., Westaway, A. and Graveson, J. (2017) 'Eye, ear, nose and throat assessment', in Ranson, M. and Abbott, H. (eds) Clinical examination skills for healthcare professional. 2nd edn. Keswick: M & K Publishing, pp. 126-137.

Note that all authors are included in the full reference.


Citing chapters in online only books

Where an e-book chapter looks like a printed book chapter (usually PDFs) and you can find all the publication information (including place published and publisher) - cite it in the same way as a printed book (above). You do not need to include the web address.

Where it is not possible to find the publication information include the web address and date accessed instead:

  • Chapter author(s) in the format 'Surname, Initials' 
  • Year of publication (in round brackets)
  • Chapter title in single quotation marks. Capitalise only the first letter of the first word and any proper nouns.
  • 'in' followed by book editor(s) name(s) in the format 'Surname, Initials' followed by (ed.) or (eds)
  • Book title (in italics). Capitalise only the first letter of the first word and any proper nouns.
  • Edition (if 2nd or later)
  • Available at: https://doi.org... or web address
  • Accessed: date in round brackets (date in this format 25 January 2022)

Copy the format and punctuation of these examples:

UK Health Security Agency (2013) 'Immunisation by nurses and other healthcare professionals', in Immunisation against infectious disease (The Green Book). Available at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/immunisation-by-nurses-and-other-health-professionals-the-green-book-chapter-5 (Accessed: 3 February 2024)

Kawakami, S and Otsuka, S. (2021) 'Multisensory processing in autism spectrum disorders', in Grabrucker, A.M. (ed.) Autism spectrum disorders. Available at: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK573612/ (Accessed: 7 January 2024)

Squadrito, F.J. and del Portal, D. (2022) 'Nitrofurantoin', in StatPearls. Available at: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK470526/ (Accessed: 1 February 2024).


EndNote tips

  • For book chapters
    • Use the Reference Type  'Book Section'
    • Fields to complete:
      • Author: in the format surname, initials. Each author on a separate line.
      • Year:
      • Title: title of chapter 
      • Editor: (include all the editors in the format surname, initials. Each editor on a separate line)
      • Book title:
      • Place published:
      • Publisher:
      • Pages: page numbers for the chapter e.g. 301-335
      • Edition: if not the first - just add the number e.g. 2nd, 3rd
  • For chapters from online only books
    • Use the Reference Type 'Electronic Book Section'
    • Complete the details above (as much as possible)
    • Add URL: paste in the web link
    • Add Access Date: the date you looked looked at the book in the format day month year e.g. 3 February 2024

Note that the way you enter an online only chapter on EndNote for the Harvard style is different from the way you enter it for the Vancouver style. It is not possible to reuse one entry in both styles.

Note that the default 'Cite Them Right Harvard' style in EndNote does not handle e-book sections very well. Download and use our amended style which corrects these issues:

Alternatively 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 reference to match the guidance above.

Citing journal articles which have page numbers or article reference numbers

Include the following in your reference:

  1. ALL Author name(s) in the format 'Surname, Initials'
  2. Year of publication (in brackets)
  3. Article title - in lower case apart from the first letter of the first word and any proper nouns
  4. Journal title (in italics) - give the journal name in full, not abbreviated. Use initial capital letters on all significant words.
  5. Volume number
  6. Issue number (if present, in round brackets)
  7. Page numbers or reference number (Include the page numbers of the whole article when writing your full citation, not just the pages you have referred to)

Copy the format and punctuation of these examples.

Example: journal article with a single author

Citation in the text:   (Rhee, 2022)

Full reference:   
Rhee, E. (2022) 'The influence of obesity and metabolic health on vascular health', Endocrinology and Metabolism, 37(1), pp. 1-8.

Example: journal article with two authors

Citation in the text:   (Rana and Neeland, 2022)

Full reference:    
Rana, M.N. and Neeland, I.J. (2022) 'Adipose tissue inflammation and cardiovascular disease: an update', Current Diabetes Reports, 22(1), pp. 27-37.

Example: journal article with four or more authors and an article reference number

Citation in the text:    (Zheng et al., 2021)

Full reference:
Zheng, Y., Phillips, C.L., Sivam, S., Wong, K., Grunstein, R.R., Piper, A.J. and Yee, B.J. (2021) 'Cardiovascular disease in obesity hypoventilation syndrome – a review of potential mechanisms and effects of therapy', Sleep Medicine Reviews, 60, pp. 101530.

You must include all authors in the full reference.


Citing online journal articles without page numbers or article reference numbers

Include the following in your reference:

  1. ALL Author name(s) in the format 'Surname, Initials'
  2. Year of publication (in brackets)
  3. Article title - in lower case apart from the first letter of the first word and any proper nouns
  4. Journal title (in italics) - give the journal name in full, not abbreviated. Use initial capital letters on all significant words.
  5. Volume number
  6. Issue number (if present, in round brackets)
  7. Available at: DOI (preceded by https://doi.org/) or Web link
    If including a weblink make sure it is as short as possible and doesn't include intermediate websites or your search string. 
  8. Accessed: date you looked at the article in the format day month year e.g. 12 January 2024.

Copy the format and punctuation of these examples:

Article with no page numbers or reference number:

Citation in the text:    (Azpiroz et al., 2017)

Full reference:
Azpiroz, F., Dubray, C., Bernalier-Donadille, A., Cardot, J.M., Accarino, A., Serra, J., Wagner, A., Respondek, F., Dapoigny, M. (2017) '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, 29(2). Available at: https://doi.org/10.1111/nmo.12911 (Accessed: 29 January 2024)

In Press article

Articles are often made available before they receive their official publication details (volume and issue number). If an article is shown as 'In press' or 'Online ahead of print' and doesn't yet have these details, just use (in press) after the journal name and add the DOI web address and date accessed.

Citation in the text: (Vaghari-Tabari et al., 2023)

Full reference:
Vaghari-Tabari, M., Jafari-Gharabaghlou, D., Mohammadi, M., & Hashemzadeh, M.S. (2023). Zinc oxide nanoparticles and cancer chemotherapy: helpful tools for enhancing chemo-sensitivity and reducing side effects? Biological Trace Element Research (in press). Available at: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12011-023-03803-z (Accessed: 25 January 2024)


EndNote tips

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.

For most articles
  • Use the Reference Type 'Journal Article'
  • Complete these fields:
    • Author: in the format surname, initials - each author on a separate line
    • Year:
    • Title: title of the article - in lower case apart from the first letter of the first word and any proper nouns
    • Journal: name of the journal - give the journal name in full, not abbreviated. Use initial capital letters on all significant words.
    • Volume:
    • Issue: (if present)
    • Pages: page numbers or article reference number
For online only articles without page numbers or an article reference number and 'In press' articles
  • Use the reference Type 'Electronic Article'
  • Fields to complete:
    • Author: in the format surname, initials - each author on a separate line
    • Year:
    • Title: title of the article - in lower case apart from the first letter of the first word and any proper nouns
    • Periodical Title: name of the journal - give the journal name in full, not abbreviated. Use initial capital letters on all significant words.
    • Volume:
    • Issue: (put in press here for articles currently being published)
    • Date Accessed: the date you looked at the article in the format day month year e.g. 25 January 2024.
    • URL: If there isn't a DOI add the web address for the article in the URL field. If there is already a URL in the box check that it goes to the article, not back to the reference on the database you downloaded it from. When including a web address make sure it is as short as possible and doesn't include intermediate websites or your search string. 

Citing web pages or web sites

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.

  • Could it be a book?
    Is it a PDF? Does it have a title page giving the title and the authors/editors? Does it have a place published and publisher on the following page? If 'Yes' it is probably a book - follow the guidance on citing a book.
  • Could it be a book chapter?
    Does it say 'Chapter' on it? Does it have page numbers? If 'Yes' it could be a book chapter - follow the guidance on citing a book chapter.
  • Could it be journal article?
    Does it have an abstract or summary? Does it mention the name of a journal and have a volume number? If 'Yes' it could be a journal article - follow the guidance on citing a journal article.

For guidance on citing specific, commonly used pharmacy-related sources see the other tabs in this box.


Citing reputable websites and webpages

Include the following in your reference:

  1. Author name(s) in the format 'Surname, Initials', or organisation that created the page
  2. Year information was created or last edited (in brackets). You might need to scroll to the bottom of the page to find it. If there is no date put (no date)
  3. Page title (in italics and in lower case apart from the first letter of the first word and any proper nouns)
  4. Available at: followed by the web address. Make sure the address is as short as possible and doesn't include intermediate websites or your search string. 
  5. Accessed: date in round brackets

Copy the format and punctuation of these examples.


Example: webpage with a named author

Citation in the text:    (Reynolds, 2023)

Full reference: 
Reynolds, M. (2023) How the team monitoring new and emerging infectious diseases could help prevent the next pandemic. Available at: https://ukhsa.blog.gov.uk/2023/08/08/how-the-team-monitoring-new-and-emerging-infectious-diseases-could-help-prevent-the-next-pandemic/ (Accessed: 2 February 2024) 

Examples: webpages with an organisation as the author

Example 1:

Citation in the text:     (DrugBank, 2024)

Full reference: 
DrugBank (2024) Ranitidine. Available at: https://www.drugbank.ca/drugs/DB00863 (Accessed: 8 February 2024).

Example 2:

Citation in the text:     (Office for Health Improvement & Disparities, 2024)

Full reference:
Office for Health Improvement & Disparities (2024) Cardiovascular disease. Available at: https://fingertips.phe.org.uk/profile/cardiovascular (Accessed: 31 January 2024).

Example: webpage without a date

If there isn't a date on the website, even at the bottom of the page, use 'no date'. 

Citation in the text:     (IUPHAR/BPS, no date)

Full reference:
IUPHAR/BPS (no date) Ibuprofen. Available at: https://www.guidetopharmacology.org/GRAC/LigandDisplayForward?ligandId=2713 (Accessed: 6 February 2024).


EndNote tips

  • Use the Reference Type 'Web Page'
  • Fields to complete:
    • Author: in the format surname, initials - each author on a separate line
      Organisation as the author? Put a comma after the name to ensure it formats correctly e.g. British Nutrition Foundation,
    • Year: use the updated date for the page, if there isn't a date use 'no date'
    • Title: (in lower case apart from the first letter of the first word and any proper nouns)
    • Access Date: the date you looked at the site in the format day month year e.g. 17 January 2024
      Note there is a fault in the Cite Them Right Harvard style which omits the closing bracket after the date. Just type the closing bracket after the year in EndNote for it to appear e.g. 17 January 2024)
    • URL: paste in the web link. Make sure it is as short as possible and doesn't include intermediate websites or your search string. 
  • Organisation as the author? Put a comma after the name to ensure it formats correctly e.g. British Nutrition Foundation,

You can also download our amended 'Cite Them Right-Harvard' style to correct the issue with the missing closing bracket:

Citing the BNF

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. 


Print version

Include the following in your reference:

  • Author - Joint Formulary Committee
  • Year of publication (in round brackets)
  • Title - British National Formulary (BNF) in italics
  • Edition
  • Place of publication: London
  • Publisher: BMJ Group and Pharmaceutical Press

Use the format and punctuation shown in this example - update the edition and year to the one you are using:

Citation in the text:      (Joint Formulary Committee, 2024)

Full reference:
Joint Formulary Committee (2024) British National Formulary (BNF) 87. London: BMJ Group and Pharmaceutical Press.


MedicinesComplete version

Include the following in your reference:

  • Author - Joint Formulary Committee
  • Year of publication (in round brackets) - use the year from the 'Publication last updated' date from the top of the page instead of the date the individual drug was updated
  • Title - British National Formulary (BNF) in italics
  • BNF update date - take take this from the 'Publication last updated' date from the top of the page.
  • Available at: https://www.medicinescomplete.com (Accessed: date)
    Note that you just use the site web address, not the page address for the specific drug you are using. The accessed date is the date you looked at the information in the format day month year e.g. 25 January 2024.

Copy the format and punctuation of these examples:

Citation in the text:      (Joint Formulary Committee, 2024)

Full reference:
Joint Formulary Committee (2024) British National Formulary (BNF). 9 July 2024. Available at: https://www.medicinescomplete.com (Accessed: 29 July 2024)


EndNote tips

For the print version

  • Use the Reference Type 'Book'
  • Fields to complete:
    • Author: Joint Formulary Committee, (make sure you put the comma after the name to make it format correctly)
    • Year:
    • Title: British National Formulary (BNF) followed by Version number e.g. British National Formulary (BNF) 86
    • Place published:
    • Publisher:

For the online versions:

  • Use the Reference Type 'Web Page'
  • Fields to complete:
    • Author: Joint Formulary Committee, (make sure you put the comma after the name to make it format correctly)
    • Year: use the year from the 'Publication last updated' date from the top of the page instead of the date the individual drug was updated
    • Title: followed by the update date e.g. British National Formulary (BNF). 9 July 2024
    • Access Date: the date you looked at the site in the format day month year e.g. 29 July 2024
      Note there is a fault in the Cite Them Right Harvard style which omits the closing bracket after the date. Just type the closing bracket after the year in EndNote for it to appear e.g. 29 July 2024)
    • URL: https://www.medicinescomplete.com
  • Note that if you have added Type of Medium 'Internet' to comply with the Vancouver style, you will need to remove it to create a correct Harvard reference. 

You can also download our amended 'Cite Them Right-Harvard' style to correct the issue with the missing closing bracket:

Citing the British National Formulary for children (BNFC)

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. 


Print version

Include the following in your reference:

  • Author(s): Pediatric Formulary Committee
  • Year of publication (in round brackets)
  • Title: British National Formulary for children (in italics) and version
  • Place of publication: London
  • Publisher: BMJ Group, Pharmaceutical Press and RCPCH Publications

Copy the format and punctuation of this example. Make sure you check the date and edition of the version you are using.

Citation in the text:     (Pediatric Formulary Committee, 2022)

Full reference:
Pediatric Formulary Committee (2022) British National Formulary for children 2022-2023. London: BMJ Group, Pharmaceutical Press and RCPCH Publications.


MedicinesComplete version

Include the following in your reference:

  • Author(s): Pediatric Formulary Committee
  • Year of publication (in round brackets) - use the year from the 'Publication last updated' date from the top of the page you are viewing.
  • Title: British National Formulary for children (BNFC) (in italics)
  • BNFC update date - take this from the 'Publication last updated' date from the top of the page.
  • Available at: https://www.medicinescomplete.com (Accessed: date)
    Note that you just use the site web address, not the page address for the specific drug you are using. The accessed date is the date you looked at the information in the format day month year e.g.29 July 2024.

Copy the format and punctuation of this example. Make sure you check the date and edition (month and year) of the version you are using.

Citation in the text:      (Pediatric Formulary Committee, 2024)

Full reference:
Pediatric Formulary Committee (2024) British National Formulary for children (BNFC). 9 July 2024. Available at: http://www.medicinescomplete.com (Accessed: 29 July 2024)


EndNote tips

For the print version

  • Use the Reference Type 'Book'
  • Fields to complete:
    • Author: Pediatric Formulary Committee, (make sure you put the comma after the name to make it format correctly)
    • Year: use the year from the 'Publication last updated' date from the top of the page you are viewing
    • Title: followed by version e.g. British National Formulary for children 2022-2023
    • Place published: London
    • Publisher:  BMJ Group, Pharmaceutical Press and RCPCH Publications

For the online version:

  • Use the Reference Type 'Web Page'
  • Fields to complete:
    • Author: Pediatric Formulary Committee, (make sure you put the comma after the name to make it format correctly)
    • Year: 
    • Title: followed by the latest update date - take this from the 'Publication last updated' date from the top of the page e.g. 
      British National Formulary for children (BNFC). 9 July 2024.
    • Access Date: the date you looked at the site in the format day month year e.g. 29 July 2024
      Note there is a fault in the Cite Them Right Harvard style which omits the closing bracket after the date. Just type the closing bracket after the year in EndNote for it to appear e.g. 29 July 2024)
    • URL: https://www.medicinescomplete.com (depending on which version you are using)
  • Note that if you have added Type of Medium 'Internet' to comply with the Vancouver style, you will need to remove it to create a correct Harvard reference. 

You can also download our amended 'Cite Them Right-Harvard' style to correct the issue with the missing closing bracket:

Citing the British Pharmacopoeia

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:

  • Author: British Pharmacopoeia Commission
  • Year of publication (in round brackets)
  • Title: British Pharmacopoeia. Version. (in italics)
  • Available at: https://www.pharmacopoeia.com (Accessed: date)

Copy the format and punctuation of this example (make sure you change the Version and dates to match the ones you use):

Citation in the text:     (British Pharmacopoeia Commission, 2024)

Reference list:
British Pharmacopoeia Commission. (2024). British Pharmacopoeia. Ph. Eur. 11.4 update. Available at: https://www.pharmacopoeia.com (Accessed: 8 February 2024)

 

EndNote tips

  • Use the Reference Type 'Web Page'
  • Fields to complete:
    • Author: British Pharmacopoeia Commission, (make sure you put the comma after the name to make it format correctly)
    • Year: 
    • Title: followed by the update date e.g. British Pharmacopoeia. Ph. Eur. 11.4 update
    • Access Date: the date you looked at the site in the format day month year e.g. 8 February 2024
      Note there is a fault in the Cite Them Right Harvard style which omits the closing bracket after the date. Just type the closing bracket after the year in EndNote for it to appear e.g. 8 February 2024)
    • URL: https://www.pharmacopoeia.com
  • Note that if you have added Type of Medium 'Internet' to comply with the Vancouver style, you will need to remove it to create a correct Harvard reference. 

You can also download our amended 'Cite Them Right-Harvard' style to correct the issue with the missing closing bracket:

 

Access the British Pharmacopoeia

Citing BMJ Best Practice

These are the details to include:

  1. Author name(s) in the format 'Surname, Initials'. (Find these in the 'Contributors' box towards the bottom of the entry).
  2. Year the topic was last updated (in brackets). 
  3. Page title (in italics and in lower case apart from the first letter of the first word and any proper nouns) followed by BMJ Best Practice.
  4. Available at: followed by the web address of the page.
  5. Accessed: followed by the date you looked at the information (in brackets). Date should be in the format: day month year e.g. 20 November 2024.

Copy the format and punctuation of this example.

In-text citation:   (Umerah, 2024)

Full reference:
Umerah, O. (2024) Asthma in adults. BMJ Best Practice. Available at: https://bestpractice.bmj.com/topics/en-gb/44 (Accessed: 20 November 2024)


EndNote tips

  • Use the Reference Type 'Web Page'
  • Fields to complete:
    • Author: in the format surname, initials - each author on a separate line
    • Year: use the last updated date
    • Title: the title of the page (in lower case apart from the first letter of the first word and any proper nouns) followed by BMJ Best Practice.
    • Access Date: the date you looked at the site in the format day month year e.g. 17 November 2024
      Note there is a fault in the Cite Them Right Harvard style which omits the closing bracket after the date. Just type the closing bracket after the year in EndNote for it to appear e.g. 17 November 2024)
    • URL: paste in the web link.  

You can also download our amended 'Cite Them Right-Harvard' style to correct the issue with the missing closing bracket:

Citing NICE guidelines

Include the following in your reference:

  1. Author: National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE)
  2. Year created/updated (use the most recent date) in round brackets
  3. Title of document/page (in italics) followed by the guideline reference number in round brackets
  4. Available at: followed by the web address
  5. Accessed: date in round brackets

Copy the format and punctuation of this example.

In-text citation:   (National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE), 2021)

Full reference:
National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) (2021) Acute heart failure: diagnosis and management (CG187). Available at: https://www.nice.org.uk/guidance/cg187 (Accessed: 28 January 2024)


EndNote tips

  • Use the Reference Type 'Web Page'
  • Fields to complete:
    • Author: National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE), - make sure you put a comma after the name so it formats correctly
      Organisation as the author? Put a comma after the name to ensure it formats correctly e.g. British Nutrition Foundation,
    • Year: use the updated date for the page, if there isn't a date use 'no date'
    • Title: (in lower case apart from the first letter of the first word and any proper nouns)
    • Access Date: the date you looked at the site in the format day month year e.g. 28 January 2024
      Note there is a fault in the Cite Them Right Harvard style which omits the closing bracket after the date. Just type the closing bracket after the year in EndNote for it to appear e.g. 28 January 2024)
    • URL: paste in the web link
      (For a shorter reference use the link for the webpage instead of the longer PDF link)
  • Note that if you have added Type of Medium 'Internet' to comply with the Vancouver style, you will need to remove it to create a correct Harvard reference. 

You can also download our amended 'Cite Them Right-Harvard' style to correct the issue with the missing closing bracket:

Citing local guidelines

Local guidelines, although authored by individuals, should be ratified by a designated committee therefore are the work of the organisation.

Print guidelines

Include the following in your reference:

  • Author - organisation name
  • Year of publication in round brackets
  • Title of policy and Version (in italics)
  • Place of publication
  • Publisher (often the same as the author)

Use the text formatting and punctuation shown in this example.

Citation in the text:    (Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust, 2023)

Full reference:
Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust (2023) Non-medical prescribing policyVersion 5. London: Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust.

Online guidelines

Include the following in your reference:

  • Author - organisation name
  • Year of publication in round brackets
  • Title of policy and Version (in italics)
  • Available at: followed by the web address
  • Accessed: date in round brackets

Use the text formatting and punctuation shown in this example.

Citation in the text:     (North East London Health & Care Partnership, 2023)

Full reference:
North East London Health & Care Partnership (2023) North East London (NEL) management of infection guidance for primary care. August 2023. Available at: https://gp-website-cdn-prod.s3.amazonaws.com/prescribing-guideline-downloads/1697724608-4663d459fc894709f71ce7beaa8662db.pdf (Accessed: 8 February 2024)

EndNote tips

For print guidelines

  • Use the Reference Type 'Book'
  • Fields to complete:
    • Author: in the format surname, initials, each author on a separate line. If the author is an organisation put a comma after the name to make sure it formats correctly e.g. Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust,
    • Year:
    • Title: (in lower case apart from the first letter of the first word and any proper nouns) include the Version after the title e.g. Non-medical prescribing policy. Version 5
    • Place published:
    • Publisher:

For online guidelines

  • Use the Reference Type 'Web Page' 
  • Fields to complete:
    • Author: in the format surname, initials, each author on a separate line.
      Organisation as the author? Put a comma after the name to ensure it formats correctly e.g. e.g. North East London Health & Care Partnership,
    • Year: 
    • Title: (in lower case apart from the first letter of the first word and any proper nouns)
    • Access Date: the date you looked at the site in the format day month year e.g. 8 February 2024
      Note there is a fault in the Cite Them Right Harvard style which omits the closing bracket after the date. Just type the closing bracket after the year in EndNote for it to appear e.g. 8 February 2024)
    • URL: paste in the web link
  • Note that if you have added Type of Medium 'Internet' to comply with the Vancouver style, you will need to remove it to create a correct Harvard reference. 

You can also download our amended 'Cite Them Right-Harvard' style to correct the issue with the missing closing bracket:

Citing SmPCs (Summaries of Product Characteristics) OR PILs (Patient Information Leaflets) on the Electronic Medicines Compendium

Include the following in your reference:

  1. Author - drug company who wrote the SmPC
  2. Year updated on EMC
  3. Title followed by Electronic Medicines Compendium. (in italics)
  4. Available at: followed by the web address
  5. Accessed: date in round brackets

Copy the format and punctuation of these examples.

SmPC

Citation in the text:     (Wockhardt UK Ltd, 2017)

Full reference:
Wokhardt UK Ltd (2017) Aciclovir 400mg tablets summary of product characteristics. Electronic Medicines Compendium. Available at: https://www.medicines.org.uk/emc/product/2352/smpc (Accessed: 25 January 2024).

PIL

Citation in the text:     (Dermal Laboratories Limited, 2024)

Full reference:
Dermal Laboratories Limited (2024) Ibugel patient information leaflet. Electronic Medicines Compendium. Available at: https://www.medicines.org.uk/emc/product/3759/pil (Accessed: 7 February 2024).


EndNote tips

  • Use the Reference Type 'Web Page'
  • Fields to complete:
    • Author: company name. Put a comma after the company name to ensure it formats correctly e.g. Wockhardt UK Ltd,
    • Year: 
    • Title: (in lower case apart from the first letter of the first word and any proper nouns). Add ': Electronic Medicines Compendium' after the title.
    • Access Date: the date you looked at the site in the format day month year e.g. 7 February 2024
      Note there is a fault in the Cite Them Right Harvard style which omits the closing bracket after the date. Just type the closing bracket after the year in EndNote for it to appear e.g. 7 February 2024)
    • URL: paste in the web link
  • Note that if you have added Type of Medium 'Internet' to comply with the Vancouver style, you will need to remove it to create a correct Harvard reference. 

You can also download our amended 'Cite Them Right-Harvard' style to correct the issue with the missing closing bracket:

Citing systematic reviews on The Cochrane Library database

Include the following in your reference:

  • Author(s) in the format Surname, Initials
  • Year of publication (in round brackets)
  • Title of review (in single quotation marks)
  • Database name (in italics)
  • Issue number
  • Article number (CD ...)
  • DOI or Available at: web address (Accessed: date)

Copy the format and punctuation of this example.

Citation in the text:     (Crowe, Chang and Wallace, 2016)

Reference list:
Crowe, L., Chang, A., and Wallace, K. (2016) 'Instruments for assessing readiness to commence suck feeds in preterm infants: effects on time to establish full oral feeding and duration of hospitalisation', Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews, 8, CD005586, DOI: 10.1002/14651858.CD005586.pub3

EndNote tips

  • Use the Reference Type 'Electronic article'
  • Fields to complete:
    • Author: in the format surname, initials - each author on a separate line
    • Year:
    • Title: title of the review - in lower case apart from the first letter of the first word and any proper nouns
    • Periodical Title: The Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews
    • Volume: Issue number, Article number e.g. 8, CD005586
    • DOI

Note that the way you enter a Cochrane Review on EndNote for the Harvard style is very different from the way you enter it for the Vancouver style. It is not possible to reuse one entry in both styles.


Access The Cochrane Library

Citing clinical trials

Although most references refer to the published paper as this details the results of the clinical trial, depending on the context of what you write you may need to reference the clinical trial itself.

Include the following in your reference:

  • Author(s) in the format Surname, Initials (this will be the primary contact for the trial)
  • Year of publication (in round brackets)
  • Title of trial (in single quotation marks)
  • Database/registry name (in italics)
  • Trial reference number
  • DOI or Available at: web address (Accessed: date)

Copy the format and punctuation of these examples.


Example 1: with a DOI

Citation in the text:    (Crooks, 2023)

Full reference:
Crooks, M. (2023) 'An investigation into how adding an inhaled steroid to COPD treatment may potentially protect against heart disease', ISRCTN, ISRCTN29148209. DOI: 10.1186/ISRCTN29148209.

Example 2: without a DOI

Citation in the text:    (Lingor, 2023)

Full reference:
Lingor, P. (2023) 'Safety, tolerability and symptomatic efficacy of the ROCK-inhibitor Fasudil in patients with Parkinson's disease', ClinicalTrials.gov, NCT05931575. Available at: https://clinicaltrials.gov/study/NCT05931575 (Accessed: 9 January 2024).


EndNote tips

  • Use the Reference Type 'Electronic article'
  • Fields to complete:
    • Author: in the format surname, initials - each author on a separate line
    • Year: 
    • Title: (in lower case apart from the first letter of the first word and any proper nouns)
    • Periodical Title: Database/Registry name
    • Volume: Trial number
    • Date Accessed: date you looked at it in the format day month year e.g. 9 January 2024
      Note there is a fault in the Cite Them Right Harvard style which omits the closing bracket after the date. Just type the closing bracket after the year in EndNote for it to appear e.g. 9 January 2024)
    • DOI: add DOI if it has one
    • URL: the web link if no DOI
  • Note that the way you enter a Clinical Trial on EndNote for the Harvard style is very different from the way you enter it for the Vancouver style. It is not possible to reuse one entry in both styles.

You can also download our amended 'Cite Them Right-Harvard' style to correct the issue with the missing closing bracket:

Citing materials posted on Blackboard

Always check with your tutor if you are allowed to refer to course materials in your own work. It is preferable to use published sources where possible, such as articles and books. 

Include the following in your reference:

  • Author's name in the format Surname, Initials
  • Year in round brackets
  • Title of document/presentation as given on Blackboard (in single quotation marks)
  • Medium in square brackets e.g. [PowerPoint presentation, Lecture, Recorded lecture)
  • Module code: module title (in italics)
  • Institution
  • Available at: https://www.bb.reading.ac.uk (Accessed: date) 
    Note that you do not need to give the specific web address for the material you are citing. The address for Blackboard is sufficient.

Copy the format and punctuation of these examples.


Example 1: PowerPoint slides

Citation in the text:     (Cottrell, 2023)

Full reference:
Cottrell, G. (2023) 'The molecules of life: proteins' [Presentation slides]. PM1PY2: Fundamentals of Cell Biology. University of Reading. Available at: https://www.bb.reading.ac.uk (Accessed: 2 December 2023).

Example 2: Handout

Citation in the text:     (University of Reading, no date)

Full reference:
University of Reading (no date) 'Direct observation of procedural skills (DOPS) assessment form' [Handout] PM2PY1: Professional Practice 2. University of Reading. Available at: https://www.bb.reading.ac.uk (Accessed: 20 November 2023).

For guidance on citing other types of materials posted on Blackboard see Section G7 of the following book:


EndNote tips

  • Use the Reference Type  'Web Page' 
  • Fields to complete:
    • Author: in the format surname, initials - each author on a separate line
    • Year: 
    • Title: (in lower case apart from the first letter of the first word and any proper nouns)
    • Series title: module code and title
    • Publisher: University of Reading
    • Access Date: date you looked at it in the format day month year e.g. 25 January 2024
    • Type of Medium: add the Format here e.g. Presentation slides, Lecture notes, Recorded lecture, Handout
    • URL: https://www.bb.reading.ac.uk 

Note that even with the information entered as above the default 'Cite Them Right-Harvard' style in EndNote will not quite format the reference correctly - the title of the document should be enclosed in single quotes and be in plain text; the module details should be in italics; there should be closing bracket after the access date; the Type of Medium should be after the document title. 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.

Vancouver referencing - click on the tabs for guidance on specific publications

Click on the tabs above for guidance on citing specific publications in the Vancouver style.


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.

In-text citations

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).

How do I cite multiple sources together?

  • When citing two or more sources at once, write a number for each separated by a comma e.g. (1, 2) or (6, 12)
  • When citing more than two sources which are numbered consecutively, use a hyphen instead of a comma e.g. (3-5)

For example:

There are many studies that have examined the effect of alcohol on cognitive impairment (1,2, 4-7, 9).

Other citation questions

Does my citation number always have to be at the end of the sentence?

No. You can have citation numbers within the sentence if you have taken the information from multiple sources.

Around 1 in 20 people in the UK suffer with asthma (1), with most developing it during childhood (2). 

How should I refer to authors in the text?

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).

How do I include a quote from a source?

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).

How do I refer to a source referenced in another work?

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)...


Reference list

Order

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. 

Author names

Cited by Surname Initials - there is no comma between the surname and initials, nor any full stop or space between initials.

Chen ZL

Multiple authors

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. 


Additional guidance

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.

Vancouver referencing

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.

Citing books and e-books

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:

  • Author(s) or editors in the format Surname Initials (no full stops or spaces between initials).
    For books with more than six authors list the first six followed by 'et al.'
  • Title of book (capitalise only the first letter of the first word and any proper nouns)
  • Edition (if not the first)
  • Place of publication: Publisher; Year.
    You can usually find this information on the title page or following page.

Copy the format and punctuation of these examples:

  1. Ritter JM, Flower RJ, Henderson G, Loke YK, MacEwan D, Robinson E et al. Rang & Dale's pharmacology. 10th ed. London: Elsevier; 2024.
  2. Ashley C, Dunleavy A, editors. The renal drug handbook: the ultimate prescribing guide for renal practitioners. 5th ed. Boca Raton: CRC Press; 2019.

Citing online only books

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:

  • Author(s) or editors in the format Surname Initials (no full stops or spaces between initials)
    For books with more than six authors list the first six followed by 'et al.'
  • Title of book (capitalise only the first letter of the first word and any proper nouns)
  • Edition (if not the first)
  • [Internet]
  • Year. 
  • [cited year month day] - the date you looked at it e.g. [cited 2022 Jun 18]
    You can usually find this information on the title page or following page.
  • Available from: https://doi.org... or web address

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:

  1. UK Health Security Agency. Immunisation against infectious disease (The Green Book) [Internet]. 2021 [cited 2024 Jan 26]. Available from: https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/immunisation-against-infectious-disease-the-green-book.
  2. Grabrucker AM, editor. Autism spectrum disorders [Internet]. 2021 [cited 2024 Feb 10]. Available from: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK573612/.

Note: Using StatPearls? Follow the guidance on citing an online only book chapter.

EndNote tips

  • Print and e-books
    • Use the Reference Type 'Book'
    • Fields to complete:
      • Author: in the format surname, initials, each author on a separate line
      • Year:
      • Title:
      • Place published:
      • Publisher:
      • Edition: if not the first - just add the number e.g. 2nd, 3rd
  • Edited books
    • Use the Reference Type  'Edited book'
    • Fields to complete:
      • Same as above but instead of the Author field fill in the Editor field 
  • Online only books 
    • Use the Reference Type 'Electronic Book'
    • Fields to complete:
      • Author: in the format surname, initials, each author on a separate line
      • Year:
      • Title:
      • Edition: if not the first - just add the number e.g. 2nd, 3rd
      • Type of Medium: Internet
      • Year Cited: in the format 2024
      • Date Cited: in the format month day e.g. Jan 23
      • URL: paste in the web link
    • Note that even with the information entered as above EndNote will not quite format the reference correctly - the edition will not appear and for edited e-books 'editors' will not be added after the editor names. 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 to match the guidance above.

Citing chapters in printed books and e-books with publication details

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:

  • Chapter author(s) in the format Surname Initials (no full stops or spaces between initials)
  • Title of chapter. (capitalise only the first letter of the first word and any proper nouns)
  • In
  • Editor(s) of the book followed by , editors
  • Title of book. (capitalise only the first letter of the first word and any proper nouns)
  • Edition (if not the first)
  • Place of publication: Publisher; Year.
  • Page numbers of the chapter preceded by p. Abbreviate where appropriate e.g. 110-128 would be 110-28, 450-455 would be 450-5.

Copy the format and punctuation of this example

  1. Singh H, Khurana LK, Singh R. Pharmaceutical development. In: Vohora D, Singh G, editors. Pharmaceutical medicine and translational clinical research. London: Academic Press; 2018. p. 33-46.
  2. Davies J, Nuttall D. Prescribing for specific groups. In: Nuttall D, Rutt-Howard J, editors. The textbook of non-medical prescribing. 3rd ed. Hoboken: Wiley; 2020. p. 238-73.

Citing chapters in online only books

Some books are born digital and are not published in a traditional format. When citing chapters in these include the following in your reference:

  • Chapter author(s) in the format Surname Initials  (no full stops or spaces between initials)
  • Title of chapter. (capitalise only the first letter of the first word and any proper nouns)
  • In:
  • Editor(s) of the book followed by , editors
  • Title of book. (capitalise only the first letter of the first word and any proper nouns)
  • Edition (if not the first)
  • [Internet]
  • Year.
  • [cited year month day] - the date you looked at it e.g. [cited 2022 Jun 18]
  • Page numbers of the chapter if available preceded by p. Abbreviate where appropriate e.g. 110-128 would be 110-28, 450-455 would be 450-5.
  • Available from: https://doi.org... or web address

Copy the format and punctuation of these examples:

  1. UK Health Security Agency. Immunisation by nurses and other healthcare professionals. In: Immunisation against infectious disease (The Green Book) [Internet]. 2013. p. 35-9 [cited 2024 Feb 3]. Available from: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/immunisation-by-nurses-and-other-health-professionals-the-green-book-chapter-5.
  2. Kawakami S, Otsuka S. Multisensory processing in autism spectrum disorders. In: Grabrucker AM, editor. Autism spectrum disorders [Internet]. 2021 [cited 2024 Jan 7]. Available from: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK573612/.
  3. Squadrito FJ, del Portal D. Nitrofurantoin. In: StatPearls [Internet]. 2022 [cited 2024 Feb 1]. Available from: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK470526/.

Endnote tips

  • Chapters from printed books and e-books with place published and publisher.
    • Use the Reference Type 'Book Section'
    • Fields to complete:
      • Author(s): in the format surname, initials. Each author on a separate line.
      • Year:
      • Title: title of chapter 
      • Editor(s): in the format surname, initials. Each editor on a separate line.
      • Book title: capitalise only the first letter of the first word and any proper nouns
      • Place published:
      • Publisher:
      • Pages: page numbers for the chapter
      • Edition: if not the first - just add the number e.g. 2nd, 3rd
  • Chapters from online only books 
    • Use the Reference Type 'Electronic Book Section'
    • Fields to complete:
      • Author: in the format surname, initials, each author on a separate line
      • Year:
      • Title: chapter title
      • Editor: (if there is one)
      • Book Title:
      • Edition: if not the first - just add the number e.g. 2nd, 3rd
      • Type of Work: Internet
      • Access Date: in the format year, month (abbreviated to three letters) day e.g. 2024 Jan 21
      • URL: paste in the web link
    • Note that even with all the required information entered in EndNote it will not format the reference correctly - the Edition and Type of Work will not be in the correct place. For edited e-books 'editors' will not be added after the editor names. The Access Date will be repeated at the end. 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 to match the guidance above.

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.

Citing journal articles which have page numbers or article reference numbers

Include the following in your reference:

  • Article author(s) in the format Surname Initials (no full stops or spaces between initials).
    For articles with more than six authors list the first six followed by 'et al.'
  • Title of article. (capitalise only the first letter of the first word and any proper nouns)
  • Journal title in full (use a capital letter at the start of each significant word in the title)
    Note: we are not following the 'Cite them right' guidance to abbreviate journal names.
  • Year;
  • Volume number
  • Issue number in brackets (where present)
  • Page numbers or article reference number. Abbreviate page ranges where appropriate e.g. 110-128 would be 110-28, 450-455 would be 450-5.

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.

Citing online journal articles without page numbers or article reference numbers

Include the following in your reference:

  • Article author(s) in the format Surname Initials (no full stops or spaces between initials).
    For articles with more than six authors list the first six followed by 'et al.'
  • Title of article. (capitalise only the first letter of the first word and any proper nouns)
  • Journal title in full (use a capital letter at the start of each significant word in the title)
    Note: we are not following the 'Cite them right' guidance to abbreviate journal names.
  • [Internet]
  • Year
  • [cited year month day] - the date you looked at it e.g. [cited 2022 Jun 18]
  • Volume number
  • Issue number in brackets (where present)
  • Available from: https://doi.org/... or web address if no DOI. When including a web address make sure it is as short as possible and doesn't include intermediate websites or your search string. 

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


EndNote tips

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.

For most articles
  • Use the Reference Type 'Journal Article'
  • Complete these fields:
    • Author: in the format surname, initials - each author on a separate line
    • Year:
    • Title: title of the article - in lower case apart from the first letter of the first word and any proper nouns
    • Journal: name of the journal - give the journal name in full, not abbreviated. Use initial capital letters on all significant words.
    • Volume:
    • Issue: (if present)
    • Pages: page numbers or article reference number
For online only articles without page numbers or an article reference number and 'In press' articles:
  • Use Reference Type 'Electronic Article'
  • Fields to complete:
    • Author: in the format surname, initials - each author on a separate line
    • Year:
    • Title: title of the article - in lower case apart from the first letter of the first word and any proper nouns
    • Periodical Title: name of the journal - give the journal name in full, not abbreviated. Use initial capital letters on all significant words.
    • Volume: (if the article doesn't yet have a volume number add 'Forthcoming ' before the year - as in the above example)
    • Issue: (put in press here for articles currently being published).
    • Type of Work: Internet
    • Year Cited: in the format 2024
    • Date Cited in the format month day e.g. Feb 5.
    • URL: paste in the web link for the article or move the DOI from the DOI field and add https://doi.org/ in front of it e.g. https://doi.org/10.1136/ejhpharm-2021-003215
      If there is already a URL in the box check that it goes to the article, not back to the reference on the database you downloaded it from. Replace any database links with the DOI with https://doi.org/ in front of it or add the direct link to the article. When including a web address make sure it is as short as possible and doesn't include intermediate websites or your search string. 

Citing websites or webpages

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.

  • Could it be a book?
    Is it a PDF? Does it have a title page giving the title and the authors/editors? Does it have a place published and publisher on the following page? If 'Yes' it is probably a book - follow the guidance on citing a book.
  • Could it be a book chapter?
    Does it say 'Chapter' on it? Does it have page numbers? If 'Yes' it could be a book chapter - follow the guidance on citing a book chapter.
  • Could it be journal article?
    Does it have an abstract or summary? Does it mention the name of a journal and have a volume number? If 'Yes' it could be a journal article - follow the guidance on citing a journal article.

For guidance on citing specific, commonly used pharmacy-related sources see the other tabs in this box.


Citing reputable websites and webpages

Include the following in your reference:

  • Author(s)/Organisation name
  • Title of page/document (capitalise only the first letter of the first word and any proper nouns)
  • [Internet].
  • Year created/updated (for webpages with no date omit this element - see the final example)
  • [cited year month day] - the date you looked at it e.g. [cited 2022 Feb 18]
  • Available from: web link. When including a web address make sure it is as short as possible and doesn't include intermediate websites or your search string. 

Use the format and punctuation shown in these examples:

  1. Reynolds M. How the team monitoring new and emerging infectious diseases could help prevent the next pandemic [Internet]. 2023 [cited 2024 Feb 2]. Available from: https://ukhsa.blog.gov.uk/2023/08/08/how-the-team-monitoring-new-and-emerging-infectious-diseases-could-help-prevent-the-next-pandemic/.
  2. DrugBank. Ranitidine [Internet]. 2024 [cited 2024 Feb 8]. Available from: https://www.drugbank.ca/drugs/DB00863.
  3. IUPHAR/BPS. Ibuprofen [Internet]. [cited 2024 Feb 6]. Available from: 
    https://www.guidetopharmacology.org/GRAC/LigandDisplayForward?ligandId=2713.
    (this example is for a webpage without a date)

EndNote tips

  • Use the Reference Type 'Web Page'
  • Fields to complete:
    • Author: in the format surname, initials - each author on a separate line
      Organisation as the author? Put a comma after the name to ensure it formats correctly e.g. British Nutrition Foundation,
    • Year: use the updated date for the page, if there isn't a date use 'no date'
    • Title: (in lower case apart from the first letter of the first word and any proper nouns)
    • Type of Medium: Internet
    • Year Cited: in the format 2024
    • Date Cited: in the format month day e.g. Jan 23
    • URL: paste in the web link. When including a web address make sure it is as short as possible and doesn't include intermediate websites or your search string. 
  • Organisation as the author? Put a comma after the name to ensure it formats correctly e.g. British Nutrition Foundation,

Citing the BNF

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. 


Print version

Include the following in your reference:

  • Author - Joint Formulary Committee.
  • Title - British National Formulary (BNF).
  • Edition (if not the first)
  • Place of publication - London:
  • Publisher -  BMJ Group and Pharmaceutical Press;
  • Year.

Use the format and punctuation shown in this example - update the edition and year to the one you are using:

  1. Joint Formulary Committee. British National Formulary (BNF) 87. London: BMJ Group and Pharmaceutical Press; 2024.

MedicinesComplete version

Include the following in your reference:

  • Author - Joint Formulary Committee
  • Title - British National Formulary (BNF) followed by the Update date - take this from the 'Publication last updated' date from the top of the page.
  • [Internet]
  • Year published (shown at the top of the screen) - take this from the 'Publication last updated' date from the top of the page.
  • [cited year month day] - the date you looked at it e.g. [cited 2024 Jul 29]
  • Available from: https://www.medicinescomplete.com

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.


EndNote tips

For the print version

  • Use the Reference Type 'Book'
  • Fields to complete:
    • Author: Joint Formulary Committee, (make sure you put the comma after the name to make it format correctly)
    • Year: 
    • Title: British National Formulary (BNF) followed by Version number e.g. British National Formulary (BNF) 87
    • Place published:
    • Publisher:

For the online version:

  • Use the Reference Type 'Web Page'
  • Fields to complete:
    • Author: Joint Formulary Committee, (make sure you put the comma after the name to make it format correctly)
    • Year: take this from the 'Publication last updated' date from the top of the page
    • Title: followed by the update date e.g. British National Formulary (BNF). 9 July 2024 - take this from the 'Publication last updated' date from the top of the page
    • Type of Medium: Internet
    • Year Cited: in the format 2024
    • Date Cited: in the format month day e.g. Jul 29
    • URL: https://www.medicinescomplete.com

Citing the BNF for children

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. 


Print version

Include the following in your reference:

  • Author - Pediatric Formulary Committee
  • Title - BNF for children
  • Edition
  • Place of publication - London:
  • Publisher -  BMJ Group, Pharmaceutical Press and RCPCH Publications;
  • Year.

Use the format and punctuation shown in this example:

  1. Pediatric Formulary Committee. BNF for children. 2022-2023 ed. London: BMJ Group, Pharmaceutical Press and RCPCH Publications; 2022. 

Online version (MedicinesComplete)

Include the following in your reference:

  • Author - Pediatric Formulary Committee
  • Title - British National Formulary for children (BNFC)
  • Update date - take this from the 'Publication last updated' date from the top of the page.
  • [Internet]
  • Year published - take this from the 'Publication last updated' date from the top of the page.
  • [cited year month day] - the date you looked at it e.g. [cited 2024 Jul 29]
  • Available from: https://www.medicinescomplete.com

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.


EndNote tips

For the print version

  • Use the Reference Type 'Book'
  • Fields to complete:
    • Author: Pediatric Formulary Committee, (make sure you put the comma after the name to make it format correctly)
    • Year:
    • Title: followed by version e.g. BNF for children 2022-2023
    • Place published: London
    • Publisher:  BMJ Group, Pharmaceutical Press and RCPCH Publications

For the online version:

  • Use the Reference Type 'Web Page'
  • Fields to complete:
    • Author: Pediatric Formulary Committee, (make sure you put the comma after the name to make it format correctly)
    • Year: take this from the 'Publication last updated' date from the top of the page.
    • Title: followed by the update date e.g. British National Formulary (BNF). 7 July 2024 - take this from the 'Publication last updated' date from the top of the page.
    • Type of Medium: Internet
    • Year Cited: in the format 2024
    • Date Cited: in the format month day e.g. Jul 29
    • URL: https://www.medicinescomplete.com

Citing the British Pharmacopoeia

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:

  • Author - British Pharmacopoeia Commission
  • Title - British Pharmacopoeia
  • Version e.g. Ph. Eur. 11.4
  • [Internet]
  • Year
  • [cited year month day] - the date you looked at it e.g. [cited 2024 Feb 8]
  • Available from: https://www.pharmacopoeia.com

Use the format and punctuation shown in this example (make sure you change the Version and dates to match the ones you use):

  1. British Pharmacopoeia Commission. British Pharmacopoeia. Ph. Eur. 11.4 update [Internet]. 2024 [cited 2024 Feb 8]. Available from: https://www.pharmacopoeia.com.

EndNote tips

  • Use the Reference Type 'Web Page'
  • Fields to complete:
    • Author: British Pharmacopoeia Commission, (make sure you put the comma after the name to make it format correctly)
    • Year: 
    • Title: followed by the update date e.g. British Pharmacopoeia. Ph. Eur. 11.4 update
    • Type of Medium: Internet
    • Year Cited: in the format 2024
    • Date Cited: in the format month day e.g. Feb 8
    • URL: https://www.pharmacopoeia.com

Access the British Pharmacopoeia

Citing BMJ Best Practice

These are the details to include:

  1. Author name(s) in the format 'Surname, Initials'. (Find these in the 'Contributors' box towards the bottom of the entry).
  2. Page title (in lower case apart from the first letter of the first word and any proper nouns) followed by BMJ Best Practice.
  3. [Internet]
  4. Year the topic was last updated (in brackets).
  5. [cited year month day] - the date you looked at it e.g. [cited 2024 Nov 18].
  6. Available from: followed by the web address of the page.

Copy the format and punctuation of this example.

  1. Umerah O. Asthma in adults. BMJ Best Practice [Internet]. 2024 [cited 2024 Oct 8]. Available from: https://bestpractice.bmj.com/topics/en-gb/44.

EndNote tips

  • Use the Reference Type 'Web Page'
  • Fields to complete:
    • Author: in the format surname, initials - each author on a separate line
    • Year: use the last updated date
    • Title: the title of the page (in lower case apart from the first letter of the first word and any proper nouns) followed by BMJ Best Practice.
    • Type of Medium: Internet
    • Year Cited: in the format 2024
    • Date Cited: in the format month day e.g. Sep 23
    • URL: paste in the web link.  

Citing NICE guidelines

Include the following in your reference:

  • Author - National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE)
  • Title of page/document including reference number in round brackets (capitalise only the first letter of the first word and any proper nouns)
  • [Internet]
  • Year created/updated 
  • [cited year month day] - the date you looked at it e.g. [cited 2022 Jun 18]
  • Available from: web link
    (For a shorter reference use the link for the webpage instead of the longer PDF link)

Use the format and punctuation shown in these examples:

  1. National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE). Vaccine uptake in the general population (NG218) [Internet]. 2022 [cited 2024 Feb 9]. Available from: https://www.nice.org.uk/guidance/ng218.
  2. National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE). Acute heart failure: diagnosis and management (CG187) [Internet]. 2021 [cited 2024 Jan 10]. Available from: https://www.nice.org.uk/guidance/cg187.

EndNote tips

  • Use the Reference Type 'Web Page'
  • Fields to complete:
    • Author: National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE), - make sure you put a comma after the name so it formats correctly
      Organisation as the author? Put a comma after the name to ensure it formats correctly e.g. British Nutrition Foundation,
    • Year: use the updated date for the page, if there isn't a date use 'no date'
    • Title: (in lower case apart from the first letter of the first word and any proper nouns)
    • Type of Medium: Internet
    • Year Cited: in the format 2024
    • Date Cited: in the format month day e.g. Jan 13
    • URL: paste in the web link

Citing local guidelines

Local guidelines, although authored by individuals, should be ratified by a designated committee therefore are the work of the organisation.


Print guidelines

Include the following in your reference:

  • Author - organisation name
  • Title of policy (capitalise only the first letter of the first word and any proper nouns) and Version
  • Place of publication
  • Publisher (usually the same as the author)
  • Year

Use the format and punctuation shown in this example:

  1. Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust. Non-medical prescribing policy: Version 3. London: Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust; 2016.
Online guidelines

Include the following in your reference:

  • Author(s)/Organisation name
  • Title of page/document (capitalise only the first letter of the first word and any proper nouns) and Version
  • [Internet]
  • Year created/updated (for guidelines with no date just use the cited date)
  • [cited year month day] - the date you looked at it e.g. [cited 2022 June 18]
  • Available from: web link

Use the format and punctuation shown in this example:

  1. North East London Health & Care Partnership. North East London (NEL) management of infection guidance for primary care. August 2023 [Internet]. 2023 [cited 2024 Feb 8]. Available from: https://gp-website-cdn-prod.s3.amazonaws.com/prescribing-guideline-downloads/1697724608-4663d459fc894709f71ce7beaa8662db.pdf

EndNote tips

For print guidelines

  • Use the Reference Type 'Book'
  • Fields to complete:
    • Author: in the format surname, initials, each author on a separate line. If the author is an organisation put a comma after the name to make sure it formats correctly e.g. Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust,
    • Year:
    • Title: (in lower case apart from the first letter of the first word and any proper nouns) include the Version after the title e.g. Non-medical prescribing policy. Version 5
    • Place published:
    • Publisher:

For online guidelines

  • Use the Reference Type 'Web Page'
  • Fields to complete:
    • Author: in the format surname, initials, each author on a separate line.
      Organisation as the author? Put a comma after the name to ensure it formats correctly e.g. e.g. North East London Health & Care Partnership,
    • Year: 
    • Title: (in lower case apart from the first letter of the first word and any proper nouns)
    • Type of Medium: Internet
    • Year Cited: in the format 2022
    • Date Cited: in the format month day e.g. Dec 20
    • URL: paste in the web link

Citing Summaries of Product Characteristics (SmPCs) or Patient Information Leaflets (PILs) on the Electronic Medicines Compendium

Include the following in your reference:

  • Author - drug company who wrote the SmPC
  • Title (capitalise only the first letter of the first word and any proper nouns) followed by Electronic Medicines Compendium 
  • [Internet]
  • Year created/updated
  • [cited year month day] - the date you looked at it e.g. 2024 Jan 29
  • Available from: web link 

Use the format and punctuation shown in these examples.

SmPC
  1. Wokhardt UK Ltd. Aciclovir 400mg tablets summary of product characteristics. Electronic Medicines Compendium [Internet]. 2017 [cited 2024 Jan 29]. Available from: https://www.medicines.org.uk/emc/product/2352/smpc.
PIL
  1. Dermal Laboratories Limited. Ibugel patient information leaflet. Electronic Medicines Compendium [Internet]. 2024 [cited 2024 Feb 9]. Available from: https://www.medicines.org.uk/emc/product/3759/pil.

EndNote tips

  • Use the Reference Type 'Web Page'
  • Fields to complete:
    • Author: company name. Put a comma after the company name to ensure it formats correctly e.g. Accord-UK Ltd.,
    • Year: 
    • Title: (in lower case apart from the first letter of the first word and any proper nouns). Add ': Electronic Medicines Compendium' after the title.
    • Type of Medium: Internet
    • Year Cited: in the format 2024
    • Date Cited: in the format month day e.g. Jan 20
    • URL: paste in the web link

Citing systematic reviews in the Cochrane Library

Include the following in your reference:

  • Author(s) in the format Surname, Initials
  • Title of review
  • Year month day of review
  • In:
  • Title of database: The Cochrane Library
  • [Internet]
  • Issue number
  • Article number
  • Available from: web address or DOI

Use the format and punctuation shown in this example:

  1. Crowe L, Chang A, Wallace K. Instruments for assessing readiness to commence suck feeds in preterm infants: effects on time to establish full oral feeding and duration of hospitalisation. 2016 August 23. In: The Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews [Internet]. Issue 8.  Art. No.: CD005586. Available from: https://doi.org/10.1002/14651858.CD005586.pub3.

EndNote tips

  • Use the Reference Type 'Electronic Book Section'
  • Fields to complete:
    • Author: in the format surname, initials - each author on a separate line
    • Title: title of the review - in lower case apart from the first letter of the first word and any proper nouns. Add the year month day of review after the title e.g. Instruments for assessing readiness to commence suck feeds in preterm infants: effects on time to establish full oral feeding and duration of hospitalisation. 2016 August 23.
    • Book title: The Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews
    • Edition: Issue 8. Article no.: CD005586
    • Type of Work: Internet
    • URL: paste in the web link

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.


Access The Cochrane Library

Citing clinical trials

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:

  • Author - primary contact for the trial
  • Trial title
  • In:
  • Database/registry name
  • [Internet]
  • Year
  • [cited year month day] - the date you looked at it e.g. [cited 2024 Jan 18]
  • Available from: DOI or web address

Use the format and punctuation shown in these examples:

  1. Crooks M. An investigation into how adding an inhaled steroid to COPD treatment may potentially protect against heart disease. In: ISRCTN Registry [Internet]. 2023 [cited 2024 Jan 18]. Available from: https://doi.org/10.1186/ISRCTN29148209.
  2. Lingor P. Safety, tolerability and symptomatic efficacy of the ROCK-inhibitor Fasudil in patients with Parkinson's disease. In:  ClinicalTrials.gov [Internet]. 2023 [cited 2024 Feb 9]. Available from: https://clinicaltrials.gov/study/NCT05931575.

EndNote tips

  • Use the Reference Type 'Web Page'
  • Fields to complete:
    • Author: in the format surname, initials - each author on a separate line
    • Year: 
    • Title (in lower case apart from the first letter of the first word and any proper nouns) followed by . In: [name of Database/Registry] e.g. Implementing improved asthma self-management as routine. In: ISRCTN Registry
    • Type of Medium: Internet
    • Year Cited: in the format 2024
    • Date Cited: in the format month day e.g. Jan 20
    • URL: paste in the web link

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.

Citing materials posted on Blackboard

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:

  • Author's name in the format Surname Initials
  • Title of document/presentation as given on Blackboard
  • Format in square brackets e.g. [PowerPoint presentation, Lecture notes, Recorded lecture, Handout]
  • Place of publication:
  • Institution;
  • Course details, date
  • [cited year month day] - the date you looked at it e.g. [cited 2024 Jan 18]
  • Available from: https://www.bb.reading.ac.uk
    Note that you do not need to give the specific web address for the material you are citing. The address for Blackboard is sufficient.

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.


EndNote tips

  • Use the 'Web Page' Reference Type
  • Fields to complete:
    • Author: in the format surname, initials - each author on a separate line
    • Year: 
    • Title: (in lower case apart from the first letter of the first word and any proper nouns)
    • Place published: Reading
    • Publisher: University of Reading
    • Type of Medium: add the Format here e.g. PowerPoint presentation, Lecture notes, Recorded lecture, Handout
    • Contents: module code and title e.g. PM2PY1: Professional Practice 2
    • Year Cited: in the format 2024
    • Date Cited: in the format month day e.g. Jan 20
    • URL: 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.

Citing tables, figures & images

Images, graphs, charts, diagrams and tables that you have used from books, websites and other texts should be referenced in the same way that you would any other material.

The captions for both tables and figures should include a citation if taken from or based on another source (name-year or number depending on the style you are using). When you refer to it in your writing, use the figure/table number. Give a full citation in the reference list for the source of the image.

Citing tables

Tables should be sequentially numbered with the title/legend above the table - as in this example which uses the Harvard referencing style:

Example of citing a table showing the table legend containing a citation

Example of referring to a table in a sentence:

The macronutrient content of the diets used in the study is shown in Table 2. 

Full details for reference list (Harvard style):

Mitchell, N.S. and Ard, J.D. (2021) 'Weight loss, lifestyle, and dietary factors in cardiovascular diseases in African Americans and Hispanics', in Ferdinand, K.C., Taylor, H.A. and Rodriguez, C.J. (eds) Cardiovascular disease in racial and ethnic minority populations. Cham: Humana Press, pp. 167-182.

Citing figures (images, graphs and diagrams)

Images, graphs and diagrams should be labelled as 'Figure' and sequentially numbered with the caption below - as in this example which uses the Harvard referencing style:

Example of citing a diagram with the Figure number and legend below.

Example of referring to a figure in a sentence:

The prebiotics can induce direct or indirect effect on the gut-associated epithelial and immune cells (Figure 3).

Full details for reference list (Harvard style):

Pujari, R. and Banerjee, G. (2021) 'Impact of prebiotics on immune response: from the bench to the clinic', Immunology and Cell Biology, 99(3), pp. 255-273.

 

Decorative images

If the image is purely decorative you should still acknowledge the creator and source but there is no need to include a full reference.

See the example on the right which includes the caption:
'Image: [creator] via [website image captured from]'.

If it is a picture you have taken use this format:

'Image by author'.

Compiling your own table from multiple sources

If you are taking information from multiple sources and compiling your own table you still need to acknowledge those sources. 

The following link shows two ways of doing this. Although this is a guide to using the APA style the approaches can be adapted for use with Harvard and Vancouver.

Secondary referencing (citing a source you have read about in a different source)

A secondary reference is used when you are referring to a source which you have not read yourself, but have read about in another source. Where possible, you should always try to read the original of anything you wish to refer to; otherwise you are relying on the author who cited the reference to have interpreted it correctly and not taken it out of context. Use the reference list at the end of the source you are reading to find details of the reference and search for it using the search boxes below.

Find books using the Enterprise catalogue

Just type in the first author's surname and a few words from the title.


Find journal articles using Summon

Just type in the first author's surname and first part of the article title.


If you can't get hold of the original source you'll need to do a secondary reference and you should make clear that you are not using the original source. Only include the source you have used in your list of references following the guidance above on citing that type of publication. Indicate in your in-text citation that it is a secondary reference by preceeding the citation with 'as cited in' or 'as quoted in'.

Vancouver example

In-text citation:

According to France as cited in Weingart et al. (4), hospitals use internal reporting procedures to identify...

Reference:

4. Weingart, SN, Zhang L, Sweeney M, Hassett M. Chemotherapy medication errors. The Lancet Oncology, 2018; 19(4): e191-e199.

Harvard example

In-text citation:

According to France (2003, as cited in Weingart et al., 2018), hospitals use internal reporting procedures to identify...

Reference: 

Weingart, S.N., Zhang, L., Sweeney, M, & Hassett, M. (2018) 'Chemotherapy medication errors', The Lancet Oncology, 19(4), pp. e191-e199.


EndNote tips

Vancouver - just edit your text as in the example above and insert the reference for the paper you have read in the usual way.

Harvard

  1. Insert the in-text citation for the paper you have read in the usual way.
  2. Right-click on the in-text citation and select 'Edit Citation(s)' and 'More...'. 
  3. In the prefix box type the year of the paper you haven't read followed by a comma and space and 'as cited in ' (as in the example above). Click OK.
  4. In front to the in-text citation type in the author name(s) for the paper you haven't read (as in the example above), including the correct number of authors.

Quotes and copying information

  • When taking information from a reference source which you are not putting into your own words i.e. copying and pasting you need to put quotes around the words to indicate that it is not your own work
  • Students are expected to put the majority of information into their own words to demonstrate their understanding and independent thought - the amount of information in quotes should therefore be minimal
  • Quotes should be reserved for situations where no alternative wording is possible and/or where it is not appropriate (e.g. quoting a standard or particular statement which supports your argument)
Direct quote (avoid unless necessary)
  • Wenger (1998, p. 181) argues that 'Engagement, imagination and alignment each create relations of belonging'.
Paraphrase
  • The focus of Wenger's discussion is on the way that different aspects come together to build notions of identity (Wenger, 1998).
Indirect mention
  • Theorists have considered the impact of a variety of circumstances on the creation and expansion of identity (Wenger, 1998; Lee, 2013; Morton and Grainger, 2009).

Avoid quoting large blocks of text:

The NICE guidance for hypertension (NICE, 2019) states the following:

'Beta-blockers are not a preferred initial therapy for hypertension. However, beta-blockers may be considered in younger people, particularly:

  • those with an intolerance or contraindication to ACE inhibitors and angiotensin II receptor antagonists or
  • women of child-bearing potential or
  • people with evidence of increased sympathetic drive'

Instead this could be paraphrased as:

NICE no longer recommend beta-blockers to be used as initial therapy for hypertension, although it is recognised that there may be circumstances in which younger patients may benefit from beta-blockers (NICE, 2019).  In my practice I may review younger patients, therefore I will consider the recommendations from NICE on appropriate prescribing of beta-blockers, for example women of child-bearing age, patients with increased sympathetic drive or unable to take ACE inhibitors and angiotensin II receptor antagonists.

Additional guidance

Video guides to referencing

See also our short videos on referencing and avoiding plagiarism:

Support from your librarian

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Jackie Skinner
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Contact:
Please contact me if you have a query about literature searching, accessing resources, referencing or using EndNote/Mendeley.

Use the buttons above to email me or make an appointment (in person or online).
Quick query in semester-time? Come along to my weekly drop-in on Tuesdays 13:00-14:00 in Harry Nursten Room 2-64. I am also usually on the Study Advice and Academic Liaison Desk on the Ground Floor of the Library on semester-time Tuesdays 11:00-12:00.
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EndNote

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Using a reference management system is vital when you do your final year projects and useful for creating accurate references for other assignments. EndNote is one such system which can be used to store references, and then insert the citation in your Word document, automatically building the bibliography for you in the correct style.

Use the following styles in EndNote:

  • Cite Them Right-Harvard
  • Vancouver

There are tips for using EndNote for each type of publication in the Vancouver and Harvard referencing guidance on the left. However, for some non-standard publications EndNote may not format your references correctly. To overcome this insert the reference in EndNote following the guidance and add it to your Word document. 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.

Find out more in the EndNote page in this guide: