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 CIPPET programmes.
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.
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).
This video 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.
The next video gives tips on how to use references in your work to avoid being accused of plagiarism:
When you submit your work you will be asked to do so through the Turnitin similarity checker. This video explains what this does and how you can use it to improve your writing.
The next two videos give guidance on using supporting evidence from publications in your assignments by using quotes or paraphrasing.
Guidance on using the name-year Harvard referencing style.
Guidance on using the numbered Vancouver style of referencing.
Citing tables, figures & images
Referencing visual elements taken from other sources.
Guidance on citing a source you have read about in another source
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.
For the Harvard style, your in-text citation should include:
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.
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).
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).
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.
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).
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)...
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).
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.
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).
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 below.
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.
Cited using Surname, Initials - place a comma and a space between the surname and initials. Full stops between initials e.g.:
Chen, Z.L.
List all of the authors in the full reference in the order they appear on the publication.
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.
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Most books and e-books can be cited in the same way. If you are viewing the PDF of a printed book there is no need to include the web address in your reference if you have the place published and publisher.
Include the following in your reference:
Copy the format and punctuation of these examples.
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.
Citation in the text: (Jeukendrup and Gleeson, 2019)
Full reference:
Jeukendrup, A. and Gleeson, M. (2019) Sport nutrition. 3rd edn. Champaign: Human Kinetics.
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.
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:
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).
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.
Include the following in your reference:
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.
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.
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.
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:
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).
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.
Include the following in your reference:
Copy the format and punctuation of these examples.
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.
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.
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.
Include the following in your reference:
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)
You should be able to download details for most articles from databases such as Summon, Web of Science, Scopus and PubMed. If you need to type one in from scratch this is the information to include.
You should avoid citing webpages unless you are clear of their quality and suitability for inclusion in academic work. See the 'Websites' tab within this guide for more information on evaluating webpages.
Only follow this guidance if the item you want to reference is not a book, a book chapter or a journal article. When you search the internet you will find many different types of content. The first step to referencing correctly is to recognise what you are looking at.
For guidance on citing specific, commonly used pharmacy-related sources see the other tabs in this box.
Include the following in your reference:
Copy the format and punctuation of these examples.
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)
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).
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).
You can also download our amended 'Cite Them Right-Harvard' style to correct the issue with the missing closing bracket:
Update December 2023: You can now choose which version of the BNF to use in your work: in print; on the NICE website; on the MedicinesComplete website; or via the BNF App. There's guidance on citing each below.
When citing the BNF you only need one generic reference, not specific references for each drug or piece of information you have used. Just make it clear in your text which drug/section you are referring to.
Include the following in your reference:
Use the format and punctuation shown in this example - update the edition and year to the one you are using:
Citation in the text: (Joint Formulary Committee, 2023)
Full reference:
Joint Formulary Committee (2023) British National Formulary (BNF) 86. London: BMJ Group and Pharmaceutical Press.
Include the following in your reference:
Copy the format and punctuation of these examples:
Citation in the text: (Joint Formulary Committee, 2023)
Full reference (NICE version):
Joint Formulary Committee (2023) British National Formulary (BNF). 13 December 2023. Available at: https://bnf.nice.org.uk/ (Accessed: 8 February 2024)
Full reference (MedicinesComplete version):
Joint Formulary Committee (2023) British National Formulary (BNF). 9 January 2024. Available at: https://www.medicinescomplete.com (Accessed: 8 February 2024)
Include the following in your reference:
Copy the format and punctuation of this example:
Citation in the text: (Joint Formulary Committee, 2024)
Full reference:
Joint Formulary Committee (2024) British National Formulary (BNF) app. January 2024. [Mobile app]. Available at: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.pharmpress.bnf (Accessed: 25 January 2024).
For the print version
For the online versions:
For the app:
You can also download our amended 'Cite Them Right-Harvard' style to correct the issue with the missing closing bracket:
Update December 2023: You can now choose which version of the BNFC to use in your work: in print; on the NICE website; on the MedicinesComplete website; or via the BNF App. There's guidance on citing each below.
When citing the BNFC you only need one generic reference, not specific references for each drug or piece of information you have used. Just make it clear in your text which drug/section you are referring to.
Include the following in your reference:
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.
Include the following in your reference:
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, 2023)
Full reference (NICE version):
Pediatric Formulary Committee (2023) British National Formulary for children (BNFC). 13 December 2023. Available at: https://bnfc.nice.org.uk/ (Accessed: 4 February 2024)
Full reference (MedicinesComplete version):
Pediatric Formulary Committee (2023) British National Formulary for children (BNFC). 9 January 2024. Available at: http://www.medicinescomplete.com (Accessed: 4 February 2024)
Include the following in your reference:
Copy the format and punctuation of this example:
Citation in the text: (Pediatric Formulary Committee, 2023)
Full reference:
Pediatric Formulary Committee (2023) British National Formulary for children (BNFC) app. December 2023. [Mobile app]. Available at: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.pharmpress.bnf (Accessed: 4 February 2024)
For the print version
For the online versions:
For the app:
You can also download our amended 'Cite Them Right-Harvard' style to correct the issue with the missing closing bracket:
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:
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)
You can also download our amended 'Cite Them Right-Harvard' style to correct the issue with the missing closing bracket:
Access to the latest edition of The British Pharmacopoeia (BP), the leading collection of standards for UK medicinal products and pharmaceutical substances.
Include the following in your reference:
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)
You can also download our amended 'Cite Them Right-Harvard' style to correct the issue with the missing closing bracket:
Local guidelines, although authored by individuals, should be ratified by a designated committee therefore are the work of the organisation.
Include the following in your reference:
Use the 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 policy. Version 5. London: Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust.
Include the following in your reference:
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)
For print guidelines
For online guidelines
You can also download our amended 'Cite Them Right-Harvard' style to correct the issue with the missing closing bracket:
Include the following in your reference:
Copy the format and punctuation of these examples.
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).
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).
You can also download our amended 'Cite Them Right-Harvard' style to correct the issue with the missing closing bracket:
Include the following in your reference:
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
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.
Systematic reviews, protocols and trials on the effects of interventions in health care. Free to UK residents
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:
Copy the format and punctuation of these examples.
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.
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).
You can also download our amended 'Cite Them Right-Harvard' style to correct the issue with the missing closing bracket:
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:
Copy the format and punctuation of these examples.
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).
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:
Cite Them Right.12th ed. by 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 is a numbered style. Each piece of work cited should have a unique number, assigned in order (your first reference is 1, your second is 2 etc.). It is a very plain style with little punctuation and no text formatting such as italics, underlining or bold.
When adding an in-text citation to your document you can write the number in brackets:
Medical systems need to be carefully considered and designed to reduce the likelihood of medication errors (1).
For example:
There are many studies that have examined the effect of alcohol on cognitive impairment (1,2, 4-7, 9).
You do not have to refer to the authors' names in the text but it may help the flow of your writing to do so.
Two authors: give both author's surnames linked with 'and'. For example:
A recent study by Chen and Lee (4) found that...
Three or more authors: use the first author's surname followed by "et al.". For example:
A recent study by Rang et al. (2) found that...
An organisation: give the full name with any recognised abbreviation in brackets afterwards e.g. National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE). Thereafter you can refer to it using the abbreviation. Give the full name and abbreviation in the full reference. For example:
A survey by Asthma UK found that one in 20 people suffer from severe asthma (6).
If directly quoting from a work, you need to use single quotation marks. Include a page number in the in-text citation. For example:
More recently, a paper by Walker et al. (3) stated that 'student pharmacists are valuable and important to practice model transformation' (p. 47).
A paper by Walker et al.stated that 'student pharmacists are valuable and important to practice model transformation' (3, p. 47).
This type of referencing is known as secondary referencing and should be avoided wherever possible, as the author citing the work may have their own bias or misinterpretation. It is better to seek out the original reference (in this example, Ahmed’s) and cite it directly if it is useful.
You need to include both authors' names in the body of your text to show that you have not read the original article. In the final reference list, you should only include the reference you have read yourself (Jones in this example):
According to Ahmed as cited in Jones (5)...
References must be listed at the end of your document in numerical order based on the order of citation. If you use the same source more than once, the original citation number should be used.
Cited by Surname Initials - there is no comma between the surname and initials, nor any full stop or space between initials.
Chen ZL
Authors should be listed in the order they appear on the publication. Only list the first six authors followed by et al.
Monzer NL, Hartmann M, Buckert M, Wolff K, Nawroth P, Kopf S et al.
See the tabs in this box for additional guidance and relevant examples. Our Vancouver guidance is closely aligned with that given in the 'Cite them right' book and website (below). You can find extra publication types and examples via this website. Note that we deviate from this guide in some case to make references simpler. For instance you should put journal names in full not abbreviated.
You will need to login with your University username and password to view this video.
Most books and e-books can be cited in the same way. If you are viewing the PDF of a printed book there is no need to include the web address in your reference if you have the place published and publisher.
Include the following in your reference:
Copy the format and punctuation of these examples:
Some books are born digital and are not published in a traditional format. If the book does not have a Place published and Publisher then you will need to follow this guidance. Include the following in your reference:
Note: if you are unable to find a place published and publisher you will need to cite the item following the web page guidance.
Copy the format and punctuation of these examples:
Note: Using StatPearls? Follow the guidance on citing an online only book chapter.
Follow this guidance to cite a printed book or an e-book which has the publisher and place published information. Include the following in your reference:
Copy the format and punctuation of this example
Some books are born digital and are not published in a traditional format. When citing chapters in these include the following in your reference:
Copy the format and punctuation of these examples:
Note that the way you enter a chapter on EndNote for the Vancouver style is different from the way you enter it for the Harvard style. It is not possible to reuse one entry in both styles.
Include the following in your reference:
Copy the format and punctuation of this example:
Rana MN, Neeland IJ. Adipose tissue inflammation and cardiovascular disease: an update. Current Diabetes Reports. 2022; 22(1):27-37.
Monzer NL, Hartmann M, Buckert M, Wolff K, Nawroth P, Kopf S et al. The cardiac autonomic response to acute psychological stress in type 2 diabetes. PloS One. 2022; 17(3):e0265234.
Include the following in your reference:
Copy the format and punctuation of this example:
Azpiroz F, Dubray C, Bernalier-Donadille A, Cardot JM, Accarino A, Serra J, Wagner A, Respondek F, Dapoigny M. Effects of scFOS on the composition of fecal microbiota and anxiety in patients with irritable bowel syndrome: a randomized, double blind, placebo controlled study. Neurogastroenterology & Motility [Internet]. 2017 [cited 2024 Jan 24] ;29(2). Available from: https://doi.org/10.1111/nmo.12911.
Note: if an article is in press and doesn't yet have a volume number treat like as above but add 'Forthcoming' before the year:
Vaghari-Tabari M, Jafari-Gharabaghlou D, Mohammadi M, Hashemzadeh MS. Zinc oxide nanoparticles and cancer chemotherapy: helpful tools for enhancing chemo-sensitivity and reducing side effects? Biological Trace Element Research [Internet]. Forthcoming 2024 [cited 2024 Jan 28]. Available from: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12011-023-03803-z
You should be able to download details for most articles from databases such as Summon, Web of Science, Scopus and PubMed. If you need to type one in from scratch this is the information to include.
You should avoid citing webpages unless you are clear of their quality and suitability for inclusion in academic work. See the 'Websites' tab within this guide for more information on evaluating webpages.
Only follow this guidance if the item you want to reference is not a book, a book chapter or a journal article. When you search the internet you will find many different types of content. The first step to referencing correctly is to recognise what you are looking at.
For guidance on citing specific, commonly used pharmacy-related sources see the other tabs in this box.
Include the following in your reference:
Use the format and punctuation shown in these examples:
Update December 2023: You can now choose which version of the BNF to use in your work: in print; on the NICE website; on the MedicinesComplete website; or via the BNF App. There's guidance on citing each below.
When citing the BNF you only need one generic reference, not specific references for each drug or piece of information you have used. Just make it clear in your text which drug/section you are referring to.
Include the following in your reference:
Use the format and punctuation shown in this example - update the edition and year to the one you are using:
Include the following in your reference:
Copy the format and punctuation of these examples:
Full reference (NICE version):
Joint Formulary Committee. British National Formulary (BNF). 13 November 2023 [Internet]. 2023 [cited 2024 Feb 4]. Available from: https://bnf.nice.org.uk/.
Full reference (MedicinesComplete version):
Joint Formulary Committee. British National Formulary (BNF). 9 January 2024 [Internet]. 2024 [cited 2024 Feb 4]. Available from: https://www.medicinescomplete.com.
Include the following in your reference:
Copy the format and punctuation of this example:
Citation in the text: (Joint Formulary Committee, 2024)
Full reference:
Joint Formulary Committee. British National Formulary (BNF) app. January 2024 [Mobile app]. 2024 [cited 2024 Feb 4]. Available from: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.pharmpress.bnf
For the print version
For the online versions:
For the app:
Update December 2023: You can now choose which version of the BNFC to use in your work: in print; on the NICE website; on the MedicinesComplete website; or via the BNF App. There's guidance on citing each below.
When citing the BNFC you only need one generic reference, not specific references for each drug or piece of information you have used. Just make it clear in your text which drug/section you are referring to.
Include the following in your reference:
Use the format and punctuation shown in this example:
Include the following in your reference:
Copy the format and punctuation shown of these examples:
Full reference (NICE version):
Pediatric Formulary Committee. British National Formulary for children (BNFC). 13 December 2023 [Internet]. 2023 [cited 2024 Feb 4]. Available from: https://bnfc.nice.org.uk/.
Full reference (MedicinesComplete version):
Pediatric Formulary Committee. British National Formulary for children (BNFC). 9 January 2024 [Internet]. 2024 [cited 2024 Feb 4]. Available from: https://www.medicinescomplete.com.
Include the following in your reference:
Copy the format and punctuation of this example:
Citation in the text: (Pediatric Formulary Committee, 2024)
Full reference:
Pediatric Formulary Committee. British National Formulary for children (BNFC) app. January 2024 [Mobile app]. 2024 [cited 2024 Feb 4]. Available from: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.pharmpress.bnf
For the print version
For the online versions:
For the app:
Provides access to the British National Formulary, British National Formulary for Children and Stockley’s Drug Interactions.
When citing the British Pharmacopoeia you only need one generic reference, not specific references for each drug or section you have used. Just make it clear in your text which drug/section you are referring to.
Include the following in your reference:
Use the format and punctuation shown in this example (make sure you change the Version and dates to match the ones you use):
Access to the latest edition of The British Pharmacopoeia (BP), the leading collection of standards for UK medicinal products and pharmaceutical substances.
Include the following in your reference:
Use the format and punctuation shown in these examples:
Local guidelines, although authored by individuals, should be ratified by a designated committee therefore are the work of the organisation.
Include the following in your reference:
Use the format and punctuation shown in this example:
Include the following in your reference:
Use the format and punctuation shown in this example:
For print guidelines
For online guidelines
Include the following in your reference:
Use the format and punctuation shown in these examples.
Include the following in your reference:
Use the format and punctuation shown in this example:
Note that the way you enter a Cochrane Review on EndNote for the Vancouver style is very different from the way you enter it for the Harvard style. It is not possible to reuse one entry in both styles.
Systematic reviews, protocols and trials on the effects of interventions in health care. Free to UK residents
If a trial is still ongoing you may need to refer to it directly instead of to a published paper.
Include the following in your reference:
Use the format and punctuation shown in these examples:
Note that the way you enter a Clinical Trial on EndNote for the Vancouver style is very different from the way you enter it for the Harvard style. It is not possible to reuse one entry in both styles.
Always check with the academic who set the assignment if you are allowed to refer to course materials in your own work. It is preferable to do your own research and use published sources, such as articles and books, instead of referring to lecture materials.
Include the following in your reference:
Copy the format and punctuation of these examples.
Example 1: PowerPoint slides
Cottrell G. The molecules of life: proteins [PowerPoint presentation]. Reading: University of Reading; PM1PY2: Fundamentals of Cell Biology; 2023 [cited 2023 Dec 2]. Available from: https://www.bb.reading.ac.uk.
Example 2: Handout with no date
University of Reading. Direct observation of procedural skills (DOPS) assessment form [Handout] Reading: University of Reading; PM2PY1: Professional Practice 2. [cited 2023 Nov 30]. Available from: https://www.bb.reading.ac.uk.
Note that even with the information entered as above EndNote will not quite format the reference correctly - the module details will be in the wrong place. To correct this, as a final step before submission, create a plain text version of your document. Go to the EndNote toolbar in Word and select 'Convert citations and bibliography' to 'Plain text' (this will be under 'Tools' on the Mac version of the toolbar). This will create a copy of your document which is divorced from EndNote so that you can make final tweaks to the references.
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.
Tables should be sequentially numbered with the title/legend above the table - as in this example which uses the Harvard referencing style:
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.
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 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 imagesIf 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'.
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.
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.
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
Avoid quoting large blocks of text:
The NICE guidance for hypertension (NICE, 2019) states the following:
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.
Cite Them Right. 12th ed. by 
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:
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: