Soon enough, all of humanity will be constantly plugged into the internet and able to link to a website with a mere thought. But until that terrible dystopian future comes to pass, you still need to reference online sources the old-fashioned way. Here, then, are the rules for citing a website in an essay when you’re using Vancouver referencing.
In-Text Citations for a Website
Vancouver referencing uses a number–endnote system. This means that citations are given via numbers in the main text, with source information saved for the reference list.
To cite a source, then, you simply give a number in brackets at the end of the sentence. Alternatively, if the author is named in the text, you should give the number immediately afterwards:
Human consciousness will eventually merge with AI (1). Some thinkers warn against this possibility, but Dr Statt (2) speaks positively of it.
Sources are numbered in the order they first appear in the text. They are then listed in the same order in the reference list. In the passage above, for example, the numbers show us that the author is citing the first and second sources in the reference list.
Websites in the Reference List
As mentioned above, Vancouver requires all cited sources to be added to a reference list at the end of your document. Sources are listed in the same order that they are cited in the text.
The format for a website in a Vancouver reference list is:
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(Citation Number) Author Surname and Initial/Organisation. Web Page Title. Available from: URL [Accessed date].
There is quite a bit of information here, so let’s break it down:
- Author/Organisation – Ideally, you will find the name of the person who wrote the article or page you’re citing and use that. If not, you can use the organisation that publishes the site.
- Web Page Title – This should be the title of the specific page you’re citing.
- URL – The web address for the page you’ve cited.
- Accessed Date – The date of when you last visited the page.
In practice, then, a Vancouver website reference would look like this:
(1) Statt N. Elon Musk launches Neuralink, a venture to merge the human brain with AI. Available from: https://www.theverge.com/2017/3/27/15077864/elon-musk-neuralink-brain-computer-interface-ai-cyborgs [Accessed 2 April 2019].
Watch Out! Vancouver Variations
There are several variations of Vancouver referencing. Most use a format similar to the one shown above, but you should check your style guide in case your university/publisher has specific requirements. These may include how citations are presented (e.g. round vs. square brackets).
If you cannot find a style guide, your main priorities should be clarity and consistency. And don’t forget to get your work proofread to make sure that all of your references are in order.