Vancouver style
How to cite a preprint article in Vancouver style
Preprints carry DOIs but lack journal volumes and page numbers; styles require explicit repository names (arXiv, bioRxiv) and clear preprint designation.
THE FORMAT
A preprint article in Vancouver, at a glance
#. Author AA, Author BB. Title of the article. Repository Name [preprint]. Year Mon DD [cited Year Mon DD]. Available from: DOI or URL
4. Lindqvist P, Berg M. Genomic signatures of antibiotic resistance in hospital isolates. Research Square [preprint]. 2024 Feb 18 [cited 2024 Mar 1]. Available from: https://doi.org/10.21203/rs.3.rs-3912048/v1
A recent preprint evaluated genomic resistance markers.⁴
In prose: Lindqvist and Berg⁴ identified novel resistance mechanisms.
Copyeditor formats APA, MLA, Chicago and IEEE automatically — cite a source once and the references builds itself. See how citations work .
BEFORE YOU FORMAT
What Vancouver needs from a preprint article
Elements to collect
- Author or authors
- Year and month of posting
- Article title
- Preprint repository name (e.g. arXiv, bioRxiv)
- DOI or persistent repository URL
Rules specific to this entry
- In Vancouver (ICMJE / NLM Citing Medicine) format, preprints take the bracketed medium tag “[preprint]” immediately after the repository name.
- Always include the citation retrieval date formatted as [cited Year Mon DD] before the availability URL or DOI link.
- Preprint manuscripts are un-peer-reviewed; NLM guidelines require authors to indicate preprint status clearly in the reference entry.
- If the manuscript is subsequently accepted by a peer-reviewed biomedical journal, update your reference list to cite the published journal article instead.
Building the entry, step by step
Collect the details
Before you format anything, gather every element Vancouver needs for a preprint article: Author or authors; Year and month of posting; Article title; Preprint repository name (e.g. arXiv, bioRxiv).
Build the references entry
Arrange those details in the Vancouver order: #. Author AA, Author BB. Title of the article. Repository Name [preprint]. Year Mon DD [cited Year Mon DD]. Available from: DOI or URL
Add the in-text citation
In the body of your paper, cite it as A recent preprint evaluated genomic resistance markers.⁴ — or work the same reference into your sentence as Lindqvist and Berg⁴ identified novel resistance mechanisms..
Check it against the exceptions
In Vancouver (ICMJE / NLM Citing Medicine) format, preprints take the bracketed medium tag “[preprint]” immediately after the repository name.
Vancouver RULES
The conventions behind every Vancouver entry
Citing Medicine (NLM), 2nd ed. — the reference standard behind Vancouver is the authority. Where a journal or department publishes its own house rules, those win — check your submission guidelines before the references is final.
The rules that apply across every source — author order, capitalization, how the references is sorted, and where Vancouver entries most often go wrong — are collected on the Vancouver style guide.
The same preprint article in another style
Switching styles late in a draft is normal. Here is the same source formatted five other ways.
Questions about Vancouver and preprints
What if the preprint article has no author?
Start the entry with the title and keep the number you already assigned it. A numeric references never re-sorts for a missing author, so the entry stays exactly where it is.
What do I need before I can cite a preprint article?
Author or authors, Year and month of posting, Article title, and the rest of the elements listed above. Preprints carry DOIs but lack journal volumes and page numbers; styles require explicit repository names (arXiv, bioRxiv) and clear preprint designation.
Is there anything unusual about a preprint article in Vancouver?
In Vancouver (ICMJE / NLM Citing Medicine) format, preprints take the bracketed medium tag “[preprint]” immediately after the repository name.
What else catches people out here?
Always include the citation retrieval date formatted as [cited Year Mon DD] before the availability URL or DOI link.
Can I reformat this preprint article in another style later?
By hand, you would retype the entry — the element order, punctuation and italics all differ between styles. In Copyeditor, sources are stored as structured data, so switching between APA, MLA, Chicago and IEEE reformats every citation and the whole reference list at once.
Cite it once
and never reformat it again
Copyeditor keeps sources as structured data, so switching between APA, MLA, Chicago and IEEE reformats every citation and the whole references at once.
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