Vancouver style
How to cite a software or code repository in Vancouver style
Research software requires exact version numbers and deposit DOIs (e.g. Zenodo) to ensure algorithmic reproducibility.
THE FORMAT
A software or code repository in Vancouver, at a glance
#. Developer AA. Title of software [software]. Version x.x. Place: Repository Host; Year [cited Year Mon DD]. Available from: DOI or URL
4. Harris CR, Millman KJ. NumPy: Array programming with Python [software]. Version 1.26.0. Zenodo; 2023 [cited 2024 Feb 10]. Available from: https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.8329410
Array operations were executed using NumPy.⁴
In prose: Harris et al.⁴ provided the fundamental array processing engine.
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 software or code repository
Elements to collect
- Software developer or organization
- Release year
- Title of the software package
- Version tag or release number
- Archive or repository host (Zenodo, GitHub)
- DOI or repository URL
Rules specific to this entry
- NLM Citing Medicine specifies the bracketed medium descriptor “[software]” following the software package title.
- Always record the exact release version number (e.g., Version 1.26.0) to guarantee computational reproducibility across clinical analyses.
- List the repository host or distributor in place of the book publisher, followed by the year of deposit.
- Include a direct DOI or persistent repository URL along with your access citation date.
Building the entry, step by step
Collect the details
Before you format anything, gather every element Vancouver needs for a software or code repository: Software developer or organization; Release year; Title of the software package; Version tag or release number.
Build the references entry
Arrange those details in the Vancouver order: #. Developer AA. Title of software [software]. Version x.x. Place: Repository Host; Year [cited Year Mon DD]. Available from: DOI or URL
Add the in-text citation
In the body of your paper, cite it as Array operations were executed using NumPy.⁴ — or work the same reference into your sentence as Harris et al.⁴ provided the fundamental array processing engine..
Check it against the exceptions
NLM Citing Medicine specifies the bracketed medium descriptor “[software]” following the software package title.
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 software or code repository in another style
Switching styles late in a draft is normal. Here is the same source formatted five other ways.
Questions about Vancouver and software repositories
What if the software or code repository 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 software or code repository?
Software developer or organization, Release year, Title of the software package, and the rest of the elements listed above. Research software requires exact version numbers and deposit DOIs (e.g. Zenodo) to ensure algorithmic reproducibility.
Is there anything unusual about a software or code repository in Vancouver?
NLM Citing Medicine specifies the bracketed medium descriptor “[software]” following the software package title.
What else catches people out here?
Always record the exact release version number (e.g., Version 1.26.0) to guarantee computational reproducibility across clinical analyses.
Can I reformat this software or code repository 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.
Deterministic Verification in Modern Academic Writing
Copyeditor eliminates fragmented tab-switching by unifying structured drafting, multi-style citation generation, academic tone refinement, and cryptographic process verification in one workspace.
The author approves every single sentence. Intelligent scaffolding assists with section outlines and literature integration without ghostwriting.
