Subject guides: Citing and referencing: Books

Vancouver Contents

Books

Before using this guide check with your faculty, school or department for their specific referencing guidelines

Notes:

Follow these examples closely for all layout, punctuation, spacing and capitalisation.

Enter author's surname, followed by no more than 2 initials.

Give all authors' names and separate each by a comma and a space.

Enter all authors' names in the order in which they appear in the original source.

Only the first word of the book and/or chapter title, and words that normally begin with a capital letter, are capitalised.

Place of publication is the city where the book was published. Sometimes you may need to clarify further.

For book chapters abbreviate page numbers to p. eg p. 12-25. Where appropriate abbreviate like this: p. 122-8.

For electronic books include the DOI (Digital Object Identifier) in lower case, if it is given and place it after the URL (web address). If the URL ends with a forward slash / you need to add a full stop, otherwise don't add a full stop after a URL or DOI.

Abbreviate months to their first 3 letters.

For more detailed information go to: http://www.nlm.nih.gov/citingmedicine
Electronic book

Format

Author AA. Title of web page [Internet]. Place of publication: Sponsor of Website/Publisher; Year of publication [cited YYYY Mon DD]. Number of pages. Available from: URL doi: (if available)

Examples

Ambulance Victoria (AU). Clinical practice guidelines ambulance and MICA paramedics [Internet]. Version 5.0.1 Doncaster (AU): Ambulance Victoria; 2021 [cited 2021 Jul 30]. 433 p. Available from: https://www.ambulance.vic.gov.au/paramedics/clinical-practice-guidelines/.

Example with a DOI

Ettinger S. Nutritional pathophysiology of obesity and its comorbidities: a case-study approach [Internet]. Amsterdam: Academic Press; 2017 [cited 2021 Aug 2]. 317 p. Available from: https://www.sciencedirect.com/book/9780128030134/nutritional-pathophysiology-of-obesity-and-its-comorbidities doi: 10.1016/B978-0-12-803013-4.00010-7

Chapter in an electronic book

Format	Author AA, Author BB. Title of the book [Internet]. Edition. Place of publication: Publisher; Year of publication. Chapter number, Chapter title; [cited YYYY Mon DD]. Location of part. Available from: URL doi: (if available)
Example	Battista E. Crash course: pharmacology [Internet]. 4th ed. London: Elsevier Health Sciences; 2012. Chapter 5, Central nervous system; [cited 2019 Jan 7]. p. 69-98. Available from: https://ebookcentral.proquest.com/lib/monash/reader.action?docID=1723186&ppg=80

Chapter in an edited electronic book

Format	Author AA, Author BB. Title of chapter. In: Editor AA, Editor BB, editors. Title of the book [Internet]. Place of publication: Publisher; Year of publication [cited YYYY Mon DD]. Location of part (either chapter number or pages). Available from: URL doi: (if available)
Example	Halpen-Felsher BL, Morrell HE. Preventing and reducing tobacco use. In: Berlan ED, Bravender T, editors. Adolescent medicine today: a guide to caring for the adolescent patient [Internet]. Singapore: World Scientific Publishing Co.; c2012 [cited 2019 Nov 3]. Chapter 18. Available from: https://ebookcentral.proquest.com/lib/monash/reader.action?docID=846091

Print book

Format

Author AA. Title of book. Edition [if not first]. Place of publication: Publisher; Year of publication. Pagination.

Examples

Carlson BM. Human embryology and developmental biology. 4th ed. St. Louis: Mosby; 2009. 541 p.

Ambulance Victoria. Ambulance Victoria clinical practice guidelines for ambulance and MICA paramedics. Doncaster (AU): Ambulance Victoria; 2014. 349 p.

Edited print book

Format	Editor AA, Editor BB, editors. Title of book. Edition [if not first]. Place of publication: Publisher; Year of publication. Pagination.
Example	Donnelly K, editor. Cancel culture and the Left's long march. Melbourne: Wilkinson Publishing; 2021. 182 p.

Chapter in a print book

Format	Author AA, Author BB. Title of book. Edition. Place of publication: Publisher; Year of publication. Chapter number, Chapter title; p. x - xx.
Example	Lyons D. Lab rats: how Silicon Valley made work miserable for the rest of us. New York: Hachette; 2018. Chapter 2, The new oligarchs; p. 29-50.

Chapter in an edited print book

Format	Author AA, Author BB. Title of chapter. In: Editor AA, Editor BB, editors. Title of book. Edition. Place of publication: Publisher; Year of publication. p. [page numbers of chapter].
Example	Spicker P. Austerity and poverty. In: Bent G, editor. Handbook on austerity, populism and the welfare state. Cheltenham (UK): Edward Elgar Publishing; 2021. p. 142-153.