We recommend the use of a tool such as Reference Manager for reference management and formatting. Please number references consecutively in the order in which they are mentioned in the text. Identify references in text, tables, and figure legends presented numerically in brackets. References cited only in tables or figure legends should be numbered last. Use the style of the following examples, which are based with slight modification on the formats set forth in "Uniform Requirements for Manuscripts Submitted to Biomedical Journals," also known as the "Vancouver" style for biomedical journals (JAMA 1993;269:22282-6).
"Unpublished observations" and "personal communications" may not be used as references, but should be inserted in parentheses in the text.
Include among the references papers accepted but not yet published; designate the journal and add "In press.
"The titles of journals should be abbreviated according to the style used in Index Medicus.
Author's surname. Author's first name or initial**. Title of article. Title of the Journal [abbreviated] Year of publication Month Date; Volume Number (issue number): Page numbers of the article.
Example: Withrow R, Roberts L. The videodisc: Putting education on a silver platter. Electron Learn 1987 Oct 21; 1(5):43-4.
**More than 6 authors: Give the first six names in full and add “et al”. The authors are listed in the order in which they appear on the title page.
Example: Chang AB, Nickson BC, Eliasson DG, Gold LA, Aver E, Petterson PA, et al. The videodisc: Putting education on a silver platter. Electron Learn 1987 Oct 21; 1(5):43-4.
Example: Diabetes Prevention Program Research Group. Hypertension, insulin and proinsulin in participants with impaired glucose tolerance. Hypertension. 2002; 40(5):679-86.
Author's surname. Author's first name or initial/Editor/Compiler’s surname initials**. Title of the Book. Ed. [if not the first] Place of publication: Publisher's name; Year of publication.
Example: Groenewegen D, Anderson A.. The Real Thing?: The Rock Music Industry and the Creation of Australian Images. 2nd ed. Golden Square, Victoria: Moonlight Publishing; 1997.
Example: Chang AB, Nickson BC, Eliasson DG, Gold LA, Aver E, Petterson PA, et al. What is the function of skin? 3rd ed. Paris: Sunshine Publishing; 2000.
Author's surname. Author's first name or initial. Title of chapter. In: Editor's surname Editor's first name or initial, editors. Title of the book. Edition [if not first]. Place of publication: Publisher's name; Year of publication. p. page numbers of chapter.
Example: Blaxter P. Social health and class inequalities. In: Carter C, Peel J, editors. Equalities and inequalities in health. 7th ed. London: Academic Press; 1976. p. 165-78.
Organisation, department. Title of the Book. Ed. [if not the first] Place of publication: Publisher's name; Year of publication.
Example: Royal Adelaide Hospital; University of Adelaide, Department of Clinical Nursing. Compendium of nursing research, 2000. Adelaide (Australia): Adelaide University; 2001.
Author's surname. Author's first name or initial, editor. Title of paper. Number and Name of the Conference; Date of Conference; City where the conference took place: Place of publication.
Example: Anderson JC. Current status of chorion villus biopsy. In: Tudenhope D, Chenoweth J, editors. Proceedings of the Fourth Congress of the Australian Perinatal Society; 1986 Sept. 3-6; Brisbane, Queensland.
Example: Pharmaceutical Society of Sweden. Medicines and driving [pamphlet]. Stockholm: Pharmaceutical society of Sweden; 2012.
Example: Svensson J. Wound Management. The Courier Mail (Weekend Edition). 2011 Oct 5-6:Sect. ETC:15.
Example: United Kingdom. Government. Department of Energy and Climate Change. Climate policy report. London: Department of Energy and Climate Change. 2011 Feb. 50 p. Report No.:2.
Author/editor's surname. Author/editor's first name or initial. Editor, if appropriate [Internet]. Title of page. Place of publication: Publisher’s name; [updated year month day; cited year month day]. Available from: URL.
Example: Hudson P. PM [Internet]. Costello liars: Former bank chief. London: Hudson P. PM; [2011 Oct 16;2009 Sep 15]. Available at [URL].
It is very important that you use the right punctuation and that the order of details in the reference is also correct.