How to Cite a Conference Paper in Vancouver Referencing

After an academic conference, the papers delivered may be published as conference proceedings. So even if you’ve not attended in person, you can still cite a conference paper in your work. Here, for instance, is how to cite a conference paper in Vancouver referencing.

In-Text Citations for a Conference Paper

To cite a source in Vancouver referencing, give a bracketed number in the text. To do this, keep the following rules in mind:

• Use one number per source, each indicating an entry in the reference list
• Number sources in the order you first cite them in your work
• If you use a source more than once, use the same number each time
• Include page numbers when quoting a source directly
• Place bracketed numbers at the end of the relevant clause, after the name of the author is mentioned in the text, or directly after a quotation

We can see how this works in the following passage:

According to Andersen (1), a signet may be mistaken for an ugly duckling. He even claims that “perceptions of beauty in waterfowl are such that there is no essential difference between them” (1:  p. 34). However, recent research suggests that ducks and swans are more distinct than Andersen claims (2). We should therefore take care about conflating the two.

Here, we cite the first two sources in the paper, as well as quoting one of them. We would then provide full publication details in a reference list, including information about both the paper and the conference.

Conference Papers in a Vancouver Reference List

If you have cited a conference paper in your work, you will need to add it to a reference list at the end of your document. The format to use here is:

(Citation Number) Author Surname, Initial(s). Paper Title. In: Editor Name, Initial(s), editor. Published Proceedings and Conference Title; Date of Conference; Location. Place of Publication: Publisher; Year. Page Range.

In practice, then, the entry for a conference paper would look like this:

(1) Anderson, H C. Juvenile Avian Recognition in the Modern Age. In: Aarne, A, Thompson, S, editors. Published Proceedings of the Third Annual Bird and Fairy Tale Conference; May 24-27, 2003, University of Copenhagen. Copenhagen: USPH Press, 2003. p. 30-41.

If you access conference proceedings online rather than in print, make sure to include a database, DOI or URL for where the paper can be found, too.

Vancouver Conference Paper Variations

The examples above provide a simple way to cite conference papers in Vancouver referencing. However, there are many versions of Vancouver referencing. As such, you may want to compare our instructions with those in your style guide (if available) to check for consistency.

And if you’d like help checking your referencing, feel free to get in touch.