How to Cite Tables and Figures in Vancouver Style

Any tables and figures appearing in your work that are not yours should be properly cited. In the respective reference page entry, mention the source where you found the table or figure, e.g. an article or a book, and put the following information after it: write the number of the table or figure as it appears in the source, the name of it (caption, description), and write where in the source the table or figure can be found (for example, page).

In our citation examples we use the following color coding:

  • Red – Author
  • Blue – Title of book/article/charter/webpage
  • Pink – Date
  • Orange – Website/Publisher
  • Green – Title of journal
  • Black – Volume/Issue
  • Sienna – Pages
  • Gray – URL/database/website where the source is retrieved
  • Gold – Book, a part/chapter of which is being cited
  • Peach – Additional information about the source (i.e. its type, specific features etc.)

Tables and figures from print articles

Separate the figure’s (table’s) number and its name (description) by a comma (no space). Separate the name (description) and the page number at the end of the entry by a semicolon (with one space).

Example:

30. Creppy A, Plouraboué F, Praud O, Druart X, Cazin S, Yu H, Degond P. Symmetry-breaking phase transitions in highly concentrated semen. Journal of the Royal Society Interface. 2016;13(123);1-12. Figure 3a,Averaged spinning velocity associated with the collective rotation of the semen versus sperm-cell concentration measured with spectrophotometry; p. 4.

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Tables and figures from online articles

The online source is mentioned after the figure information.

Example:

31. Akashi YJ, Nef HM, Lyon AR. Epidemiology and pathophysiology of Takotsubo syndrome. Nat Rev Cardiol [Internet]. 2015 [cited 2015 Jun 30];12(7):387-97. Figure 1,Histopathological features of Takotsubo syndrome; p. 391. Available from: Nature Publishing Group.

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Tables and figures from print books

Note that there is a comma and a space between the table’s number and its name.

Example:

32. Rastegar D, Fingerhood M. The American society of addiction medicine: handbook of addiction medicine. Oxford: Oxford University Press; 2015. Table 1.1, Substance use and dependence /abuse among Americans aged 12 and over: 2013 estimates; p. 3.

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Tables and figures from a website

Note that the word “Figure” is placed in square brackets.

Example:

33. ADAM Editorial Team. Bone marrow biopsy [Internet]. Bethesda (MD): U.S. National Library of Medicine, National Institutes of Health; 2014 [updated 2014 May 29; cited 2015 Jul 22]. [Figure], Bone marrow aspiration; [about 1 screen]. Available from: http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/ency/imagepages/1129.htm

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