Vancouver (ICMJE) · Software
How to cite software in Vancouver (ICMJE)
Software citations credit the tools your results depend on: analysis packages, models, code libraries. Name, version, maintainer, and a URL or DOI identify exactly what ran. Journals and examiners increasingly expect them, and version is the field that does the real work.
Worked example · Vancouver (ICMJE)
1. Lovelace A. ExampleStat: statistics for mixed methods [Internet]. Example Software Foundation; 2024. Available from: https://www.example.org/examplestat
Rendered with the official Vancouver (ICMJE) style file from a placeholder source (reserved example DOI and domain), so the format is exactly what the style produces. In text: Superscript or bracketed numbers in citation order, with a numbered reference list.
What to collect before you cite software
- Developer, maintainer, or project name
- Software name
- The exact version you ran
- Publisher or hosting foundation
- Release year of that version
- URL, or a DOI if the project archives releases
Have a DOI? Generate the reference instantly
Journal articles, many books and reports carry a DOI. Paste it and get the Vancouver (ICMJE) entry from the same engine that produced the example above.
Citing a whole thesis, not one source?
CiteDash keeps your bibliography in Vancouver (ICMJE) automatically, verifies every citation against a real paper, and compiles to DOCX, PDF or LaTeX.
Citing software in Vancouver (ICMJE): FAQ
Do I cite R, Python, or only the packages?
Cite what carried the analysis: the language when it matters, and every package whose implementation your results depend on. Many packages print their preferred citation via their own help command.
There is a paper for the software. Paper or software?
The project usually says which it prefers, often both: the paper for the method, the software entry for the exact version you ran.
How do I cite my own analysis scripts?
Put them in a repository with a tagged release, then cite that like any software: author, name, version, year, URL. An examiner who can run your code is an examiner you have disarmed.
What does the in-text citation look like in Vancouver (ICMJE)?
Superscript or bracketed numbers in citation order, with a numbered reference list.
Is the example on this page hand-written?
No. It is rendered by the same citation engine and official CSL style file CiteDash uses for full thesis bibliographies, from a clearly-marked placeholder source, and a test re-renders it on every release so the page can never drift from the engine.