Enter any scholarly identifier and see how the same paper looks formatted in different citation styles. Compare Vancouver, APA, AMA, IEEE, and CSE side by side.
Enter a single identifier. The tool will format it in each selected style.
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Here is the same fictional paper formatted in Vancouver, APA, and IEEE to illustrate how citation styles differ in author formatting, punctuation, and element ordering.
Nakamura T, Chen L, Okonkwo AB, Rivera-Santos M. Cortical oscillation patterns during sustained attention in early development. *J Neurosci*. 2025;45(3):412-429. doi:10.1234/jneurosci.2025.04123.
Nakamura, T., Chen, L., Okonkwo, A. B., & Rivera-Santos, M. (2025). Cortical oscillation patterns during sustained attention in early development. *Journal of Neuroscience*, *45*(3), 412–429. https://doi.org/10.1234/jneurosci.2025.04123
T. Nakamura, L. Chen, A. B. Okonkwo, and M. Rivera-Santos, “Cortical oscillation patterns during sustained attention in early development,” *J. Neurosci.*, vol. 45, no. 3, pp. 412–429, 2025. doi: 10.1234/jneurosci.2025.04123.
A citation style is a set of rules governing how bibliographic references are formatted. Different journals, disciplines, and institutions require different styles. Medical journals typically use Vancouver (numbered), psychology uses APA (author-date), engineering uses IEEE (numbered with specific punctuation), and biology often uses CSE (Council of Science Editors).
The differences go beyond cosmetic: author ordering, name abbreviation, title casing, journal abbreviation, and DOI formatting all vary. This tool lets you see those differences instantly so you can pick the right style or verify your formatting.
Five popular styles are available as one-click presets: Vancouver, APA, AMA, IEEE, and CSE. Beyond these, the “Browse more styles” panel gives access to over 10,000 additional styles from the Citation Style Language repository — including journal-specific formats like Nature, The Lancet, Cell, JAMA, Chicago, MLA, and thousands more. Search by name, filter by category (numeric, author-date, note, humanities, medicine, engineering), and add any style to the comparison.