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To cite the NCCN Guidelines, treat the guideline as a web document with a group author: National Comprehensive Cancer Network as author, the guideline name and its version number as the title, the year, the URL, and (in AMA and similar numbered styles) the date you accessed it. The version number is the element most often left out, and it is the one that identifies which recommendations you actually read, because the guidelines are revised on a rolling basis. This guide names each element, shows the patterns that a publisher style sheet and a medical library give, and separates citing a guideline from reproducing one of its figures or algorithms, which needs NCCN’s permission and a specific credit line.
The format: each element named
The Oncology Nursing Society’s reference style sheet (2024-07) notes that the NCCN guidelines are not well described in the APA manual, and tells authors to use the latest version of a guideline whenever possible. The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center library (FAQ last updated August 29, 2024) states the general principle: cite NCCN guidelines the same way you would cite a web page. Its general template is:
National Comprehensive Cancer Network. Title of Guidelines (Include Version). URL. Accessed Date.
| Element | What goes there |
|---|---|
| Author | National Comprehensive Cancer Network (the organisation, written out in the reference list) |
| Title | The name of the specific guideline, for example the cancer type or topic; the ONS example also carries the series name, “NCCN Clinical Practice Guidelines in Oncology (NCCN Guidelines)” |
| Version | The version number of the document you read, for example “version 2.2019” or “[v.1.2020]”. Both sources place it in the title position |
| Year | The year attached to the version you used (APA and the ONS APA-based example put it after the author) |
| URL | The address of the guideline document or the NCCN site |
| Access date | The day you consulted it (AMA style web references end with “Accessed” plus month, day and year) |
Examples
The two examples below are copied in pattern from the MD Anderson library FAQ, which uses a real guideline as its illustration. They show the shape of a reference, not the current version of any guideline: replace the guideline name, version, year and dates with the document you actually read.
AMA pattern (library example)
National Comprehensive Cancer Network. Bone Cancer (Version 2.2019). http://www.nccn.org/professionals/physician_gls/pdf/bone.pdf. Accessed April 10, 2019.
APA pattern (library example)
National Comprehensive Cancer Network. (2019). Bone cancer (version 2.2019). https://www.nccn.org/professionals/physician_gls/pdf/bone.pdf
The library’s own APA example begins the URL with “Retrieved from”. APA’s 7th edition reference examples use “Retrieved Month Day, Year, from” only where a retrieval date is needed, and give a plain URL otherwise, so the plain form is shown here. A group-author report in APA 7th follows the pattern Group Name. (Year). Title. URL, with no publisher element when the publisher is the author.
ONS (APA-based) variant, from the publisher’s style sheet
National Comprehensive Cancer Network. (2019). NCCN Clinical Practice Guidelines in Oncology (NCCN Guidelines): Bone cancer [v.1.2020]. https://www.nccn.org
This is the Oncology Nursing Society’s own example for its journals and shows the series name written in the title and the version in square brackets. Use it when you are submitting to an ONS publication; for any other journal, follow that journal’s instructions for authors.
In-text citation version
In APA style the in-text form uses the group author and year: (National Comprehensive Cancer Network, 2019). APA 7th edition uses a comma between author and year, and a direct quotation needs the author, year and page: (National Comprehensive Cancer Network, 2019, p. 20). A quotation of 40 words or more is set as a block, indented 0.5 in. with no quotation marks. In AMA style the in-text citation is a superscript Arabic number, assigned in order of first appearance, pointing to the numbered reference list. A group-author abbreviation, such as NCCN after the first mention, is a decision for your style manual or journal; check its instructions rather than assuming one.
Citing a guideline versus reproducing a figure or algorithm
A reference-list entry credits NCCN as a source. Reproducing or adapting an NCCN algorithm, table or figure in a thesis, manuscript or slide deck is a different act, and NCCN’s own Referencing Guidance (a two-page PDF on nccn.org) addresses it separately:
- The credit line for a reference to the guidelines reads: “Referenced with permission from the NCCN Clinical Practice Guidelines in Oncology (NCCN Guidelines) for Guideline Name V.X.202X. © National Comprehensive Cancer Network, Inc. 202X. All rights reserved. Accessed [Month and Day, Year]. To view the most recent and complete version of the guideline, go online to NCCN.org.”
- If you adapt a figure or algorithm, the credit line begins “Adapted with permission from”; if you reproduce it, “Reproduced with permission from”. NCCN states that the content may not be reproduced in any form for any purpose without its express written permission.
- On first mention NCCN asks for “National Comprehensive Cancer Network (NCCN)”, with the registered mark, and then “NCCN”; the first mention of the series is “NCCN Clinical Practice Guidelines in Oncology (NCCN Guidelines)”, then “NCCN Guidelines” afterwards.
- Materials that reference the guidelines carry NCCN’s disclaimer: NCCN makes no warranties of any kind whatsoever regarding their content, use or application and disclaims any responsibility for their application or use in any way.
- NCCN also asks that its recommendations not be called “standard of care”: a recommendation is an “option”, and “preferred” is used only where the guideline explicitly marks it.
That guidance is written for organisations that quote or license NCCN content. It is not a citation-style rule, and a plain citation of the guideline in a reference list does not need the full credit line. A figure copied into your own document does, and it needs permission first. If you are writing a thesis or a manuscript, check with NCCN and your publisher before including any reproduced algorithm.
Common errors
- Leaving out the version. NCCN directs readers to NCCN.org for the most recent and complete version, so a citation without a version cannot be matched to the text you read. Both the library and the ONS examples put the version in the title.
- Citing an old version without saying so. The ONS style sheet asks for the latest version whenever possible; if you use an earlier one deliberately, the version number in the reference makes that visible.
- Omitting the access date in AMA style. AMA web references carry “Accessed” and the date (JAMA instructions for authors).
- Using a URL from memory. Copy the address of the document you read. Do not reconstruct it from another guideline’s address.
- Copying a figure with only a reference-list entry. A reproduced algorithm needs permission and the “Reproduced with permission from” credit line, not just a numbered reference.
- Writing “standard of care” about an NCCN recommendation. NCCN’s guidance asks authors to say “option” or, where marked, “preferred”.
Style-guide edition
The APA patterns above follow the Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association, 7th edition (2020), using APA’s own reference examples PDF (last updated March 3, 2026) and reference guide (last updated March 23, 2026). The AMA elements follow the AMA Manual of Style, 11th edition (2020), as applied in the JAMA Network instructions for authors. As of October 2026, those are the current editions of each. The current edition of each style is used throughout. For a style guide covering the wider choice of formats, see citation styles and referencing formats; for full AMA rules see AMA citation style, and for APA paper setup see writing a research paper in APA style. If your journal asks for the Vancouver style, it will point you to the NLM and ICMJE sample references.
If you are citing a guideline in a systematic review or a guideline appraisal, our guide to appraising a clinical practice guideline with AGREE II covers the next step. If you manage your references in software, changing the citation style in Zotero helps you apply the style your journal wants, but check the output against the pattern above.
FAQ
Do I need the version number?
Yes. Both the MD Anderson library and the Oncology Nursing Society show the version in the reference, and NCCN itself points readers to NCCN.org for the most recent version. The version tells a reader which recommendations you relied on.
Do I need permission to reproduce an NCCN algorithm?
Yes. NCCN states that its content may not be reproduced in any form for any purpose without its express written permission, and its credit line for reproduced material begins “Reproduced with permission from”. Citing the guideline in a reference list is separate from reproducing a figure.
Should the author be NCCN or the panel members?
The library and ONS examples both use National Comprehensive Cancer Network as the author, written out in full.
Which style should I use?
Use the style your journal, institution or thesis committee specifies. The patterns above cover AMA, APA, and the ONS APA-based variant.
Sources
Checked 2026-10-29 unless stated otherwise.
- National Comprehensive Cancer Network, NCCN Referencing Guidance (PDF): https://www.nccn.org/docs/default-source/business-policy/nccn-referencing-guidance.pdf, checked 2026-10-29.
- Oncology Nursing Society, Reference and Citation Format (publisher style sheet, July 2024): https://www.ons.org/sites/default/files/2024-07/Reference%20and%20Citation%20Format.pdf, checked 2026-10-29.
- MD Anderson Cancer Center Library, FAQ on citing NCCN guidelines (last updated August 29, 2024): https://mdanderson.libanswers.com/faq/26180, checked 2026-10-29.
- American Psychological Association, APA Style reference examples (7th edition): https://apastyle.apa.org/instructional-aids/reference-examples.pdf and reference guide: https://apastyle.apa.org/instructional-aids/reference-guide.pdf, checked 2026-10-28.
- JAMA Network, Instructions for Authors (AMA style references): https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jama/pages/instructions-for-authors, checked 2026-10-28.
- AMA Manual of Style, 11th edition: https://academic.oup.com/amamanualofstyle, checked 2026-10-28.
