Brief guide to CSE citation style

Formatting in different styles can impact how a paper is received.

What is CSE?

CSE stands for the Council of Science Editors; this citation style was formerly referred to as CBE, after the Council of Biology Editors (prior to their change of name in 1999). CSE formatting is used almost exclusively for scientific papers.

In-text citations

CSE privileges the author’s last name and date of publication. If you are citing a work by multiple authors, write out the word “and” (as opposed to “&”) to separate the names. Use “et al.” if citing a work by more than two authors, and identify the title if including a source with no author.

Examples:

• Book with one author: (Ross 2005)
• Book with two authors: (Eliot and Smith 2006)
• Journal article with multiple authors: (Thomas et al. 2007)
• Website: (The Ecology of Organisms [updated 2009])

Bibliographical citations in CSE

Works cited pages will always be referred to as “bibliographies.” List each bibliographical entry in alphabetical order by the last name of the first author. You do not need to double-space the entries or include an indent. Make sure, however, to check with your professor or publisher for their specific requirements.

Examples:

• Book: Massey LD. The Bengal tiger. Sacramento (CA): University of California Press; 1997. 122 p.
• Edited Book: Williams SL, Thompson SE, Francis CO, editors. Microbiology: uncovering the world beneath the microscope. Washington (DC): Johns Hopkins Press; 1994. 238 p.
• Chapter in a Book: Ludden JA. Cephalopods. In: Kiley CM, Self SJ, Sowa JA, editors. Oceanic creatures. 2nd ed. Lincoln (NE): Nebraska State University Press; 2009. p 60-110.
• Article from a Scholarly Journal: Cox J, Engstrom RT. Influence of the spatial pattern of conserved lands on the persistence of a large population of red-cockaded woodpeckers. Biol Conserv. 2001; 100(1):137-150.
• Special Note: “Journal titles must be abbreviated using CSE style citations. Rules for journal abbreviation are complex and the correct abbreviation is not always obvious; a list of journals and their abbreviations may be found at the ISI Web of Science website. In addition, resources for journal abbreviations by discipline can be found in Scientific Style and Format in Appendix
  29.1(p. 569). In the example below, the abbreviated form of the journal title Biological Conservation is used” (CSE/CBE style: print sources [updated 2010]).
• Website: Emerald Ash Borer (EAB) [Internet]. [updated 2007 Feb 27]. Columbus (OH): Ohio Department of Natural Resources, Division of Forestry; [cited 2007 Jul 24]. Available from http://www.dnr.state.oh.us/forestry/health/eab.htm

Sources and further information

CSE style guide and other resources [Internet]. [updated 2011 Feb 10]. Columbus (OH): Ohio State University Libraries; [cited 2011 Sept 15].

Available from http://library.osu.edu/help/research-strategies/cite-references/cse/cse-style-guide-other-resources/CSE/CBE style: print sources (citation-sequence system) [Internet]. [updated 2010 Sept 28]. Chapel Hill (NC): University of North Carolina.