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Biology: CSE Guide

CSE Style

CSE is the citation style of the Council of Science Editors. Below are CSE resources and examples of CSE citations. Contact a librarian if you need help!

CSE Resources

Scientific Style and Format - The style guide for CSE citations and formatting. Print copy available at the Research Help Desk

What is a DOI Number?

A DOI number is a journal article's "digital object identifier." This is a unique number assigned to the article, which doesn't change, even if the URL does. It helps other researchers find the article later. Most new journal articles that you access online have a DOI number. Articles that you access in print will not have one, and many older articles also don't have one. The DOI number is often at the very bottom of the pages, near the page numbers. It may also be in the article's abstract page.

Get Help

If you need help with source citations or any other aspect of your research project, get in touch:

-Email or call our Research & Instruction Librarian

-Stop by the Research Help Desk, open on weekdays from 1-5 pm during the academic year 

-Schedule a research appointment with a librarian any day of the week

Basic Format for CSE Citations

In-Text Citations

CSE provides three different options for in-text citations. The reference list formatting is the same for all of these, but the in-text style you choose will affect the order of your reference list.

  • Name-Year: In this option, in-text references are listed in parentheses at the end of a sentence, before the punctuation. For example, there is a made-up reference at the end of this sentence (Smith 2011).
  • Citation-Sequence and Citation-Name: These options are formatted the same way. In the Citation-Sequence version, sources are numbered based on when they appear in the document. In the Citation-Name system, sources are numbered alphabetically based on author's last name. In text, the numbers appear as a subscript, such as the example at the end of this sentence, which would correspond with number 4 in the reference list.4 

Reference List

Regardless of which in-text style you use, the references in your list will be formatted the same way. The order of the reference list depends on your in-text style. While there are variations based on format, CSE generally follow this format:

       Author's last name and first initial. Article title. Publication title. Date;volume(issue):location.

Examples by Source Type

Journals

Print Journals

Coles E, Taneyhill L, Bronner-Fraser M. A critical role for Cadherin6B in regulating avian neural crest emigration. Developmental Biology. 2007;312(2):533–544.

Online Journals (including print journals accessed online)

Moles E, Kavallaris M. A potent targeted cancer nanotherapeutic. Nature Biomedical Engineering. 2019;3(4):248. https://www.nature.com/articles/s41551-019-0390-7. doi:10.1038/s41551-019-0390-7

*For articles with more than 10 authors, list the first 10 followed by "et al."

Books

Full Print Book

Kenakin T. A Pharmacology Primer: Techniques for More Effective and Strategic Drug Discovery. 4 edition. Boston: Academic Press; 2014.

Chapter or Book Section

Rees AM. Chapter 9: Eye Disorders. In: Consumer Health USA. Phoenix, Arizona: The Oryx Press; 1995.

E-Book

Marsh B. Plagiarism : Alchemy and Remedy in Higher Education. Albany: State University of New York Press; 2007. http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=e000xna&AN=189696&site=ehost-live