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CSE citation generator (8th edition)

CSE style, from the Council of Science Editors’ Scientific Style and Format, is used in biology and the life sciences. It has three systems: citation-sequence, citation-name and name-year. This generator uses citation-sequence; search the style menu for the other two.

Your list

Sources you add appear here, formatted in your style.

Your list stays in this browser. Copy keeps italics when you paste into Word or Google Docs. Check every citation against the source.

CSE example

The 1953 paper in which Watson and Crick described the structure of DNA (DOI 10.1038/171737a0), cited in CSE.

In the text

Citation-sequence (superscript)
…a double helix.¹
Citation-sequence (in brackets)
…a double helix [1].
Name-year system
(Watson and Crick 1953)

References (or Cited References)

1. Watson JD, Crick FHC. Molecular structure of nucleic acids: a structure for deoxyribose nucleic acid. Nature. 1953;171(4356):737–738. doi:10.1038/171737a0.

CSE format for common sources

Journal article
n. Last AA, Last BB. Title of the article in sentence case. Abbrev Journal. Year;Volume(Issue):pages. doi:xxxx.
Book
n. Last AA. Title of the book. Edition. Place (Country): Publisher; Year.
Web page
n. Organization or Author. Title of the page. Place: Publisher; Year [updated Year Mon Day; accessed Year Mon Day]. URL
Name-year reference
Last AA, Last BB. Year. Title of the article. Abbrev Journal. Volume(Issue):pages. doi:xxxx.

Main CSE rules

  • Choose one system and use it throughout: citation-sequence (numbered in order of first citation), citation-name (list sorted by author, then numbered) or name-year (author and year in the text).
  • Write authors as surname then initials, with no full stops or spaces between initials (Watson JD). List up to 10 authors; for more, give the first 10 and “et al.”
  • Use sentence case for article titles and no italics or quotation marks. Abbreviate journal names without full stops (Proc Natl Acad Sci USA).
  • Reuse a source’s first number each time you cite it again.
  • In name-year, put the year straight after the authors and sort the list alphabetically by first author.

Your course, publisher or university may change these rules. When they differ, follow them.

How to use it

  1. Find the source

    Paste a DOI or search by title, or enter a website, book or other source by hand.

  2. Pick a style

    APA, MLA, Chicago, Harvard, AMA, IEEE or any of over 10,000 styles.

  3. Copy

    Copy the reference and the in-text citation. Add more sources to build a list.

Good to know

  • A citation is only as good as its record. Check names, dates and capitalisation for unusual sources.
  • Your list stays in this browser. Sign in to keep references with your documents.

Questions

More in the help center.

Which CSE system should I use?

The one your instructor or journal names. Citation-sequence is the most common in biology courses and journals. Citation-name suits long lists you want sorted by author, and name-year suits readers who want to see who and when in the text.

Is CSE the same as CBE?

Yes, in origin. The Council of Biology Editors renamed itself the Council of Science Editors in 2000, so older guides call the style CBE.

Do CSE references use italics?

Not for journal articles: titles and journal names are in plain type. Genus and species names inside a title stay in italics, as in any scientific text.

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