Documenting Sources
MLA Style
APA Style
Chicago Style
CSE Style
• CSE Style:
  In-Text Citations
• CSE Style:
  List of References
• CSE Style: Student Sample
EasyWriter Resources / Documenting Sources /
CSE Style: List of References

The citations in the text of an essay correspond to items on a list called References.
  • If you use the citation-sequence format, number and list the references in the order in which the references are first cited in the text.
  • If you use the name-year format, list the references, unnumbered, in alphabetical order.
In the following examples, you will see that the citation-sequence format calls for listing the date after the publisher's name in references for books and after the periodical name in references for articles. The name-year format calls for listing the date immediately after the author's name in any kind of reference.

CSE style also specifies the treatment and placement of the following basic elements:
  • Author. List all authors last name first, and use only initials for first and middle names. Do not place a comma after the author's last name, and do not place periods after or spaces between the initials. Use a period after the last initial of the last author listed.

  • Title. Do not italicize or underline titles and subtitles of books and periodicals. Do not enclose titles of articles in quotation marks. For books and articles, capitalize only the first word of the title and any proper nouns or proper adjectives. Abbreviate and capitalize all major words in a periodical title.

  • Page numbers. For books, give the total number of pages followed by the abbreviation p. For articles or chapters, give inclusive page numbers.
The following sample entries use hanging indent format, in which the first line aligns on the left and subsequent lines indent one-half inch, or five spaces. Pay attention in these examples to how publication information (publishers for books, details about periodicals for articles) and other specific elements are punctuated.
Directory to CSE Style for a List of References
BOOKS
1. One author
2. Two or more authors
3. Organization as author
4. Book prepared by editor(s)
5. Section of a book with an editor
6. Chapter of a book
7. Published proceedings of a conference
PERIODICALS
8. Article in a journal
9. Article in a weekly journal
10. Article in a magazine
11. Article in a newspaper
ELECTRONIC SOURCES
12. Article in an online journal
13. Article in an online newspaper
14. Online book (monograph)
15. Web site
16. Government Web site
17. Material from an online database
18. Email message
19. Posting to a discussion list
BOOKS

1. One author

CITATION-SEQUENCE

1Buchanan M. Nexus: small worlds and the groundbreaking theory of networks. New York: WW Norton; 2003. 238 p.

NAME-YEAR

Buchanan M. 2003. Nexus: small worlds and the groundbreaking theory of networks. New York: WW Norton. 238 p.

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2. Two or more authors

CITATION-SEQUENCE

2Wojciechowski BW, Rice NM. Experimental methods in kinetic studies. 2nd ed. St. Louis: Elsevier Science; 2003. 322 p.

NAME-YEAR

Wojciechowski BW, Rice NM. 2003. Experimental methods in kinetic studies. 2nd ed. St. Louis: Elsevier Science. 322 p.

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3. Organization as author

CITATION-SEQUENCE

3World Health Organization. The world health report 2002: reducing risks, promoting healthy life. Geneva: World Health Organ; 2002. 250 p.


Place the organization's abbreviation at the beginning of the name-year entry and use it in the corresponding in-text citation.

NAME-YEAR

[WHO] World Health Organization. 2002. The world health report 2002: reducing risks, promoting healthy life. Geneva: WHO. 250 p.

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4. Book prepared by editor(s)

CITATION-SEQUENCE

4Torrence ME, Isaacson RE, editors. Microbial food safety in animal agriculture: current topics. Ames (IA): Iowa State Univ Pr; 2003. 416 p.

NAME-YEAR

Torrence ME, Isaacson RE, editors. 2003. Microbial safety in animal agriculture: current topics. Ames (IA): Iowa State Univ Pr. 416 p.

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5. Section of a book with an editor

CITATION-SEQUENCE

5Kawamura A. Plankton. In: Perrin MF, Wursig B, Thewissen JGM, editors. Encyclopedia of marine mammals. San Diego: Academic Pr; 2002. p 939–942.

NAME-YEAR

Kawamura A. 2002. Plankton. In: Perrin MF, Wursig B, Thewissen JGM, editors. Encyclopedia of marine mammals. San Diego: Academic Pr. p 939–942.

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6. Chapter of a book

CITATION-SEQUENCE

6Honigsbaum M. The fever trail: in search of the cure for malaria. New York: Picador; 2003. Chapter 2, The cure; p 19–38.

NAME-YEAR

Honigsbaum M. 2003. The fever trail: in search of the cure for malaria. New York: Picador. Chapter 2, The cure; p 19–38.

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7. Published proceedings of a conference

CITATION-SEQUENCE

7Gutierrez AP, editor. Integrating biological and environmental factors in crop system models. Integrated Biological Systems Conference; 2003 Apr 14–16; San Antonio, TX. Beaumont (TX): Agroeconomics Research Group; 2003. 77 p.

NAME-YEAR

Gutierrez AP, editor. 2003. Integrating biological and environmental factors in crop system models. Integrated Biological Systems Conference; 2003 Apr 14–16; San Antonio, TX. Beaumont (TX): Agroeconomics Research Group. 77 p.

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PERIODICALS

For rules on abbreviating journal titles, consult The CBE Manual, or ask an instructor or a librarian to refer you to other examples.


8. Article in a journal

CITATION-SEQUENCE

8Mahmud K, Vance ML. Human growth hormone and aging. New Engl J Med. 2003;348(2):2256–2257.

NAME-YEAR

Mahmud K, Vance ML. 2003. Human growth hormone and aging. New Engl J Med. 348(2):2256–2257.

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9. Article in a weekly journal

CITATION-SEQUENCE

9Holden C. Future brightening for depression treatments. Science. 2003 Oct 31;302(5646):810–813.

NAME-YEAR

Holden C. 2003 Oct. Future brightening for depression treatments. Science. 302(5646):810–813.

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10. Article in a magazine

CITATION-SEQUENCE

10Livio M. Moving right along: the accelerating universe holds secrets to dark energy, the Big Bang, and the ultimate beauty of nature. Astronomy. 2002 Jul:34–39.

NAME-YEAR

Livio M. 2002 Jul. Moving right along: the accelerating universe holds secrets to dark energy, the Big Bang, and the ultimate beauty of nature. Astronomy.34–39.

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11. Article in a newspaper

CITATION-SEQUENCE

11Kolata G. Bone diagnosis gives new data but no answers. New York Times. 2003 Sep 28;Sect 1:1(col 1).

NAME-YEAR

11 Kolata G. 2003 Sep 28. Bone diagnosis gives new data but no answers. New York Times. Sect 1:1(col 1).

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ELECTRONIC SOURCES

Although the 1994 edition of The CBE Manual includes a few examples for citing electronic sources, the Council of Science Editors now recommends the guidelines set forth in the National Library of Medicine Recommended Formats for Bibliographic Citation Supplement: Internet Formats www.nlm.nih.gov/pubs/formats/internet.pdf. The following formats are based on the advice in this document. These examples use the citation-sequence system. To adapt them to the name-year system, delete the superscripts and reorder the information in the entries, placing the date immediately after the author's name.

The basic entry for most sources you access through the Internet should include the following elements:
  • Author. Give the author's name, if available, last name first, followed by the initial(s) and a period.

  • Title. For book, journal, and article titles, follow the style for print materials. For all other types of electronic material, reproduce the wording that appears on the screen.

  • Medium. Indicate, in brackets, that the source is not in print format by using designations such as [Internet] or [database on the Internet].

  • Place of publication. After the city, use the two-letter abbreviation for the state, in parentheses. Very well-known cities may be listed without a state designation. If the city is inferred, put the city and state in brackets, followed by a colon. If the city cannot be inferred, use the words place unknown in brackets, followed by a colon.

  • Publisher. Include the individual or organization that produces or sponsors the site. You may include a designation for the country, in parentheses, after the publisher's name. If no publisher can be determined, use the words publisher unknown in brackets.

  • Dates. Cite three dates if possible: the date the publication appeared on the Internet or the copyright date; the latest date of any update or revision; and the date of access. Use the format "year month day," and precede the date of copyright with a c, as in c2000. (In the following examples, dates are grouped together after the publisher's name. Check with your instructor to see if this style is acceptable.)

  • Page, document, volume, and issue numbers. When citing a portion of a larger work or site, list the inclusive page numbers or document numbers of the specific item being cited. For journals or journal articles, include volume and issue numbers.

  • Length. Show the length as a total page count, such as 85 p. For much electronic material, length is approximate and is shown in square brackets, such as [12 paragraphs] or [about 6 screens].

  • Address. Include the URL or other electronic address; use the phrase Available from: to introduce the address. Only URLs that end with a slash are followed by a period.

12. Article in an online journal

Identify the medium with the words serial on the Internet in brackets.

12Perez P, Calonge TM. Yeast protein kinase C. J of Biochem [serial on the Internet]. 2002 Oct [cited 2003 Nov 3];132(4):513–517. Available from: http://edpex104.bcasj.or.jp/jb-pdf/132-4/jb132-4-513.pdf

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13. Article in an online newspaper

13Brody JE. Reasons, and remedies, for morning sickness. The New York Times on the Web [Internet]. 2004 Apr 27 [cited 2004 Apr 30]:[about 24 paragraphs]. Available from: http://www.nytimes.com/2004/04/27/health/27BROD.html

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14. Online book (monograph)

14Patrick TS, Allison JR, Krakow GA. Protected plants of Georgia [monograph on the Internet]. Social Circle (GA): GA Dept of Natural Resources; c1995 [cited 2003 Dec 3]. [about 216 p]. Available from: http://www.georgiawildlife.com/content/displaycontent.asp?
txtDocument=89&txtPage=9

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15. Web site

15Geology & Public Policy [Internet]. Boulder (CO): Geological Society of America; c2003 [updated 2003 Apr 8; cited 2003 Apr 13]. Available from: http://www.geosociety.org/science/govpolicy.htm

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16. Government Web site

Include a designation for the country, in parentheses, after the name of the site sponsor or publisher.

16Health Disparities: Minority Cancer Awareness [Internet]. Atlanta (GA): Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (US); [updated 2004 Apr 27; cited 2005 May 1]. Available from: http://www.cdc.gov/cancer/minorityawareness.htm

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17. Material from an online database

17Shilts E. Water wanderers. Canadian Geographic. 2002 May;122(3):72–77. In: Expanded Academic ASAP [database on the Internet]. Farmington Hills (MI): InfoTrac; c2002 [cited 2004 Jan 27]. [about 17 paragraphs]. Available from: http://web4.infotrac.galegroup.com/itw/; Article: A86207443.

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18. Email message

Check with your instructor before citing unpublished material.

18Morrell K. Genetic testing [electronic mail on the Internet]. Message to: Corey Coggins. 2004 Mar 5, 3:16 pm [cited 2004 Mar 19]. [about 2 screens].

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19. Posting to a discussion list

19Durand M (University of Canterbury. m.durand@geol.canterbury.ac.nz). Rubidium. In: BIONET [discussion list on the Internet]. [London: Medical Research Council]; 2003 May 30, 6:00 pm [cited 2003 Nov 21]. [about 12 lines]. Available from: http://www.bio.net/hypermail/toxicol/toxicol.200305/0008.html

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