The guidelines presented here are consistent with advice given in Scientific Style and Format: The CSE Manual for Authors, Editors, and Publishers, 7th ed. (2006).
Basic format Center the title References (or Cited References) and then list the works you have cited in the paper; do not include other works you may have read. Double-space throughout. Organization of the list In the citation-sequence system, number the entries in the order in which they appear in the text. In the citation-name system, first alphabetize all the entries by authors’ last names (or by organization name or by title for a work with no author). Then number the entries in the order in which they appear in the list. In both systems, use the number in the reference list every time you refer to the corresponding source in the paper. Make the entire entry flush with the left margin.In the name-year system, the entries in the reference list are not numbered. They are alphabetized by authors’ last names (or by organization name or by title for a work with no author). The year is placed after the last author’s name, followed by a period. To convert the models shown here to the name-year system, omit the number and move the date of publication after the last author’s name. CSE provides no guidelines for formatting a reference list in the name-year system in a student paper, but you can use a hanging indent for readability: Type the first line of each entry flush left, and indent any additional lines one-half inch.
Authors’ names List authors’ names last name first. Use initials for first and middle names, with no periods after the initials and no space between them. Do not use a comma between the last name and the initials. Use all authors’ names if a work has up to ten authors; for a work with eleven or more authors, list the first ten names followed by a comma and “et al.” (for “and others”). Titles of books and articles Capitalize only the first word in the title of a book or article (and all proper nouns). Do not underline or italicize the titles of books; do not place titles of articles in quotation marks. Titles of journals Abbreviate titles of journals that consist of more than one word. Omit the words the and of; do not use apostrophes. Capitalize all the words or abbreviated words in the title; do not underline or italicize the title: Science, Sci Am, N Engl J Med, Womens Health. Page ranges Do not abbreviate page ranges for articles in journals or periodicals and for chapters in edited volumes. When an article appears on discontinuous pages, list all pages or page ranges, separated by commas: 145-149, 162-174. For chapters in edited volumes, use the abbreviation “p.” before the numbers (p. 63-90).1. Melchias G. Biodiversity and conservation. Enfield (NH): Science; 2001.
2. Ennos R, Sheffield E. Plant life. Boston: Blackwell Scientific; 2000.
3. Mai J, Paxinos G, Assheuer J. Atlas of the human brain. 2nd ed. Burlington (MA): Elsevier; 2004.
4. Underwood AJ, Chapman MG. Intertidal ecosystems. In: Levin SA, editor. Encyclopedia of biodiversity. Vol. 3. San Diego: Academic Press; 2000. p. 485-499.
5. Stevens MH. Heavenly harbingers. Smithsonian. 2001 Nov:20, 22.
6. Gulbins E, Lang F. Pathogens, host-cell invasion and disease. Am Sci. 2001;89(5):406-413.
7. O’Neil J. A closer look at medical marijuana. New York Times (National Ed.). 2001 Jul 17;Sect. D:6 (col. 4).
8. Longini IM Jr, Halloran ME, Nizam A, Yang Y. Containing pandemic influenza with antiviral agents. Am J Epidemiol. 2004;159(7):623-633.
9. International Committee of Medical Journal Editors. Clinical trial registration: a statement from the International Committee of Medical Journal Editors. JAMA. 2004;292(11):1363-1364.
In the name-year system, a familiar abbreviation for an organization is given in brackets at the beginning of the entry: [NCI] National Cancer Institute. 2004. The abbreviation is used in the in-text citation: (NCI 2004).
CSE guidelines for Web sites and subscription services require publication information as for books: city, publisher, and publication date. This information can usually be found on the home page of a Web site and in a copyright link in a subscription service. Ask a reference librarian if you have trouble locating the information. In addition, include an update date if one is available and your date of access. Do not use a period at the end of a URL unless the URL ends in a slash.
10. American Society of Gene and Cell Therapy [Internet]. Milwaukee (WI): The Society; c2000-2010 [modified 2010 Jan 8; cited 2010 Jan 16]. Available from: http://www.asgt.org/.
11. Cleveland Clinic. The Cleveland Clinic Health Information Center [Internet]. Cleveland (OH): The Clinic; c2006. Smoking cessation; 2009 [cited 2010 Feb 8]; [about 3 screens]. Available from: http://www.clevelandclinic.org/services/smoking_cessation/hic_quitting_smoking.aspx
If the short work has an author different from the author of the site, begin with the author and title of the short work, followed by the word “In:” and the home page information as in item 10. End with the URL for the short work.
12. Wilson DE, Reeder DM, editors. Mammal species of the world [Internet]. Washington (DC): Smithsonian Institution Press; 3rd ed. Baltimore (MD): Johns Hopkins University Press; c2005 [cited 2007 Oct 14]; [about 200 screens]. Available from: http://vertebrates.si.edu/mammals/msw/.
If you are referring to a specific chapter or section in an online book, begin the citation with the author and the title of the specific part. Follow with the word “In:” and the author, editor, title, and publication information for the entire book. End with access information about the specific part.
12. Olson S. The path to a PhD. In: Jarmul D, editor. Beyond bio 101: the transformation of undergraduate biology education [Internet]. Chevy Chase (MD): Howard Hughes Medical Institute; c2001 [cited 2009 Nov 19]; [about 2 screens]. Available from: http://www.hhmi.org/beyondbio101/phdpath.htm
13. Isaacs FJ, Blake WJ, Collins JJ. Signal processing in single cells. Science [Internet]. 2005 Mar 25 [cited 2009 Jun 17];307(5717): 1886-1888. Available from: http://www.sciencemag.org/cgi/content/full/307/5717/1886
Begin with information about the online article, as in item 13. Follow with the name of the database, the place of publication, the publisher, and the date of publication or the copyright date. End with the phrase “Available from:” followed by the URL for the database. Include an article or document number, if the database assigns one, after the URL.
14. Cantor RM, Kono N, Duvall JA, Alvarez-Retuerto A, Stone JL, Alarcon M, Nelson SF, Geschwind DH. Replication of autism linkage: fine-mapping peak at 17q21. Am J Hum Genet [Internet]. 2005 [cited 2009 Jun 17];76(6):1050-1056. Expanded Academic ASAP. Farmington Hills (MI): Thomson Gale; c2005. Available from: http://web4.infotrac.galegroup.com/. Document No.: A133015879.
16. Buxbaum E. Bradford protein assay in membrane crystals. In: BIOSCI/Bionet: protein-analysis [discussion list on the Internet]. Bloomington: Indiana University; 2005 Jan 26, 10:45 am [cited 2005 Jun 22]; [about 16 lines]. Available from: http://www.bio.net/bionet/mm/proteins/2005-January/000010.html
Other sources (print and online)
The advice in this section refers to the print versions of the following sources, but in each case an example is also given for an online version.
17. Government report Begin with the name of the agency and, in parentheses, the country of origin if it is not part of the agency name. Next include the title of the report, a description of the report (if any), the place of publication, the publisher, and the date of publication. Give any relevant identifying information, such as a document number, and then the phrase “Available from:” followed by the name, city, and state of the organization that makes the report available or the URL for an online source.17. National Institute on Drug Abuse (US). Inhalant abuse. Research Report Series. Bethesda (MD): National Institutes of Health (US); 2005 Mar. NIH Pub. No.: 00–3818. Available from: National Clearinghouse on Alcohol and Drug Information, Rockville, MD 20852.
17. National Institute on Drug Abuse (US). Inhalant abuse [Internet]. Research Report Series. Bethesda (MD): National Institutes of Health (US); 2005 Mar [cited 2005 Jun 23]; [about 13 screens]. NIH Pub. No.: 00-3818. Available from: http://www.drugabuse.gov/ResearchReports/Inhalants/Inhalants.html
In the name-year system, begin with the abbreviation of the organization, if any, in brackets. (You will use the abbreviation in your in-text citations.) Use the complete name of the organization when you alphabetize the reference list.
[NIDA] National Institute on Drug Abuse (US). 2005 Mar. Inhalant abuse. . . .
18. American Cancer Society. Cancer facts and figures for African Americans 2005-2006. Report. Atlanta (GA): The Society; 2005.
18. American Cancer Society. Cancer facts and figures for African Americans 2005-2006 [report on the Internet]. Atlanta (GA): The Society; 2005 [cited 2005 Jun 23]; [535K bytes]. Available from: http://www.cancer.org/downloads/STT/CAFF2005AACorrPWSecured.pdf
19. Warner DA. Phenotypes and survival of hatchling lizards [master’s thesis]. Blacksburg: Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University; 2001 Jan 16.
19. Warner DA. Phenotypes and survival of hatchling lizards [master’s thesis on the Internet]. Blacksburg: Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University; 2001 Jan 16 [cited 2005 Jun 22]; [125 p.]. Available from: http://scholar.lib.vt.edu/theses/available/etd-01232001-123230/.
20. Pendleton L. The cost of beach water monitoring errors in southern California. In: Proceedings of the 2004 National Beaches Conference; 2004 Oct 13-15; San Diego, CA. Washington (DC): Environmental Protection Agency (US); 2005 Mar. p. 104-110.
20. Pendleton L. The cost of beach water monitoring errors in southern California [conference presentation on the Internet]. In: Proceedings of the 2004 National Beaches Conference [Internet]; 2004 Oct 13-15; San Diego, CA. Washington (DC): Environmental Protection Agency (US); 2005 Mar [cited 2005 Jun 30]. p. 104-110. Available from: http://www.epa.gov/waterscience/beaches/meetings/2004/.
21. Northeastern United States. West Nile virus: wild bird cases [demographic map]. Washington (DC): Department of the Interior (US); 2001 Jun 1. 1 sheet: color.
21. Northeastern United States. West Nile virus: wild bird cases [demographic map on the Internet]. Washington (DC): Department of the Interior (US); 2001 Jun 1 [cited 2005 Jun 22]; [1 screen]; color. Available from: http://nationalatlas.gov/printable/wnv.html
22. NOVA: cancer warrior [videocassette]. Quade D, editor; WGBH Boston, producer. Boston: WGBH Educational Foundation; 2001 Feb 27. 1 videocassette: 60 min., sound, color. Available from: WGBH Boston Video, Boston, MA.
22. NOVA: cancer warrior [video on the Internet]. Quade D, editor; WGBH Boston, producer. Boston: WGBH Educational Foundation; 2001 Feb 27 [cited 2005 June 22]; 60 min., sound, color. Available from: http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/cancer/program.html