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CSE Style Guide

Avoiding Plagiarism

What is it?

Scientific Style and Format: the CBE manual for authors, editors, and publishers. 6th ed. New York: Cambridge University Press, 1994.

Note: 7th edition expected in fall 2004!

Note: The CBE (Council of Biology Editors) has since changed its name to the CSE (Council of Science Editors), hence the discrepancy in initials.

Where can I find a copy?

  • Perkins Reference 808.0666 S416, 1994
  • Biological & Environmental Sciences

  • Chemistry

  • Marine

  • Medical Center

Who should use it?

  • Students whose professors require CSE style

  • Scholars in the natural and physical sciences.

How to cite works in the body of your paper using the CSE style:

The CSE Manual describes two systems: the 'citation-sequence' system and the 'name-year' system.

In the 'citation-sequence' system, citations in the text are indicated by superscript numbers that refer to references in the list of references at the end of the paper, like this1. If the same reference is referred to multiple times, it is always with the same superscript number. It is possible to refer to multiple references at once using a sequence of superscript numbers, such as 5-9. Examples.

In the 'name-year' system, in-text parenthetical citations of the author's name and year of the reference are included. Each citation corresponds to a reference in the list of references at the end of the paper. There are special recommendations for works by multiple authors, corporate authors, etc. Examples.

How to cite works in the list of references at the end of your paper using CSE style:

In the 'citation-sequence' system, the list of references at the end of the paper is numbered, with references appearing on the list in the order they are cited in the paper. Each number corresponds to a superscript reference number in the text.

In the 'name-year' system, the list of references at the end of the paper is arranged alphabetically by author's name. Each reference on the list is mentioned in an in-text parenthetical citation in the body of the paper.

Each kind of work is cited in its own way; for details, see the Examples.

Have more questions?

For information on citing documents from the internet, see the preview of the 7th edition, which will cover this topic, at the Council of Science Editors' web site. Other new material is also available for preview, and corrections to the 6th edition are available. If you have further questions, consult the Reference Desks at Perkins or Lilly Libraries.