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CSE Name-Year Citation Style

Learn CSE (Council of Science Editors) style to document sources in the end references and in-text citations.

Rules for Formatting End References and In-Text Citations

Authors' Names in End References:

  • If only one author, include the last name and first initial(s), end with a period. Do not use periods to separate first and middle initials.
    • Example: McClintock B.
    • Example: Wilson EO.
  • If 2 to 10 authors, list ALL names and separate each name with a comma, and end with a period. 
    • Example: Gardos G, Cole JO, Haskell D, Paine SS, Moore P.
  • If more than 10 authors, list the first 10 followed by "et al."
    • Example: Adams MJ, Lefkowitz EJ, King AMQ, Harrach B, Harrison RL, Knowles NJ, Kropinski AM, Krupovic M, Kuhn JH, Mushegian AR, et al.

Authors' Names in In-Text References:

  • If 1 author, list the last name and year in parentheses.
    • Example: (Carson 1962)
  • If 2 authors, list both and separate last names with "and". 
    • Example: (Marzan and Hoffman 2001)
  • If 3 or more authors, list only the first name, followed by "et al."
    • Example: (Gardos et al.1988)

Dates in End References:

  • For books and journals, include only the YEAR and end with a period. 
    • Example: 2008.
  • For magazines, news, and time-sensitive sources, include YEAR 3 letters for Month and DAY. End with period.
    • Example: 2021 Dec 21.
  • If the date cannot be found, say "date unknown" in brackets. This may happen with websites.
    • Example: [date unknown].
  • If you are using an online source, include the date you used the material in brackets. [accessed YEAR Mon DAY]. 
    • Example: [accessed 2019 Feb 21].

Dates in In-Text References:

  • In parentheses, state the year after the author(s).
    • Example: (Wilson 2006)
    • Example: (Author [date unknown])

Journal Article, Book Chapter, and Book Titles in End References:

  • Only the first letter of the first word and any proper nouns need to be capitalized.
  • Do not capitalize the first letter of the first word in a subtitle.
  • Capitalize the first letter of the first word of Genus names.
  • Italicize genus and species names.
    • Example: Ant behaviour and seed morphology: a missing link of myrmecochory.
    • Example: Myrmecochores can target high-quality disperser ants: variation in elaiosome traits and ant preferences for myrmecochorous Euphorbiaceae in Brazilian Caatinga.
    • Example: Seasonal variation in the feeding ecology of pumas (Puma concolor) in northern California.

Journal Article, Book Chapter, and Book Titles in In-Text References:

  • Article titles are generally NOT included in in-text citations.
  • The exception is if the authors are unknown, which often happens on websites. If there is no author, use the first word or first few words of the title followed by ellipses.
    • Example: (Dorland's Illustrated Medical...2020)

Journal Titles in End References*:

  • Capitalize all major words in the journal title.
  • Do not capitalize any minor words such as articles or prepositions (i.e. the, of, and, etc.).
    • Example: Journal of Insect Behavior.
    • Example: PLoS One.
    • Example: Ecology and Evolution.

Journal Titles in In-Text References:

  • Journal titles are NOT included in in-text citations.

*Note for LPC Students: CSE formatting normally calls for abbreviating journal titles (i.e. Amer J Bot) but LPC biology professors accept titles spelled out in full (i.e. American Journal of Botany). 

Publication Information in End References:

  • For journal articles, include the volume number(issue number):first page-last page. 
    • Example: 134(2):278-90.
  • For books with an edition #, include the edition between the book title and the place of publication.
    • Example: Grzimek's animal life encyclopedia. 2nd ed.  Vol. 6. Detroit (MI): Gale;
  • For book chapters, include the page # and "p. " after the publisher's information.
    • Example: Detroit (MI): Gale. p. 363-375.
  • For multivolume books, include the volume # and "Vol. " before the publisher's info.
    • Example: 2nd ed. Vol.6. Detroit (MI): Gale. p. 363-375.

Publication Information in In-Text References:

  • Publication information is NOT included in in-text citations.

Online Access Information in End References:

  • If you are using an online/electronic/web source, include the access date and the URL. 
  • The date format is ["accessed" year month abbreviation date].
  • [Enclose the date in brackets], end with a semi-colon; or period.
    • Example: [accessed 2019 Feb 21]
  • If this is for a journal article, the access date comes after the journal title. Punctuate with a semi-colon;
    • Example Article: The Wilson Journal of Ornithology. [accessed 2022 Aug 5];
  • If this is for a book, the access date comes after the publisher. Punctuate with a period. 
    • Example Book: Washington (DC): ASM Press; [accessed  2014 Feb 28].
  • Include the entire URL as the last element in the citation.
    • If the source is from a database, it is best to use the permanent link or "permalink", if available.

Online Access Information in In-Text References:

  • Online access details are NOT included in in-text citations.