MC Library Research Guides: Cite Sources: CSE Style

General Information on CSE

The CSE Citation Style—described in Scientific Style and Format, 8th edition—is commonly used in biology and other science subjects. Science classes at Montgomery College typically use the CSE Citation Sequence System.

Create In-Text Citations in CSE Style

Sources are numbered as they are first mentioned. The number from the reference list is used in the body of your paper:

Example
The speciation evident in the diversity of species among the islands of Galapagos is commonly regarded as an example of this because of the distances that separate the islands⁵.

If the same source is used again, use the earlier reference number again:

Example
Unfortunately, that prediction did not come true. In The Beak of the Finch⁷, Weiner details how the finch song patterns and the sexual selection based on them decayed not long after the Grants’ first paper⁵ was published and that the songs never seemed to reassert themselves even over the decades of continued observation.

If multiple sources are used at the same time, separate them with a comma:

Example
Or, as the Grants said in the final line of their paper, paraphrasing John Maynard Smith, “establishment of a stable polymorphism in a heterogeneous environment is a crucial step in sympatric speciation”^5,8.

A Student Paper from Norton Spielman, P. Guppies and Goldilocks: Models and Evidence of Two Types of Speciation. From The Norton Field Guide to Go. 2013. Available at https://wwnorton.com/college/english/write/fgtg_splash/demo/desk/r-cse-d.html

Create a Reference List in CSE Style

Sources are listed at the end of a paper in the order that they are first mentioned. Here is part of a list from a Reference page:

Example
5. Grant BR, Grant PR. Darwin’s finches: population variation and sympatric speciation. Proc Nat Acad Sci USA. 1979;76(4):2359- 2363.

6. Endler JA. Natural selection on color patterns in Poecilia reticulata. Evolution [Internet]. 1980 [accessed 2010 Feb 7];34(1);76-91. Available from: https://www.jstor.org/stable/2408316?seq=1

7. Weiner J. The beak of the finch. New York (NY): Vintage; 1994.

8. Smith JM. Sympatric speciation. Am Nat [Internet]. 1966 [accessed 2010 Feb 7];100(916):637-650. Available from: https://www.jstor.org/stable/2459301?seq=1

A Student Paper from Norton Spielman, P. Guppies and Goldilocks: Models and Evidence of Two Types of Speciation. From The Norton Field Guide to Go. 2013. Available at https://wwnorton.com/college/english/write/fgtg_splash/demo/desk/r-cse-d.html

Print and electronic books are cited the same way in CSE style:

Author(s). Title. Edition (if needed). City: Publisher, year.

Example
Cooper C. Organic Chemist’s Desk Reference. 2nd ed. Boca Raton: Taylor & Francis, 2011.

Print and electronic books are cited in the same way in CSE style:

Author(s). Chapter title. In: Book editor(s), editor(s). Book title. Edition (if needed). City: Publisher, year. Pages.

Example
Ozinga S, Mowat H. Strategies to Prevent Illegal Logging. In: Wijen F, Zoeteman K, Pieters J, van Seters, P, editor. A Handbook of Globalization and Environmental Policy, 2nd ed. Cheltenham: Edward Elgar, 2012. p. 439-466.

Cite Articles and Reports in CSE Style

Journal Articles
Technical or Government Reports

Author(s). Article title. Journal name. Date; volume(issue): pages.

Example
Zanchetti D, Bruni S, Raicich F, et al. Sea-level rise in Venice: historic and future trends (review article). Natural Hazards & Earth System Sciences. August 2021; 21(8):2643-2678.

Author(s) (if applicable). Title. Publication series or Publication number (if applicable). Place of publication: publishing organization; date. Extent. Publication series or Publication number (if applicable). URL.

Example
Assessing Security and Privacy Controls in Information Systems and Organizations. Gaithersburg: National Institute of Standards and Technology. January 2022. 733 pages. NIST Special Publication 800-53A Revision 5. Available from: https://doi.org/10.6028/NIST.SP.800-53Ar5.

Cite Websites, Streaming Media, and More in CSE Style

Author(s) (if applicable). Title of Page. Place of publication: publisher; date of publication [date accessed]. URL.

Example
COVID-19 Vaccine Boosters. Atlanta: Centers for Disease Control; April 15, 2022 [accessed April 18, 2022]. Available from: https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/vaccines/booster-shot.html

Author(s). Title [medium]. Place of publication: publisher, date of publication [date accessed]. URL.

Example
Kurzgesagt—In a Nutshell. Geoengineering: A horrible idea we might have to do [YouTube video]. Munich, Germany: Kurzgesagt, October 27, 2020 [accessed April 18, 2022]. Available from: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dSu5sXmsur4.

Author(s) (if applicable). Title. Place of publication: publisher; date of publication [date accessed]. URL.

Example
Richter, Felix. Americans Owe $1.75 Trillion in Student Debt. Hamburg: Statista, April 6, 2022 [accessed April 18, 2022]. Available from: https://www.statista.com/chart/24477/outstanding-value-of-us-student-loans/.

Author(s) (if applicable). Dataset title [medium]. Place of publication: publisher; date of publication [date accessed]. URL.

Example
Energy production, trade and consumption [CSV file]. New York: United Nations Statistics Division; 2018 [accessed April 2022]. Available from: data.un.org.

Learn More

CSE Quick Guide More citation examples from the CSE guide
Full CSE documentation Scientific Style and Format, 8th Edition, published by the Council of Science Editors
Writer's Handbook (UW-Madison) CSE Documentation Style

CSE sample papers:

A Student Paper from Norton Spielman, P. Guppies and Goldilocks: Models and Evidence of Two Types of Speciation. From The Norton Field Guide to Go. 2013. Available at https://wwnorton.com/college/english/write/fgtg_splash/demo/desk/r-cse-d.html
A scientific journal article Newberry, R, VanVeller B, Guzei I, Raines R. n→ π* interactions of amides and thioamides: implications for protein stability. Journal of the American Chemical Society 2013; 135(21): 7843-7846.