CSE Scientific Style and Format: Start Here

This is a guide for citing resources using the Council of Science Editors (CSE) style of citation. CSE is used to cite resources within the fields of the natural sciences. Please refer to your class syllabus or consult your professor to see if this is the correct citation style for your class.

This guide will provide you with examples of the most commonly used resources.  If you do not see a resource represented on these pages, please refer to the Scientific Style and Format: The CSE Manual for Authros, Editors, and Publishers. This manual can be found in the library, in the citation center bookcase.

Why Cite Resources?

• Citations allow readers to locate and further explore the sources you used to develop your thoughts and outcomes expressed in your paper. They are a measure of the depth and scope of your research.
• Citations are the method used to give credit to authors for their ideas and research.
• Citations provide the evidence for your arguments and establish your credibility by documenting that you have searched for and considered a number of resources during researching and writing of your paper.
• Citing enable you to have your own original ideas and outcomes standout from the other's research.
• Citing is standard practice in the world of academia.

What is a citation?

A citation is a way you inform the readers that certain materials in your paper came from another source. It also gives your readers the information necessary to find the source. Your citation should include the following elements in both your footnotes and bibliography.

• Author
• Title of work
• Place of publication
• Publisher
• Date published
• Page numbers where the material is located.

When do I need to cite?

You need to acknowledge whenever you borrow quotes or ideas. The following are when you need to cite:

• Whenever you use direct quotes.
• Whenever you paraphrase.
• Whenever you use an idea that someone else has already expressed.
• Whenever you make specific reference to the work of another.
• Whenever someone else's work has been critical in developing your own ideas.

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• Zotero/ZoteroBib

  Zotero is an application that collects, manages, and cites research sources. It's easy to use and connects with your web browser to dowload citation information from books, journal articles, web pages, and other sources. Best of all it's free. ZoteroBib is a free, fast citation generator similar that is similar to (but in our experience, more accurate and reliable than) tools such as EasyBib and NoodleTools. Our Zotero LibGuide explains how to use these tools.