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Cite Your Sources |
Many people working in the fields of plant sciences, zoology, microbiology, and medical sciences use the Council of Science Editors (CSE) Scientific Style and Format when formatting their papers and creating reference lists.
It is important to always cite your sources so you give credit to those individuals and organizations whose work has contributed to the research you are sharing. Accurate citations also allow your readers to find the information you have used so they can expand on or replicate your work. You will also grow to appreciate others' citations as they will allow you to discover additional research on the subjects that interest you.
If you scroll down you will find links to resources to help you use the CSE format, how to format the citations you include in your bibliography or reference list, and how to cite your sources within the body of the text, otherwise known as in-text citations.
All of the examples will use CSE's Name-Year format. For examples using the Citation-Sequence or Citation-Name patterns, please see the CSE Quick Guide.
You can use the resources listed below to find abbreviations for the journals you are citing. Search the resources by selecting the first letter in the title then scrolling through the alphabetical list.
Under CSE's Name-Year format, authors are referred to by their last names and first initials.
For example: Monique M. Lance would be cited as: Lance MM
If more than one author contributed to a work, up to 10 of those authors are listed in the order that their names appear on the item being cited.
For example: Buzzell B, Lance MM, Acevedo-Gutierrez A
If more than 10 authors contributed to a work, list the first 10 authors, then add a comma and the term, "et al."
For example: Bird B, Smith E, Smith BB, Snaf R, Grouch MM, Frogg K, Piggy MM, Granger H, Potter H, Weasley R, et al.
Abbreviate the significant names in a journal's title and capitalize those words. Omit other words such articles, conjunctions and prepositions.
For example, the journal, Aquatic Mammals, would be abbreviated to read Aquat Mamm
See the Useful Links box for sources of lists of these abbreviated journal titles.
Below you'll find some examples of citations for commonly-used sources. These are the types of citations you would include in your bibliography or end references. If you're looking for examples of in-text citations, please scroll down to the next box.
All of the examples use the Name-Year pattern. If you are using the Citation-Sequence or Citation-Name pattern, please see the CSE Quick Guide.
Basic Format: Author(s).Date.Article title. Journal title abbreviated.Volume(issue):location.
For example: Buzzell B, Lance MM, Acevedo-Guitierrez A. 2014. Spatial and temporal variation in river otter (Lontra canadensis) diet and predation on Rockfish (Genus Sebastes) in the San Juan Islands, Washington. Aquat Mamm. 40(2):150-161.
If you retrieve the journal or magazine article from an online database like Academic Search Complete or from the world wide web you need to include some additional information, such as which version of the article you found, when it was last updated, and when it was accessed. At the end of the citation, in the place marked "notes" in the basic format, you can include the exact URL where someone can find the article and/or the article's Digital Object Identifier or DOI, if available.
Online Format: Author(s) of article. Date of publication. Title of article. Title of journal (edition). [date updated; date accessed];Volume(issue):location. Notes.
Here's an example of an article found in a library database, Academic Search Complete: Buzzell B, Lance MM, Acevedo-Guitierrez A. 2014. Spatial and temporal variation in river otter (Lontra canadensis) diet and predation on Rockfish (Genus Sebastes) in the San Juan Islands, Washington. Aquat Mamm.[accessed 2021 February 20] 40(2):150-161. https://cerritoscoll.idm.oclc.org/login?url=http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=a9h&AN=96392017&site=ehost-live&scope=site. doi 10.1578/AM.40.2.2014.150.
Here's an example of the same article found on the world wide web: Buzzell B, Lance MM, Acevedo-Guitierrez A. 2014. Spatial and temporal variation in river otter (Lontra canadensis) diet and predation on Rockfish (Genus Sebastes) in the San Juan Islands, Washington. Aquat Mamm. [accessed 2021 February 19].40(2):150-16. https://pdfs.semanticscholar.org/b48b/37508c01549e0cb7fb4b4cc3a249d0d6cb44.pdf.doi10.1578/AM.40.2.2014.150.
Remember: Your goal is to include all of the information your reader would need to find the exact version of the article that you consulted so you can use the NOTES area to include a URL, a DOI or anything your reader would need to find the exact copy.
Basic Format: Author. Date. Title of article. Title of newspaper (edition). Section: beginning page of article (column no.)
For example: Gorman, J. 2 Jun. 2020. Scientists Trace Evolution Of Coronaviruses in Bats. New York Times (East Coast edn). A:6.
Online Format: Author. Date. Title of article. Title of newspaper (edition). [date updated; date accessed] Section: beginning page of article (column no.). Notes.
For example: Gorman, J. 2 Jun 2020. Scientists Trace Evolution Of Coronaviruses in Bats. New York Times (East Coast edn). [accessed 2 Jan. 2021] A:6. https://cerritoscoll.idm.oclc.org/login?url=https://www-proquest-com.cerritoscoll.idm.oclc.org/newspapers/scientists-trace-evolution-coronaviruses-bats/docview/2408436322/se-2?accountid=45477
Basic Format: Author. Date.Title.Edition. Place of publication:publisher.
For example: Darwin C. 2009. The origin of the species. 150th anniversary ed. Alachua, Florida: Bridge Logos Foundation.
E-Book Format: Author(s). Date of publication. Title of book. Edition. Place of publication: publisher; [date updated; date accessed]. Notes.
For example: Darwin C. 1864. On the origin of the species by means of natural selection; Or the preservation of favored races in the struggle for life. United Kingdom: D. Appleton and Co. [accessed 2021 Feb 21]. https://www.google.com/books/edition/On_the_Origin_of_Species_by_Means_of_Nat/HIo5AAAAcAAJ?hl=en&gbpv=0
Basic Format: Title of homepage.Date. Place of publication:publisher. [date updated; date accessed]. Notes.
For example: Charles Darwin: history's most famous biologist.[date unknown]. London: Natural History Museum. [accessed 20 May 2020]. https://www.nhm.ac.uk/discover/charles-darwin-most-famous-biologist.html
Basic Format: Title of video [descriptive word, episode number if available]. Title of program. Producer. Date first aired or posted, length. [accessed date]. URL.
For example: What Darwin didn't know and why it still matters. [video, episode 1]. What Darwin didn't know. The Great Courses. 2019, 33 minutes.[20 Feb 2021].https://cerritos.kanopy.com/video/what-darwin-knew-and-why-it-still-matters
If you're trying to cite something not included on this list, see the CSE Quick Guide for additional examples or Chat with a Librarian to get help.