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Research Skills

CSE Citation-Sequence & Citation-Name

The CSE (Council of Science Editors) citation-sequence and citation-name styles use superscript numbers in the text to cite sources. The full citations are then listed at the end of the paper.

Cited References

Formatting

  • The references page can be titled “References”, “Cited References”, “Literature Cited”, or “Bibliography.” 
  • Use hanging indentation.
  • Abbreviate the month of dates.
  • Use sentence case for titles.

Online Formats

  • If you cannot locate a date of publication omit and add an accessed date in brackets before the URL – [accessed 2024 Mar 21].
  • A Digital Object Identifier (DOI) is a unique number that can act as a persistent URL. Use a DOI in place of a URL whenever one is provided.
  • Include any date of update or revision in brackets before the URL – [updated 2023 Jan 31].

Author Names

  • For sources with multipe authors, list up to five. If there are six or more, list the first author, followed by “et al.” 
  • List authors by last name followed by first and middle initial, with no spaces or periods.
  • If there is no named author, use the authoring group, committee or organization, or omit.

Articles

Journal & Magazine Articles
Note: Abbreviate the major words in journal titles.
Format:
Author AA. Title of article. Title of journal (edition). Publication year;volume(issue):page-page or article #. doi or URL. 
Example:
Setälä H et al. Loss of soil carbon and nitrogen indicates climate change-induced alterations in a temperate forest ecosystem. Ecol Indic. 2023;148:110055. doi:10.1016/j.ecolind.2023.110055.
Newspaper Articles
Format:
Author AA. Title of article. Title of newspaper (edition). Publication year, month day. URL.
Example:
Wallance-Wells, D. Food as you know it is about the change. New York Times (International Ed.). 2024 Jul 28. https://www.proquest.com/docview/3087480822/C324F6C981434FF8PQ/2?accountid=12756&sourcetype=Newspapers.
Note: For print newspapers, include the section and page in place of the URL.
Conference Papers
Format:
Author AA. Title of paper. In Editor AA, Editor BB, editors. Title of proceedings. Name; date; place of conference. Publisher; Year. p page-page. URL.
Example:
Lynch J. Dynamics of random Boolean networks. In Mahdavi K, Culshaw R, Boucher J, editors. Current developments in mathematical biology. Conference on Mathematical Biology and Dynamical Systems; 2005 Oct 7-9; University of Texas at Tyler. World Scientific; 2007. p 15-38. https://unelib.primo.exlibrisgroup.com/permalink/01UNE_INST/1mp7eui/alma991018123185108656.
Dissertation or Thesis
Format:
Author AA. Title of dissertation or thesis [type]. University Name; Year. URL. 
Example:
Sullivan SM. Identifying complex adaptive systems using quantitative approaches at a midsized biotechnology firm [dissertation] University of New England; 2022. https://dune.une.edu/theses/418/. 
Technical Report
Format:
Author AA. Title of report. Edition. Publisher; date. Report No.:#. URL.
Example:
National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health. Medication-assisted treatment for opioid use disorder. Center for Disease Control and Prevention; 2019. Report No.: 2019-133. https://www.cdc.gov/overdose-resources/search/pages/2019-133.html.

Books

Entire book
Format:
Author AA. Title of book. Edition. Publisher; Year. URL.
Example:
Chambers JA. Field guide to global health & disaster medicine. Elsevier; 2022. https://www-clinicalkey-com.une.idm.oclc.org/#!/browse/book/3-s2.0-C20200000599.
Book Chapter
Format:
Author AA, Author BB. Chapter title. In: Editor AA, editor(s). Title of Book. Edition. Publisher; Year. p page-page. URL.
Example:
Voight ML, Tippett SR. Plyometric exercise in rehabilitation. In: Prentice WE, editor. Rehabilitation techniques for sports medicine and athletic training. SLACK Incorporated; 2015. p 285-310. https://unelib.primo.exlibrisgroup.com/permalink/01UNE_INST/umhsls/alma991018204843508656.</dd
Encyclopedia Entry
Format:
Author AA. Name of entry. In: Editor EE, editor(s). Title of Encyclopedia. Edition. Publisher; Year. p page-page. URL.
Example:
Sorenson JT. Aphids. In: Starr CK, editor. Encyclopedia of social insects. Springer; 2021. https://search.credoreference.com/articles/Qm9va0FydGljbGU6OTMzNzUy?summaryArticle=true.

Online Sources

Webpages
Format:
Title of page. Place of publication: Website; Year Month day. URL.
Example:
Whale shark. Washington(DC): Oceana; [accessed 2025 Mar 31]. https://oceana.org/marine-life/whale-shark/.
Streaming Video
Format:
Title of video [type]. Title of program. Producer; Year Month day posted, length. URL.
Example:
Can you fool a self driving car? [YouTube video]. Mark Rober. YouTube; 2025 Mar 15, 18:53 min. https://www.youtube.com/watchv=IQJL3htsDyQ&list=PL45865A763BAB32CA&index=4.
Podcast
Format:
Host AA. Title of episode [podcast]. Name of podcast. Producer. Released year month day, length. URL.
Example:
Ramirez R, Kwong E, McCoy B, Barber R, Rubin C. Do you clean up ocean trash if it’s part of a vibrant ecosystem? [podcast]. Shortwave. NPR. 2025 Jul 14, 14:35 min. https://www.npr.org/2025/07/14/1255667287/great-pacific-garbage-patch-ecosystem-trash-sea.
Blog Post
Format:
Author AA. Title of post [blog]. Title of blog. Publication year month day. URL.
Example:
Valentine S. Is the show finally over for these dolphins? [blog]. Nautilus. 2025 July 11. https://nautil.us/is-the-show-finally-over-for-these-whales-and-dolphins-1223809/?_sp=244d6abb-47a7-482b-b8de-ea529e257b9f.1752505068145. 

Figures & Images

For guidance on formatting figures of your own creation, consult chapter 30 of Scientific Style and Format.

Images & Infographics
Format:
Creator AA. Title [type of work]. Publisher or Producer; Year Month day of publication. doi or URL.
Example:
Talbot P. Mesocricetus auratus, blood cell, oocyte, cumulus cell [recorded image]. Cell Image Library; [accessed 2024 Apr 15].  doi:10.7295/W9CIL18042.

Other Source Types

Unpublished Communications
Class handouts, slides, personal interviews, e-mail, or letters are not included in reference lists in CSE style, but can be referenced within the text of your paper.
Format:
(first/middle initials, last name, form of communication, month day, year; unreferenced).
Example:
(A. Mugabe, personal interview with author, Nov 5, 2024; unreferenced).
Poster Presentation 
Format:
Author AA.  Title of poster. Poster presented at: Name of conference. Name; date; place of conference.
Example:
Tweedle J, Fletcher M. Consequences: energy drinks and oral health, Poster presented at: College of Arts and Sciences Spring Research Symposium. University of New England; 2024 May 2; Biddeford, ME. 
Legal Materials
The Council of Science Editors refers to The Bluebook: A Uniform System of Citation for legal references.
Format:
Name of Law, Code # U.S.C. Section #. (Year of decision).
Example:
Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990, 42 U.S.C. Sect 12101 (1990).

AI

CSE does not currently have official guidelines for citing AI tools. However, The Council of Science Editors recommends treating AI-generated content as personal communication:

  • Cite in-text only
  • The nature and source of the cited information should be identified by an appropriate statement.

Example:
(ChatGPT [OpenAI], response to question from author, 2024 July 18).

In-Text Citations

Citation-Sequence and Citation-Name use superscript numbers in the text to cite sources. The full citations are then listed at the end of the paper. The order in which they appear differs between the two styles:

  • In Citation-Name, sources are numbered alphabetically. 1 refers to the first source in the alphabetical reference list, 2 is the second source, and so on.  
  • In the Citation-Sequence system, sources are numbered in the text in the order they appear in the paper. The first reference is 1, the second is 2, and so on.  

Formatting

Place citations immediately after your paraphrase, quote or summary of another author’s work. Superscript numbers should be placed after any punctuation. If several sources are being cited, list them in ascending order.

Examples

  • According to Yoon et al.,5 mitochondrial dynamics play a critical role in regulating cellular energy homeostasis and apoptosis under oxidative stress conditions.
  • A single study18 found that prolonged exposure to low-dose radiation can lead to subtle but measurable changes in cellular DNA repair mechanisms.
  • “Ocean acidification is one of the largest unique geological events that the Earth has undergone in the last fifty million years.” 21
  • In 2022, researchers first confirmed the presence of microplastics in human blood,5, 13, 15, 32 raising serious public health concerns.

Questions & Help

If you have questions on this, or another topic, contact a librarian for help!