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Research Skills

CSE Name-Year

The CSE Name-Year citation style uses citations in the text that consist of the author’s last name and the year of publication in parentheses. Full citations are listed alphabetically in a references section at the end of your paper.

Cited References

Formatting

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

Online Formats

  • If you cannot locate a date of publication use [date unknown] 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. Year of publication. Title of article. Journal Title. Volume(issue):p page-page or article #. doi or URL. 
Example:
Setälä H, Sun ZJ, Zheng JQ, Lu C, Cui MM, Han SJ. 2023. Loss of soil carbon and nitrogen indicates climate change-induced alterations in a temperate forest ecosystem. Ecol Indic.148:110055. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ecolind.2023.110055.
Newspaper Articles
Format:
Author AA. Publication Year Mo Day. Title of article. Title of Publication (ed). URL.
Example:
Whyte LE. 2025 Jun 10. Kennedy removes vaccine advisors. The Wall Street Journal (Eastern ed). https://une.idm.oclc.org/login?url=https://www.proquest.com/newspapers/u-s-news-kennedy-removes-vaccine-advisers/docview/3217031748/se-2?accountid=12756.
Note: For print newspapers, include the section and page in place of the URL.
Conference Paper
Format:
Author AA, Author BB. Year of publication. Title of paper. In: Editor EE. Title of proceedings. Name of Conference; date of conference; place of conference; Publisher. p page-page. URL.
Example:
Jamek AK. 2024. The impact of microplastics on soil invertebrates. In: Mortimer M, Kahru A, Leito I, Rebane R, Aruoja V, editors. International Conference EcoBalt 2023 “Chemicals & Environment”; 2023 Oct 9-11; Tallinn, Estonia. MDPI. p 82-82. https://doi.org/10.3390/proceedings2023092082.
Dissertation or Thesis
Format:
Author AA. Year of publication. Title of dissertation or thesis [type]. University Name. URL.
Example:
Brann, C. 2018. Drosophila glypicans dally and dally-like control injury induced allodynia [thesis]. University of New England. https://dune.une.edu/theses/164/.
Technical Report
Format:
Author AA. Year of publication. Title of report. Sponsoring Organization. Report No.: #. doi or URL.
Example:
Gimble JM, Bray MS, Young A. 2009. Circadian biology and sleep: missing links in obesity and metabolism. Louisiana State University. Report No.: W81XWH-09-1-0289. doi: 10.1111/j.1467-789X.2009.00672.x.

Books

Note: If citing a print book, omit the DOI, URL or database.

Entire Book
Format:
Author AA, Author BB. Date of publication. Title of book. edition. Publisher. doi or URL.
Example:
Rollin, BE. 1998. The unheeded cry: animal consciousness, animal pain, and science. 3rd ed. Iowa State University Press. https://research.ebsco.com/plink/d623d03a-bede-3f24-8633-9cbcb534fdca.
Book Chapter
Format:
Author AA, Author BB. Title of chapter. In: Editor AA, editor(s). Date. Title of book. Edition. Publisher. p page range. URL.
Example:
Voight ML, Tippett SR. Plyometric exercise in rehabilitation. In: Prentice WE, editor. 2015. Rehabilitation techniques for sports medicine and athletic training. SLACK Incorporated. p 285-310. https://unelib.primo.exlibrisgroup.com/permalink/01UNE_INST/umhsls/alma991018204843508656.
Encyclopedia Entry
Format:
Author AA, Author BB. Entry title. In: Editor AA, editor(s). Date of publication. Book title. Edition. Publisher. p page-page. doi or URL.
Example:
Kotermanski SE, Cascio M. Neuronal action potentials and ion channel allostery. In: Bradshaw A, Hart GW, Stahl PD. editors. 2024. Encyclopedia of cell biology. 2nd ed. Academic Press. p 244-251. https://www-sciencedirect-com.une.idm.oclc.org/referencework/9780128216248/encyclopedia-of-cell-biology-second-edition#book-description.

Online Sources

Webpages
Format:
Author. Title of webpage. Name of Website; Year Mo Day of publication. [updated or accessed Year Mo Day]. URL.
Example:
Center for algal innovations: Microplastic project. Bigelow Laboratory for Ocean Sciences; 2026. [accessed 2026 Mar 12]. https://www.bigelow.org/science/centers/cai/microplastic-project.html. 
Streaming Video
Format:
Title of video [type]. Year Mo Day aired or posted, length. Title of program. Producer. URL.
Example:
Can you fool a self driving car? [YouTube video]. 2025 Mar 15, 18:53. Mark Rober. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watchv=IQJL3htsDyQ&list=PL45865A763BAB32CA&index=4.
Podcast
Format:
Host AA. Release Year Mo Day. length. Title of episode [podcast]. Name of Podcast. Producer. URL.
Example:
Ramirez R, Kwong E, McCoy B, Barber R, Rubin C. 2025 Jul 14. 14:35 min. Do you clean up ocean trash if it’s part of a vibrant ecosystem? [podcast]. Shortwave. NPR. https://www.npr.org/2025/07/14/1255667287/great-pacific-garbage-patch-ecosystem-trash-sea.
Blog Post
Format:
Author AA. Publication Year Mo Day. Title of post [blog post]. Title of blog. URL.
Example:
Valentine S. 2025 Jul 11. Is the show finally over for these dolphins? [blog post]. Nautilus. 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. Year Mo Day of publication. Title of image [type of work]. Publisher or Producer. [accessed Year Mo Day.]. doi or URL.
Example:
Talbot P. [date unknown]. Mesocricetus auratus, blood cell, oocyte, cumulus cell [recorded image]. Cell Image Library. [accessed 2024 Apr 15].  doi:10.7295/W9CIL18042.

AI

The CSE Guidance on Machine Learning and Artificial Intelligence Tools currently recommends treating AI-generated content as personal communication:

Example:

(ChatGPT [OpenAI], response to question from author, 2024 Jul 18).

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, Mo 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; Year Mo Day; Conference Location.
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).

In-Text Citations

In-text citations consist of the author’s last name and year of publication in parentheses at the end of the sentence in which you are quoting, summarizing or paraphrasing the authors’ ideas.

  • For three or more authors, list only the first author’s name followed by et al. – (Sharma et al 2023).
  • For two authors, place both names in the parentheses – (Sharma and Gupta 2022).

Special Cases

Author’s Name in the Sentence

If you are using the author’s name in the sentence and there is no ambiguity, include only the year in parentheses to avoid redundancy.

Example: 

According to Yoon (2023), mitochondrial dynamics play a critical role in regulating cellular energy homeostasis and apoptosis under oxidative stress conditions.

Corporation or Organization as Author

If the author is an organization or corporation, you can use abbriations to avoid long parentheticals.

Example: 

Vaccination is one of the best ways to protect children from more than a dozen serious diseases before the age of two (CDC, 2022).

Multiple works by the same author

If you are citing multiple works by the same author, published in different years, list in ascending date order and separate with a comma.

Example:

(Barbieri 1989, 1991)

If the works you are citing were published in the same year, add a letter to the end of the date to differentiate them.

Example:

(Barbieri 1989a, 1989b)

Authors with the same last name

If you are citing two authors with the same last name, include their initials and separate with a semicolon:

Example: 

(Nguyen M 2003; Nguyen L 2024)

No Author

If no author can be found, your in text citation should include the first word or words of the title, followed by an ellipsis:

Example: 

(Whale shark…2025)

For more specific circumstances, see Scientific Style and Format, chapter 29.2.1.2. 

Questions & Help

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