Citation Help Guide

CBE (Council of Biology Editors) is now called CSE (Council of Science Editors)

General formatting rules for CBE/CSE Style:

1. Margins: 1 inch on all sides
2. Spacing: double space throughout the paper
3. Font: 12 point, Times New Roman
4. Header: Title page does not include a page number. Begin numbering on the first page of text.
5. Assemble your paper in the following order:
   • Cover/Title page
   • Body of the paper
   • Appendix (if needed)
   • Endnotes (if using endnote style)
   • Bibliography

*NOTE: CSE style is the science companion to the Chicago Manual of Style. Page formatting is based on Chicago Style. 

In-text citations refer to citations within your paper. When you mention an article or other source, you should give credit to that source for their ideas/information.

General format: (Author(s) last name and year of publication)

The following are examples of in-text citations:

• One author: (Jones 2024) or Jones (2024) claimed that...
• 2 authors: (Juarez and Ramirez 1976) or In their research, Juarez and Ramirez (1976) found that...
• 3 or more authors: (Wong et al. 2010) (et al is a Latin abbreviation meaning "and the others") or Wong et al. (2010) discovered that...

General Format by Resource Type

Journal Articles

Format:

• Author(s). Article title. Journal title. Date;volume(issue):page range. URL
• Journal titles are generally abbreviated according to the List of Title Word Abbreviations. 

Example:

Haasnoot M, Lawrence J, Magnan AK. Pathways to coastal retreat. Science. 2021;372(6548):1287–1290.   

     https://doi.org/10.1126/science.abi6594

Books

Format:

• Author(s). Title. Edition. Publisher; year of publication.

Example: Books with Authors

De Doncker RW, Duco WJP, Veltman A. Advanced electrical drives: analysis, modeling, control. Springer; 2020.

Example: Books with Editors (no Authors)

Gupta HK, editor. Encyclopedia of solid earth geophysics. 2nd ed. Springer; 2021.

Example: Books with Authors plus Editors and/or translators

Klarsfeld A, Revah F. The biology of death: origins of mortality. Brady L, translator. Cornell University Press; 2003.

Luzikov VN. Mitochondrial biogenesis and breakdown. Galkin AV, translator; Roodyn DB, editor. Consultants Bureau; 1985.

Newspapers

Format:

• Author(s). Article title. Newspaper title/name. Date of publication [Updated date if included]. URL/Link.

Example: Newspaper

Zimmer C. To speed vaccination, some call for delaying second shots. The New York Times. 2021 Apr 9 [updated 2021 Apr 27]. https://www.nytimes.com/2021/04/09/health/covid-vaccine-second-dose-delay.html

Websites

Format:

• Author. Title of article. Publisher; date of publication [date updated, if included]. URL

  (If no author is listed, cite under the title of the article or other component.)

Example:

Health equity considerations and racial and ethnic minority groups. US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases, Division of Viral Diseases; 2020 Apr 30 [updated 2022 Jan 25]. https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/community/health-equity/race-ethnicity.html

***If no date of publication or update is available, include an access date.

Montrose Point Bird Sanctuary, Chicago, Illinois. Google Maps; [accessed 2022 Jan 3]. https://goo.gl/maps/GJALYGBXFZ8TSGK5A