CSE guidelines, reference list

Basic format

Center the title References (or Cited References) and then list the works you have cited in the paper; do not include other works you may have read. Double-space throughout.

Organization of the list (citation-sequence, citation-name)

In the citation-sequence system, number the entries in the order in which they appear in the text.

In the citation-name system, first alphabetize all the entries by authors’ last names (or by organization name or by title for a work with no author). Then number the entries in the order in which they appear in the list.

In both systems, use the number in the reference list every time you refer to the corresponding source in the paper.

Make the entire entry flush with the left margin.

Organization of the list (name-year)

In the name-year system, the entries in the reference list are not numbered. Alphabetize the entries by authors’ last names (or by organization name or by title for a work with no author). Place the year after the last author’s name, followed by a period.

CSE provides no guidelines for formatting a reference list in the name-year system in a student paper, but you can use a hanging indent for readability: Type the first line of each entry flush left, and indent any additional lines one-half inch.

Authors’ names

List authors’ names last name first. Use initials for first and middle names, with no periods after the initials and no space between them. Do not use a comma between the last name and the initials.

Use all authors’ names if a work has up to ten authors; for a work with eleven or more authors, list the first ten names followed by a comma and “et al.” (for “and others”).

Titles of books and articles

Capitalize only the first word in the title of a book or an article (and all proper nouns). Do not italicize the titles of books; do not place titles of articles in quotation marks.

Titles of journals

Abbreviate titles of journals that consist of more than one word. Omit the words the and of; do not use apostrophes. Capitalize all the words or abbreviated words in the title; do not italicize the title: Science, Sci Am, N Engl J Med, Womens Health.

Page ranges

Do not abbreviate page ranges for articles in journals or periodicals and for chapters in edited volumes.

When an article appears on discontinuous pages, list all pages or page ranges, separated by commas: 145-149, 162-174. For chapters in edited volumes, use the abbreviation “p.” before the numbers (p. 63-90).

Sample CSE reference list

Johnson/Arnold, “Distribution Pattern of Dandelion (Taraxacum officinale) on an Abandoned Golf Course”

Martin, “Hypothermia, the Diving Reflex, and Survival” (CSE)

Related topic:

CSE guidelines, body of paper