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CSE citation generator
Format a CSE reference in name-year and citation-sequence form from the details you enter.
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CSE style is the citation format of the Council of Science Editors, used across biology and the other natural sciences. It offers three systems: name-year, citation-sequence and citation-name. Enter the details of your source and this free CSE citation generator formats the reference in both name-year and citation-sequence form, shows the matching in-text citation and lists anything that is missing.
CSE format citation: the three systems
Council of Science Editors citation rules are set out in the council's manual, Scientific Style and Format. Biology, ecology, environmental science and many other natural science courses and journals use them. In name-year, the text cites (Rivera 2021) and the reference list is alphabetical, with the year right after the authors. In citation-sequence, each source gets a number the first time it is cited and the list follows that order. In citation-name, the list is alphabetized first and then numbered, and the text uses those numbers. The reference itself looks the same in both numbered systems. Your instructor or journal decides which system applies, so check before you start.
CSE reference patterns with worked examples
Journal article, citation-sequence: Author AA, Author BB. Title of article. Journal. Year;volume(issue):pages. Example: Rivera JA, Chen ML. Seed dispersal in an example wetland. J Example Stud. 2021;12(3):45-67. The same source in name-year: Rivera JA, Chen ML. 2021. Seed dispersal in an example wetland. J Example Stud. 12(3):45-67. Book, name-year: Rivera JA. 2019. Field methods for example habitats. 2nd ed. Springfield (IL): Example Press. Book chapter, citation-sequence: Chen ML. Sampling small streams. In: Rivera JA, editor. Field methods for example habitats. Springfield (IL): Example Press; 2019. p. 45-67. A CSE reference uses no italics and no quotation marks, and titles are in sentence case.
How to use this CSE reference generator
Pick the source type and fill in what you have: authors, title, journal or publisher or website, the year, and details such as volume, issue, pages, city of publication, DOI, URL and access date. Only the title is required. The tool formats the details you enter. It does not look sources up, open links or search a database. Where the pattern needs something you did not give, it writes a bracketed placeholder such as [year] and explains it under Missing details. It keeps the journal name as typed, so enter the abbreviated title if you know it. For a medical course, the AMA Citation Generator uses a similar numbered pattern; for engineering, see the IEEE Citation Generator.
Common CSE citation mistakes
Adding italics or quotation marks out of habit from other styles. Capitalizing every word of an article title. Putting periods after initials or a comma between the surname and the initials. Mixing systems, for example numbered citations in the text with a name-year reference list. Leaving the year at the end of a name-year reference instead of right after the authors. Forgetting the access date for a web page. Writing dates as May 2, 2025 rather than in the CSE order of year, month, day: 2025 May 2.
Questions
How do I cite in text in CSE format?
In name-year, put the author's surname and the year in parentheses, such as (Rivera 2021). In citation-sequence and citation-name, use the source's number, as a superscript or in brackets, and reuse that number each time you cite the source.
How do I cite multiple authors in CSE style?
In a name-year in-text citation, two authors are joined with and, as in (Rivera and Chen 2021), and three or more become (Rivera et al. 2021). In the reference list, name up to ten authors; with more than ten, list the first ten followed by et al.
How do I cite a website in CSE?
Give the author or organization, the title of the page, the publisher, the date of publication, the date you accessed it in square brackets and the URL. In name-year the year moves up to follow the author.
Do I need a DOI in a CSE reference?
If the article has a DOI, add it at the end of the reference. For other online sources, give the URL and the date you accessed the page.
Which CSE system should I use?
Use the one your instructor, department or target journal asks for. If nothing is specified, choose one system and apply it to every citation in the paper.
Does the tool look up my source?
No. It formats what you type and flags what is missing. Check the result against the CSE manual or your instructor's guide.