Free CSE Citation Generator

What is CSE Format?

The Council of Science Editors (CSE) citation style is the standard reference format across the life sciences and physical sciences, including biology, chemistry, and medicine. The 8th edition of Scientific Style and Format, published in 2014, defines three documentation systems: name-year, citation-sequence, and citation-name. This generator produces references in the name-year system, in which an author and year appear in the text and the end references are arranged alphabetically.

CSE is prized for its compact, consistent formatting. Author initials carry no periods, article titles use sentence case, and volume, issue, and page numbers are packed together in a tight pattern. If your instructor or journal requires the citation-sequence or citation-name system instead, the reference formatting is nearly identical; only the in-text markers and the ordering of the reference list change.

CSE In-Text Citation Basics

The name-year system uses the author surname and the year of publication inside parentheses. Unlike APA, there is no comma between the name and the year.

Basic Format:

(Author Year)

Examples:

• One author: (Smith 2024)
• Two authors: (Smith and Jones 2024)
• Three+ authors: (Smith et al. 2024)

When two or more works by the same author share a year, add lowercase letters to the year (2024a, 2024b) to tell them apart, and match those letters in the end reference list.

CSE Reference List Formatting

In the name-year system, the end references sit on a separate list, ordered alphabetically by the first author surname. Each entry is compact and follows a strict punctuation pattern.

Key Formatting Rules:

• Invert every author name and write initials with no periods or spaces (Smith JD, Jones AB)
• List up to 10 authors; for 11 or more, give the first 10 followed by et al.
• Use sentence case for article and chapter titles
• Journal names may be abbreviated per standard science abbreviations
• Pack the locator as Volume(Issue):Pages with no spaces (44(3):211-220)
• Give the year right after the author, before the title

Common Source Examples:

Common CSE Mistakes to Avoid

The name-year system rewards precision. Here are the errors that trip up most writers:

Source-Specific Citation Guides

Need detailed guidance on a specific source type? Our CSE guides walk through each format with real examples: