Citation Style Guides: CSE

Two ways to cite with CSE.

1. Citation-Sequence.  This form is most commonly used with endnotes/ footnotes.  The first citation in the body of your paper is the first entry in your Cited References page.  Consequently, your paper may have endnote/ footnote 1, 2, 3, etc. throughout the paper.  The style sheets and formatting can be tricky, so many writers use the other style.

2. Name-Date or Harvard. This system is more condusive to in-text citations.  Also, your Cited References page will be alphabetical.  The main difference in formulating your References is the position of Date of publication.  In the Name-Date system, the date of publication follows the author(s) name. 

Parenthetical Citations (in-text) Sec. 29.2.1:

CSE prefers using endnotes.  However, it does accept parenthetical references.

As long as you have an accurate Works Cited page, you follow this format: (author date of publication). (Bloom 1970).

If there are two authors with the same surname, use last name first initial: (Bloom H 1970).

Do not use abbreviation (Sec. 29.2.1.2.6).  Instead, list as many words as necessary to identify the source in your Cited References page: (National Resources Council 1995). 

Double or single spacing?

Sec 30.1.4 indicates that CSE prefers double spacing throughout papers.  But tables, graphs, and references may be single-spaced in the final copies of publications. 

How many spaces after a period or punctuation mark?

Sec. 29.3.5 generally supports just one space after punctuation.  Most publishers require only one space due to standardization between word processors.  However, some professors expect students to use two spaces.  There is nothing wrong with it.

Foreign Languages?

CSE is one of the few citation styles that requires a translation of titles into the primary language of the reader(s) to follow in brackets before the period.  The last word of the citation should also identify the original language of the document.

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