A Quick Guide to Citation Styles in CSE Referencing

If you edit a lot of scientific writing, you’ll likely encounter CSE referencing at some point. But this system can be confusing, as it actually permits three citation styles. In this guide, then, we’ll set out the basics of CSE referencing, including what to look out for as a proofreader.

What Is CSE Referencing?

The CSE is the Council of Science Editors, an international membership organization for individuals and institutions involved in scientific publishing. 

CSE referencing is the citation style set out in The CSE Manual: Scientific Style and Format for Authors, Editors, and Publishers. As of 2024, the manual is on its 9th edition.

Unlike most referencing systems, which follow a single style, CSE presents three different styles for citing sources within the text of journal articles, books, and other scientific publications: 

• Citation–Sequence: In this style, authors use superscript numbers to indicate sources in the text. The sources are then listed in a bibliography in the order they’re first cited.
• Citation–Name: As above, but sources are ordered alphabetically by author surname.
• Name–Year: This style uses parenthetical author–date citations and a reference list.

Comprehensive details of each citation style are available in the full style guide. If you don’t have access to the full guide, you can still find the key rules in the CFE’s free Citation Quick Guide.

Quick Reference: The 3 CSE Citation Styles

Below is a quick comparison of the three citation styles to help you distinguish between them:

The Citation–Sequence and Citation–Name Systems

In CSE’s citation–sequence and citation–name systems:

• Sources are cited with superscript numbers, where each number corresponds to an entry in the bibliography.
• If a source is cited more than once, the same number is used each time.

Here, for instance, the “1” shows us that the author is citing the first source in the bibliography:

To begin, let us acknowledge that writers prefer a clear referencing system.¹

Note that, in both of these systems, if the cited material is immediately followed by a comma or terminal punctuation, the superscript number should be placed after the punctuation; if a colon, semicolon, or dash is used, the number should be placed before it:

To begin, let us acknowledge that writers prefer a clear referencing system¹; this is especially important in technical and scientific texts.

The difference between the two systems lies in how sources are ordered in the bibliography.

Citation–Sequence

In the citation–sequence style, sources are numbered in the order they’re first cited. This means that the first source in a document will be “1,” the second will be “2,” the third “3,” etc. And this is also the order that sources are listed in the bibliography at the end of the document. For example: 

In-text citation

Scientific writing depends on accurate referencing,¹ and consistency in formatting is just as important.²

References

1. Smith JA. The essentials of scientific referencing. 2nd ed. Research Press; 2018.

2. Chen L, Patel R. Formatting styles in scientific publishing. Academic Ink; 2020.

Citation–Name

In the citation–name style, sources are listed alphabetically in the bibliography by author surname. For instance, an article by someone called Aaron Aaronson would be source “1” in most bibliographies, while Zachary Zziwa is likely to be the last entry in most lists. The citation numbers in the text are then determined by the position of each source within the bibliography.

The order in which sources appear in the text does not matter with this system. So, if Zachary Zziwa is 48th in the bibliography but the first source cited, “48” will be the number given in the first citation. Here is an example:

In-text citation

To begin, let us acknowledge that writers prefer a clear referencing system,⁴⁸ supported by consistent formatting practices.¹⁵

References: 

15. Chen L, Patel R. Formatting styles in scientific publishing. Academic Ink; 2020.

48. Zziwa Z. The future of citation practices in scientific writing. Precision Scholars; 2022.

The Name–Year System

In the name–year version of CSE referencing, sources are cited parenthetically, giving the surname(s) of the author(s) and the year of publication. For instance:

Referencing is vital for scientific writing (Smith 2001).

Referencing is vital for scientific writing (Smith and Harris 2001).

Where a source has three or more authors, “et al” should be used after the first author’s surname and before the year:

Referencing is vital for scientific writing (Smith et al 2001).

Quoting Sources in CSE

The CSE does not offer advice on pinpoint citations for any of the systems set out above. Typically, though, style sheets based on this system recommend:

• Citation–sequence/citation–name systems: omitting pinpoint citations or adding page numbers in brackets after quotes
• Citation–name system: adding page numbers after the date and a comma (e.g., Smith 2001, p. 12).

When proofreading a text, your main concerns will be ensuring consistency and making sure the document follows any citation instructions given to you.

Reference Formats in CSE Referencing

The reference formats for sources in CSE referencing are similar regardless of which system is used. The only difference is the position of the year.

In the citation–sequence and citation–name systems, the format for a book is:

Surname(s) Initial(s). Title. Edition. Publisher; year of publication.

But in the name–year version of CSE referencing, the basic format is:

Surname(s) Initial(s). Year of publication. Title. Edition. Publisher.

The emphasis here is on the year, which is listed right after the author’s name – making it easy for readers to identify the timeline of research. 

It’s important, then, to make sure that the reference format used matches the chosen citation style. For more reference formats, take a look at the CSE referencing section of California State University Dominguez Hills’ website. 

Becoming A Proofreader

Academic proofreading is a great source of work for many proofreaders. If you’d like to learn more about proofreading academic writing, why not try our Becoming A Proofreader course? 

We cover the specific rules for proofreading academic documents that all proofreaders need to be aware of, as well as the major referencing styles you’re likely to encounter. Sign up for some free lessons today!

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A Brief Guide to Vancouver Referencing Citing Chapters of Edited Books in Harvard and APA Citing Edited Books in MLA and IEEE Citing Edited Books in Chicago Style