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SCI 1001: Writing and Research in the Sciences

This guide is here to help you with your research. Don't forget to reach out to a librarian at any time you need help!

About CSE Citation

Generally used by students in Biology, the CSE style, or Council of Science Editors, uses numeric references within the text that correspond to your reference list at the end of the paper.  CSE style has three different citation formats (Name-Year, Citation-Sequence, and Citation-name).  It it is up to you to ask your professor which format they prefer as there are subtle but important differences. 

For more information visit the CSE quick guide below or the University of Wisconsin-Madison's Writing Center guide. 

CSE Citation Style

The CSE Name-Year style is sometimes referred to as Harvard style (not to be confused with Harvard Law Style).  When using this style, in-text references include the last name of the author or authors and the document's publication date. 

One Author: 

What a wonderful time to learn about citation styles! (Simms 2018).

Two Authors:

Citation helps us to be better researchers and share information (Simms and Johnson 2017). 

The end references are unnumbered and appear in alphabetical order by the author's last name.  Multiple works by the same author should be listed chronologically.  

Below is a video explaining Harvard style (aka CSE Name-Year style).  To access this video you will be prompted to log in to your myLSU account

In Text Refereces

In-text Reference are literally in-text, or in your sentence.  They are shortened citations that show which source(s) supports the claims and information in the sentence.  

Where to cite: You want to cite the source or sources used near the information it supports.  This could mean you will cite sources in the middle of a sentence! You might cite a source at the end of a sentence too - a lot of times you might have long sentences because of this citation style.  Don't use the author's name in the in-text citation again if you have already name them in the sentence.  

End References

Title your end reference page "References" or "Cited References"  - this is a formal listing and helps to easily identify each numbered source used in your paper.  If other sources were used for your research but not directly cited in your paper, these should be listed alphabetically by author under "Additional References." 

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