Cse
Cse
CSE PERMITS THREE DISTINCT SYSTEMS FOR IN-TEXT CITATIONS: the name-year system,
the citation-sequence system, and the citation-name system. In classes, students should check
to see which system the instructor prefers. For publication, writers should preview the journal to
which they are submitting. No matter what system a writer uses, all CSE-style texts require a
references list and in-text citations. Below is a table summarizing key differences among the
three CSE systems.
In the name-year system, authors are identified by name (either in the main text or in
parentheses), and the date of the study is given. When multiple references are listed in one
parenthetical citation, they are arranged chronologically starting with the earliest date.
In the thorough study by Browne, it was determined that this method was not
feasible (2001).
Future studies confirmed this finding (Wagner 2002; Williams and Hunt 2003).
In the citation-sequence system, each in-text citation is followed by a superscript number
based on where the source first appears in the text. For example, if the first reference in a
citation-sequence system paper were to an article by Browne, the reference would be labeled this
way:
In the thorough study by Browne1, it was determined that this method was not
feasible.
Thereafter, each time the Browne article was cited, it would be labeled with a superscript 1.
Subsequent sources would be labeled 2, 3, 4, etc.
In the citation-name system, each in-text citation is followed by a superscript number based
on where the source appears in the alphabetical references list. For example, in a citation-
name system paper relying on sources by Vang, by Browne, and by Abdi, those three sources
would be arranged in the reference list alphabetically by authors last name, and each source would
have its own corresponding number assigned in that list: 1. Abdi; 2. Browne; 3. Vang.
Even if the first reference in that paper were to an article by Browne, the in-text citation would be
labeled with a superscript 2 because Browne is the second entry in the alphabetical reference list:
In the thorough study by Browne2, it was determined that this method was not
feasible.
Thereafter, each time the Browne article was cited, it would be labeled with a superscript 2. Other
sources would always be labeled according to their order in the references list (i.e., Abdi1, Vang3).
OTHER FEATURES OF THE REFERENCES PAGE ARE UNIFORM ACROSS ALL THREE
CITATION SYSTEMS. Here are a few common features to note; consult the resources below
for a comprehensive list.
Author names are listed as last name and first initial (no comma after last name).
Book and journal titles are not underlined or italicized; article titles are not placed in quotation
marks.
In book and article entries, only the first word of the title (and any proper noun) is capitalized;
for journal entries, capitalize all words of the journal title.
In book entries, the number of pages in the book is listed in brackets.
In web entries, the number or approximate number of pages, screens, paragraphs, lines, or
bytes is listed in brackets.
Scientific style and format: the CSE manual for authors, editors, and publishers. 7th ed.
Reston (VA): Rockefeller University Press; 2006.