Everett Library: Biology: Citation Style Guide

Citations in Biology

Publishers in the field of biology (and related fields) often require using the Council of Science Editors (CSE) citation format for papers. This organization used to be known as the Council of Biology Editors (CBE).

For a complete reference to this citation style, please ask for one of the following books that are available in Course Reserves at the Everett Library (at the front desk):

A Short Guide to Writing about Biology by Jan Pechenik
ISBN: 9780321984258
Publication Date: 2015-01-07
Written by a prominent biologist, this book guides students in both writing and proper citation in the field of biology.
Scientific Style and Format by Council of Science Editors (Contribution by)
ISBN: 9780977966509
Publication Date: 2006-04-01
Published by the Council of Science Editors, this book describes proper formatting and citations for works in many science fields, including biology, earth sciences, and zoology.

CSE Citation Video Tutorial from Laurier University Library

Biology Citation Generators

There are many free and paid programs that will save documents and generate in-text citations and bibliographies for you. We have listed two of the most popular ones below.

You should always double-check any citations generated for you to ensure they are correct.

Mendeley
Mendeley is a free reference manager that will save documents and generate in-text citations and bibliographies for you. You will need to add CSE as a style by searching for "Council of Science Editors" from Mendeley Cite in your document.
Zotero
Mendeley is a free reference manager that will save documents and generate in-text citations and bibliographies for you. You will need to add CSE as a style by searching for "CSE" in Zotero preferences.