The CSE Manual includes precise instructions on how to set up a professional manuscript for publication. It does NOT provide guidance on how to format a paper for college assignments. You should consult your instructor for directions on how your paper should be organized and formatted. For more style or citation details, use the official CSE Manual.
The Citation-Sequence and Citation-Name formats are identical EXCEPT for how they number and list the citations in the End References.
While CSE does not provide guidance on formatting, here are some general guidelines to help you structure your paper. But be sure to check with your instructor to see if they have more specific requirements.
Assignments should be on regular-sized white paper with all margins set to 1-inch and paragraphs set to double-spaced. Footnotes and Endnotes can also be double spaced. Font type and size are not dictated, but should be legible and consistent throughout the paper.
Some recommended styles and sizes include: 12-point Times New Roman, 11-point Calibri, and 11-point Aptos.
In Google Docs: File → Page setup to check that all margins are set at 1". Format → Line & paragraph spacing to select Double Spaced for the document and set Before and After spacing to zero. Font and font size can be changed in the ribbon menu at the top of the screen.
In Microsoft Word: Layout → Margins → Normal to ensure all margins are set at 1". Paragraph → Spacing → Line spacing dropdown menu, choose Double and set Before and After spacing to zero. Font and font size can be changed in the ribbon menu at the top of the screen.
Important! Check with your instructor if they require a running head for your paper. A running head is a shortened version of your paper title or your name printed at the top of every page in the paper EXCEPT on the Title Page.
If they do NOT, then you only need the page number added to the right side of the header starting with the first page AFTER the Title Page. Your word-processing program will then number each subsequent page.
If they require a running head, it should be flush right in the Header with the page number.
If your instructor requires a Title Page for your paper, it should contain the following elements:
The Title of Your Paper Should Come First: And a Subtitle if You Have One
Your Name
Course Code/Number: Course Name
Instructors Name
Date
Paragraphs should be aligned to the left, the right side left uneven (not justified), and the first line of each new paragraph indented by 0.5". Your word-processing program will automatically move words to the next line - do not manually break up or hyphenate a word at the end of a line.
Once you ensure that the paper is left aligned, you can use the tab key to indent at the start of each new paragraph. Or, you can set up your word processing program to automatically indent at the start of each new paragraph when you hit enter.
The basic components of most research papers include the following:
If you are using these section headings, they should be Centered on the page. You may also want to bold it, but check with your instructor for further guidance on formatting for headings and subheadings.
Begin listing your references at the end of your paper on a new page with the heading "References," "Cited References," "Literature Cited," or "Bibliography."
References are listed in the order in which they appear in your paper. If the source is used again elsewhere in the paper, the same number should be inserted as the superscript citation for that source.
Use a hanging indent on citations in your references page that are more than one line. The first line is flush to the left. Second and subsequent lines are indented (tab once).
The reference list should be spaced the same as the rest of the manuscript (often double-spaced - check with your instructor). Do not use extra lines to separate individual references. The hanging indent will indicate where one reference ends and another begins.
Begin listing your references at the end of your paper on a new page with the heading "References," "Cited References," "Literature Cited," or "Bibliography."
References are numbered and listed according to the author's last name in alphabetical order. If the source is used again elsewhere in the paper, the same number should be inserted as the superscript citation for that source.
Use a hanging indent on citations in your references page that are more than one line. The first line is flush to the left. Second and subsequent lines are indented (tab once).
The reference list should be spaced the same as the rest of the manuscript (often double-spaced - check with your instructor). Do not use extra lines to separate individual references. The hanging indent will indicate where one reference ends and another begins.
Citing or documenting the sources used in your research serves three purposes:
Whenever you paraphrase* or directly quote* something in your paper that comes from an information source found in print, online, or through a personal communication, you need to cite that source at its point of use in your paper.
Citation-Sequence and Citation-Name both use a superscript* number placed where the cited material is included. The superscript number corresponds to a complete bibliographic record about the source at the end of your paper in a References List.
Whether you paraphrase or directly quote a source, superscript citations should be inserted as close as reasonably possible to the information being quoted or paraphrased so that there is no ambiguity as to what information is being cited. When placing it at the end of a sentence, it should be placed after any type of punctuation mark.
This section goes over how to format your in-text citations.
It is important to add these in-text citations AS YOU WRITE YOUR PAPER so you do not accidentally plagiarize material by forgetting to do it later.
Superscript citations should be inserted as close as reasonably possible to the information being quoted or paraphrased so that there is no ambiguity as to what information is being cited. This means sometimes your in-text citation will come at the end of a sentence, or it may come at the end of quotations.
Mougios found that CK levels were "statistically higher in athletes that played basketball over soccer players"1 as well as other running sports.
Cancer is best treated through a combination of drugs that often must be administered in a certain order.2
* If citation numbers are not in a continuous sequence, separate them with commas. If the numbers are consecutive, use an en dash to connect the first and last number of each continuous sequence.
The research indicated that higher doses did not influence efficacy.2,4,7-10,15
For large quotes, do not use quotation marks. Instead, start a block quotation on the next line and indent the entire block by .5 inch from the left. Do not further indent the first paragraph - keep it flush left - but if there are subsequent paragraphs in the original text, indent to show the distinction. Check with your instructor to see if they prefer the block double or single spaced. You can choose whether to use a narrative or parenthetical quotation and adjust the citation elements as needed. A sentence should introduce the block quotation and should end with a colon. As superscript citation number connected to the correct source should be placed AFTER the closing punctuation of the excerpt.
You may come across resources that are missing important pieces of information that would normally go into creating your citation and reference. Here are some things you can do to still correctly cite those items.
No Author?
Skip the author and put the title in as the start of the reference.
No Date?
If no date of publication or copyright year is provided, you can use [date unknown] in the end reference.
No Publisher?
If a publisher is not listed, you can use [publisher unknown]. Thoroughly check the material to make sure you didn't miss it in the front or back material.
References that correspond to your in-text citations allow others to find the sources you used to write your paper. It is how they are able to check that your information is accurate. The four main reference elements in order are: Author, Date, Title, and Source. Formatting will depend on the type of information material you are using.
Professional Hint - gather all the information you need for a reference when you first access the source, even if later on you don't use it. It is much harder to go back and find citation information when you are trying to wrap up your paper than it is to store the information now and format it later. Consider using a citation manager (i.e. EndNote, Zotero) to help you keep all that information safely stored.
The next tab contains samples of sources you might use when researching and writing your papers. We've identified for you where to find, in each example, the information elements you need to create your citations and references. The other tabs also include examples of references for these types of sources. Additionally, check out this handy CSE-Style Citation Quick Guide, which contains a wide selection of reference source types and how to properly formulate their citations in both your citations and the References Page. As always, contact a librarian for more detailed help with formatting citations.
With the vast variety of online sources available to you, it can be confusing to know how to identify the information elements you need to cite them. To help you out, we've assembled a few examples of articles, eBooks and websites, with arrows drawn in, to show you where you can find the main reference citation elements of Author, Date, Title, and Source.
Author(s). Title. Edition. Publisher; year of publication.
De Chesnay M, Anderson BA. Caring for the vulnerable: perspectives in nursing theory, practice, and research. 3rd ed. Jones & Bartlett Learning; 2012.
Guidelines to keep in mind:
Book Read Electronically
Author(s). Title of book. Edition. Publisher; Date. DOI/URL
Winters CA. Rural nursing: concepts, theory, and practice. 4th ed. Springer Publishing; 2013. https://ebookcentral.proquest.com/lib/saintanselm-ebooks/detail.action?docID=1153136
Multiple Editors
Editors, notes.Title of book. Edition. Publisher; Date. URL/DOI if one
Hancock JM, Zvelebil MJ, editors. Concise encyclopedia of bioinformatics and computational biology. Wiley Blackwell; 2014.
Author(s). Title of book. Edition. Publisher; Date. Name of the part and any numeration, Title of part; extent. Notes. URL/DOI if online
Wagner JH. Hernias: types, symptoms and treatment. Nova Science Publishers; 2011. Chapter 5, Hiatal hernias: classification, pathophysiology and treatment; p 91-110. (Public health in the 21st century series).
Author(s) of contribution. Name of the part and any numeration, Title of contribution. In: Author(s) or Editor(s) of book. Date of publication. Title of book. Edition. Publisher. Extent. Notes. URL/DOI if online
Lussier K, Smith K, William R. Chapter 25, Nutrition for the cancer patient. In: Steen RG, Mirro J, editors. Childhood cancer: handbook from St. Jude Children's Research Hospital with contributions from St. Jude clinicians and scientists. Perseus Publishing; 2000. p 243-254.
Author(s). Article title. Journal title. Date;volume(issue):location. URL/DOI if online
Voss SR, Woodcock MR, Zambrano L. A tale of two axolotls. Bioscience. 2015;65(12):1134-1140.
Guidelines to keep in mind:
The second and subsequent lines are indented, or "hanging" indentation. Do not break URLs or DOIs to make them fit neatly on the page with hanging indentation.
Hussain I et al. Cardiovascular effects of long-duration space flight. Health Sci Rep. 2024;7(8):1-9. https://doi.org/10.1002/hsr2.2305
Tays GD et al. The effects of long duration spaceflight on sensorimotor control and cognition. Front Neural Circuits. 2021;15. https://doi.org/10.3389/fncir.2021.723504
Here are some sites to help you find the correct abbreviations for journal titles, or to find the title for an abbreviated title:
Author. Date. Title of article. Publisher; [date updated - if available]. URL
Guidelines to keep in mind:
If the author of a website or webpage is not immediately evident, check the "about us" or acknowledgement sections of the website. If you are still unable to locate an author, cite under the title of the article or other component. For the in-text reference, include only the first word or two of the title (enough to distinguish it from other titles in the reference list), followed by an ellipsis.
If a publication date can not be found, use “date unknown” and include an access date.
Webpage on a website with individual author
Tang A. 2025. In South America, bird migration is slow and steady. CornellLab, Living Bird. https://www.allaboutbirds.org/news/in-south-america-bird-migration-is-slow-and-steady/
Webpage on a website with group author, no date
Center for Agriculture, Food and the Environment in the College of Natural Sciences at UMass Amherst. [date unknown]. Stressors: changes in winter. Massachusetts Wildlife, Climate Action Tool. [accessed 2025 Oct 5]. https://climateactiontool.org/content/changes-winter/index.html
Webpage no author
Bird ID skills: how to learn bird songs and calls. 2009 Apr. CornellLab, All About Birds; [updated 2024 May]. https://www.allaboutbirds.org/news/how-to-learn-bird-songs-and-calls/
Before using A.I. tools and materials to assist you with your assignments, check with your instructor to be sure they allow the use of such tools.
Just like other sources of information, the use of A.I. created material needs to be acknowledged and cited within your work. If you quote or paraphrase the result of an A.I. tool query such as ChatGPT, you need to include a citation.
The CSE style of citing recommends the use of DOIs (Digital Object Identifiers) as the preferred URL for any online sources noted in your end references.
Many databases will provide the DOI for you along with the rest of an article's citation information (title, author, etc.). This is most often located on the first page of the article or in the eBook description.
However, if you cannot find a DOI for your article or book, or if you have a DOI, but don't know what article or book it is for, use the following online DOI Resolver: www.crossref.org. Use the "Search Metadata" box to look up the title of the book/article, or the unidentified DOI. If you are unable to determine the DOI of a work online, you may provide the URL address of the website at the end of the citation. "Retrieved/Accessed from" is no longer used. If the work without a DOI is from an academic database, do not include the URL. Instead leave the reference as you would for the print version.
While DOIs were first introduced in about 2000, they did not become commonly used for another 8-10 years. Therefore, most articles published before 2010 will not have DOIs assigned to them. However, some publishers are starting to assign DOIs to older articles. You should check CrossRef.org to ensure you have the most accurate information.
Citation generators are found in all sorts of places these days. There are "stand alone" options that your instructor may recommend such as EasyBib, BibMe, Owl, or even ChatGPT. Some of these require a subscription to work.
You can also find citation generators in databases such as in EBSCO, ProQuest, and JSTOR.
They are all AI powered programs that are meant to pull the reference elements out of an online source (or you have to enter the information) and then produce a reference that is formatted according to the citation style you select (APA, MLA, Chicago, etc.).
However, these programs notoriously get it WRONG!
They cannot always manipulate formatting such as altering titles that are created with all caps, or changing between Title and Sentence format for article titles and Journal names. Some are using outdated rules from previous style editions.
Notice in the ProQuest example above that the generator included all seven authors, even though Chicago 18th edition now only allows up to six. If there are more than six, then only the first three authors are included followed by "et al."
You can use a citation generator to gather the reference elements for you, but you MUST go back and check that the formatting and order are correct. That's why we have created this Guide to help you ensure your citation formatting is correct.
A useful alternative to citation generators are Citation Managers. These are more robust programs that allow you to import or input the reference information elements for each of your sources. It can then be used in conjunction with your word-processing program to correctly insert in-text citations, footnotes, and create a bibliography page with correctly formatted references at the end of your paper. It is important to always check imported information to ensure it was correctly entered (i.e. not in all caps, or in title case) so that the program can correctly format the citations for you later. Citation Managers do not fix spelling errors and typos!
At Saint Anselm, we have access to both Zotero and EndNote. The staff at the IT Help Desk can load EndNote onto your computer. Zotero is open source software that you can download freely from Zotero.org. Use our Zotero and EndNote guides for more information.