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BIOL 331: Microbiology

Dr. Barton, Fall Semester 2017

Official CSE Style Manual

CSE Style Example - Book Chapter

Example of a Book Chapter by Same Authors in Year-Name Sequence:

Willey, JM, Sherwood, L, Woolverton, CJ, Prescott, LM. 2017. Prescott's microbiology. 10th ed. New York (NY): Mcgraw-Hill Education. Chapter 11, Catabolism: energy release and conservation; 227-250.

Writing Guides for Biological Sciences

Research Articles - Types and Access Points

Online Article in Repository

Article from Subscription Database

CSE Style

Is my article peer-reviewed (refereed)?

Tips for Formatting Your Paper

Please refer to the class assignment (i.e. address the questions and rubric) to guide you in writing your paper.  Some general suggestions for writing a paper in CSE style:

  • Use double-spacing throughout the entire paper.

  • Use 1 in. margins and a 12-point font.

  • Type the page number in the top right corner of the page.

  • On the first page, include your name, date, the name of the course, and title of the paper (centered).

Body of the paper:

  • [Recommended] CSE encourages the use of Headings (centered) to help readers follow the organization of a paper. For example, Introduction.
  • Strive to communicate information effectively (i.e. clear and concise).
  • Use the passive voice.
    Good example: “Water samples were collected at depths of 1 meter, 10 meters, and 30 meters."
    Bad example: "They collected water samples from three different depths of water. They went to depths of 1 meter, 10 meters, and 30 meters.”

  • When citing sources, paraphrase more often (i.e. avoid direct quotes).

References (some general tips):

  • Italicize scientific names and capitalize the first word.

  • List all authors in the order they appear on the publication if there are ten or fewer authors.  If there are more than eleven authors, list the first ten followed by et.al.

  • If there is not an individual author(s), provide the corporate author or name of the agency or organization who published the work. If the date is unknown, put date unknown in square brackets in the citation where the date should be: [date unknown]

  • Abbreviate journal titles (please consult "Sources for Obtaining Journal Title Abbreviations" box below).

  • Include the DOI, when available.

Review your paper carefully.  Try reading your paper aloud (it should not sound like a lab manual or a personal essay) and, if possible, ask your classmates to help proofread it before submitting it.  Visit the Writing Center (ground floor, Bierce Library).

Citing Articles in CSE Style