Updated 2026

Free CSE Citation Generator

Create CSE references for biology, environmental science, and technical writing with real lookup and manual correction.

BiologyEcologyEnvironmental ScienceZoologyBotany
Try real examples

How it works

How this CSE generator works

This page uses the CSE author-date variant and keeps the metadata editable for course-specific requirements.

CSE is used in life sciences, biology, ecology, and many science writing courses.

  1. 1Paste a DOI, ISBN, URL, or source title.
  2. 2Review the metadata source label and any missing field warnings.
  3. 3Edit source fields if the free lookup missed something.
  4. 4Copy the full citation or in-text citation.

Citation rules

In-text citations

CSE author-date uses (Author Year) in text. The citation-sequence variant uses superscript numbers.

Reference list

Reference list format

References are ordered alphabetically by author (author-date) or by citation order (citation-sequence), depending on the system used.

CSE review sheet

CSE checks for science writing

CSE has more than one system, so the first check is whether your course expects author-date or citation-sequence.

Before you copy

  1. Confirm whether your instructor wants author-date or citation-sequence.

  2. Keep scientific names and subtitles exactly as the source presents them.

  3. Review article title, journal title, year, volume, issue, and pages.

Source examples to review

Match the source type, then check the fields that usually cause mistakes.

  • Biology article

    Cite a DOI

    Check
    Author-date output, journal details, DOI

  • Dataset

    Enter source details manually

    Check
    Creator, title, repository, access date

  • Website

    Cite an ecology resource

    Check
    Organization author, date, URL

Style notes

Quick CSE rules

  • CSE has multiple systems. This generator uses the author-date variant for readable in-text citations.
  • Keep scientific names, subtitles, and journal title fields accurate.
  • Use DOI metadata when possible for journal articles.
  • If your instructor requires citation-sequence CSE, confirm the final punctuation before submitting.

Avoid errors

Common CSE mistakes

1

Confusing author-date with citation-sequence system

2

Not italicizing scientific names in titles

3

Missing access dates for online resources

Learn more

Official CSE style guide

This generator applies CSE Manual 9th Edition rules. For full formatting requirements and examples, consult the official style manual.

Visit official guide

Why trust this

Data sources

The CSE citation output is built from real metadata sources, not invented data. Each result labels where the information came from:

CrossRefGoogle BooksNLM databaseURL metadataManual entry

Questions

Frequently asked questions

Which CSE system does this page use?

It uses a CSE author-date style, which is common for science writing. Some courses may require a numeric CSE variant.

Can I cite biology journal articles?

Yes. DOI and title searches use CrossRef, and the result can be edited before copying.

Does CSE support websites and videos?

Yes. URL metadata extraction is used for web pages, and video entries can be completed manually when metadata is thin.

Why do I see a missing field warning?

The source may not expose all fields through a free metadata API. Add the missing information manually before use.

More formats

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