Verified metadata from Crossref & OpenLibrary — we never fabricate sources.
Not sure what to paste? See how to cite a website, book, or journal article.
Example · CSE (9th edn)
1. Tian J, Wang Y, Chen Z. An improved single particle model for lithium-ion batteries based on main stress factor compensation. Journal of Cleaner Production. 2021;278:123456. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jclepro.2020.123456
In-text: [1]
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How CSE citations work
CSE style comes from the Council of Science Editors' Scientific Style and Format and is used in biology and the life sciences. The current version is the 9th edition.
- CSE has three systems: citation-sequence (numbered in order of first citation), citation-name (numbered by the alphabetical order of the list), and name-year (author and year in the text). MakeCitation supports citation-sequence and name-year.
- Authors are written as surname plus initials with no full stops: Tian J, Wang Y, Chen Z.
- Titles are neither italic nor in quotation marks, and journal names are often abbreviated.
- Entries end with the DOI or URL when the source has one.
Instant DOI to Citation
Don't waste time typing. Just paste the DOI, ISBN, or URL, and our system will fetch the exact metadata to build a flawless reference.
In-Text Citation Generator
Every reference you create comes with a perfectly formatted in-text citation, ready to be copied and pasted directly into your academic paper.
Batch Citation Style Converter
Have a messy list of sources? Paste your entire bibliography and let our AI automatically correct punctuation, italicize journal names, and format your references in seconds. Every entry is checked against Crossref, and anything we can't confirm is clearly flagged, not silently guessed.
Frequently asked questions
Still stuck? See how to cite a website, a book, or a journal article, or write to support@makecitation.org.
Which CSE system should I use?
Whichever your journal or instructor specifies. Citation-sequence is common in journals; name-year reads more like APA and suits papers with many sources.
Is CSE the same as Vancouver?
CSE citation-sequence and Vancouver look very similar: both number sources in order and write authors as Tian J. They differ in small details, such as where the date goes and how URLs are given.
Can I generate a citation directly from a DOI or ISBN?
Yes. Paste a DOI or ISBN and MakeCitation fetches the metadata automatically from Crossref and OpenLibrary, so you don't have to type out authors, titles, or publication details by hand.
Does this tool make up sources like some AI chatbots do?
No. For single-source lookups, every detail comes from verified academic databases, never from the AI's memory. The AI only handles formatting — it never invents authors, dates, or DOIs.
Can I convert a whole reference list to a different citation style?
Yes. Paste your existing list into the batch tool, choose a new style, and MakeCitation normalizes every entry — punctuation, italics, and order — to match it.
Can I remove duplicate references and sort my bibliography alphabetically?
Yes. Batch formatting can remove duplicate entries and sort your list alphabetically by author with one click, for the styles where alphabetical order applies.
Can I export my citations to Word with correct formatting?
Premium accounts can download a .docx file with hanging indents and italics already applied, ready to drop into your paper.
Is there a citation generator for legal (OSCOLA) or medical (Vancouver, CSE) sources?
Yes. Alongside APA, MLA, Chicago, and IEEE, MakeCitation supports Harvard, Vancouver, OSCOLA, ASA, Turabian, and CSE — covering law, medicine, and the social sciences.
What happens if a source's metadata is missing or incomplete?
MakeCitation only fills in details it can verify from Crossref or OpenLibrary. If a field like the publication date is missing from the source itself, we won't guess — you'll be prompted to add it manually, so your citation stays accurate.