Biological Sciences

Check with your professor/advisor to find out which citation style is preferred for your research. Commonly-used styles include:

• APA
• MLA
• CSE/CBE

When citing your research:

• use a clear format;
• be consistent;
• provide enough information to allow others to identify and find the cited work.

Some databases can generate citations for users after they select a preferred citation style. If you are using one of these databases, be aware that they do not always produce correctly formatted citations. You will have to double-check the citations to make sure they are formatted properly.

Citation generators create citations using information extracted from webpages or provided by users. Citations generated automatically may not be perfectly formatted, so remember to check your work.

• ZoteroBib

  Automatically generates citations in over 9,000 styles, including specific journal citation styles

• Purdue OWL

  Purdue's Online Writing Lab provides a guide to using the APA, MLA, and Chicago citation styles. It includes examples of citations as well as sample papers.

• MLA Handbook, 8th ed.
  Reference LB2369 .G53 2016
  Official style manual of the Modern Language Association

• Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association, 7th ed.
  Reference BF76.7 .P83 2020
  Official manual for the APA citation style

• Scientific Style and Format: The CSE Manual for Authors, Editors, and Publishers, 8th ed.
  Reference T11 .S386 2014
  Style manual for the Council of Science Editors

Lots of references? Consider using a citation manager to help you keep track of sources and format your bibliography.

• Zotero
• Mendeley