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EESC 398 - Technical Communications

Course guide for use by EESC 398 students on the Okanagan campus.

Why do we Cite?

Citations, otherwise known as references, are a means of giving credit to the authors and/or organizations that you paraphrase or make reference to in your writing. This helps to provide transparency for your reader so that they know where you got your ideas from and to ensure that you are complying with academic integrity. 

Any time you use someone else's words or ideas, you must cite them. 

The most common elements used in citations are:

  • Who: who is the author(s) or creator(s)
  • What: what is the name of the source
  • Where: where was the source published
  • When: when was the source published

Council of Science Editors Resources

The Council of Science Editors offers a scientific style and format that is widely used across different disciplines in the sciences by authors, editors and publishers. 

A new 9th edition of the citation style was released in 2024, but many instructors still ask you to use the 8th edition. Always verify with your instructor which edition you are using for your assignments. 

The following are resources that can be consulted for additional citation and style examples:

  1. CSE Citation Style Guide from Thompson Rivers University Library (8th Edition)
    • Quick Guide with citation examples. This will walk you through all of the in's and out's of the format. 
  2. CSE Citation Style from Dalhousie University Library (8th Edition)
  3. The CSE-Style Citation Quick Guide from the Council of Science Editors (9th Edition)

Standard Journal Abbreviations

CSE uses standardized journal abbreviations in their citations. If you only have the full name of the journal the article was published in, use one of the following to locate the standardized abbreviation. 

Journal Article Example Citations

Online Journal Articles

Citations for online journal articles include the following elements (8th Edition):

Author(s). Date of publication. Article title. Journal Title. Volume (Issue): Page Numbers. URL or DOI.

NOTE: Only use a general URL if a DOI is not available. Always format the DOI with https://doi.org/... in front. 

Reference List Example - 1 Author:

Dearden, P. 1985. Technological hazards and 'upstream' hazard management strategies: the use of the herbicide 2,4-D to control Eurasian water milfoil in the Okanagan Valley, British Columbia, Canada. Appl Geogr. 5(3): 229-242. https://doi.org/10.1016/0143-6228(85)90024-4.

In-Text Citation Example - 1 Author:

(Dearden 1985)

Reference List Example - 2 Authors:

Haxton TJ, Findlay, CS. 2008. Meta-analysis of the impacts of water management on aquatic communities. Can J Fish Aquat Sci. 65(3): 437-447. https:/doi.org/10.1139/F07-175.

In-Text Citation Example - 2 Authors:

(Haxton and Findlay 2008)

Reference List Example - 3+ Authors:

Hannam KD, Midwood AJ, Neilsen D, Forge TA, Jones MD. 2019. Bicarbonates dissolved in irrigation water contribute to soil CO2 efflux. Geoderma. 337: 1097-1104. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.geoderma.2018.10.040.

In-Text Citation Example - 3+ Authors:

(Hannam et al. 2019)

NOTE: Sometimes journal articles only have a volume with no issue number. Place a : immediately after the volume number and move directly into the listing the page numbers.