CBE document formats

Nuts and Bolts presents here a concise guide to CBE style. The full CBE format is available in a book, Scientific Style and Format: The CBE Manual for Authors, Editors, and Publishers, 6th ed. （New York: Cambridge University Press, 1994）, $45. The book covers every major scientific discipline from astronomy to zoology. It may be ordered directly from the CSE （http://www.councilscienceeditors.org/pubs_catalog.php3）.

　　Paper and binding

　　Use sturdy white, unlined 8.5" by 11" paper. Essays should be stapled or paper-clipped in the upper left corner. Don't use binders or plastic covers unless your teacher wants them, nor should you hold your paper together by folding or tearing pages.

　　Margins, line spacing, and paragraphs

　　Except for page numbers （see below）, use margins of one inch on all sides. The essay or report should be double-spaced throughout （including quotations, notes, and list of references）. You may mark new paragraphs either by indenting the first line of each new paragraph a half-inch on the left （or five spaces if you use a typewriter）, or by putting a blank line between paragraphs. Set-off quotations are indented one inch on the left.

　　Printing and fonts

　　Type or print; don't turn in handwritten formal work. Print on only one side of the page, in black ink. Use a plain serif or sans-serif font—no cursive fonts, for instance. Good serif choices are Times Roman and Palatino; good non-serif choices are Arial and Helvetica.

　　Use italics for emphasis if your printer can handle it; otherwise use underlining.

　　Page numbers

　　Starting with the first page, put page numbers a half-inch from the top edge of the paper, flush with the right margin. Type your last name before the page number （Harvey 1）, in case the page comes loose. Word processors automate this process, so make sure you know how to use the pagination command.

　　Title

　　Place a centered title at the top of the first page of the essay, centered right below the top margin. separated from the heading by a blank line. If the title extends to a second line, double space between the lines and again to the first line of the essay （with no blank line）. Don't italicize or underline the title （though if you use a book title in your paper's title, you should italicize or underline it）

　　Make sure your essay has a meaningful title that is more than a bare-bones identifier （not Essay #1 or Essay on Biology）. It should signal to the reader what your essay is about.

　　Heading

　　Flush with the left margin and below the title place （and preceded by a blank line） place your name, your professor's name, the course name or number （including section number if the course has multiple sections）, and the date you're turning in the paper, each on a separate line with double-spacing throughout.

　　References

　　Begin the references immediately at the end of the paper, with the header References in bold, flush left, and preceded by a blank line.