Scientific Style and Format - 8th Edition

The CSE Manual for Authors, Editors, and Publishers

Chapter-Specific Changes

Chapter

Major Changes

Chapter 1:
Elements of a Scientific Publication 

Section 1.2.1: information added about abstracts and abstracting and indexing databases 

Chapter 2:
Publication Policies and Practices

Section 2.2: new details provided about online databases and repositories

 

Section 2.9: new Section, “Responsibilities of Publishers, Journal Owners, and Sponsoring Societies” 

Chapter 3:
The Basics of Copyright

Section 3.2.2.2: outlines recent changes to copyright application instructions

 

Section 3.3.4: new Section, “Creative Commons Licenses”, provides details to help users interested in making their work available to others and the various levels of licensing possible through the Creative Commons licensing office

Chapter 4:
Alphabets, Symbols, and Signs

Section 4.3: contains updated information about STIX fonts, including Version 1.1.0, which was released in 2012

Chapter 5:
Punctuation and Related Marks 

 Section 5.4.1.1: “email” is no longer hyphenated

Chapter 7:
Prose Style and Word Choice

Section 7.9: new Section, “Active vs. Passive Voice”, provides recommendations on the appropriate place within a scientific manuscript to use each type of voice

Chapter 12:
Numbers, Units, Mathematical Expressions, and Statistics

Significantly revised and reorganized for ease of use and to provide the user with recent updates

 

Section 12.1.3.1: change in recommendation to now use a comma (instead of a thin space, as recommended in the 7th edition) in whole numbers with 4 or more digits

Chapter 13:
Time, Dates, and Age Measurements

Section 13.2.1: clarification made to more accurately describe the use of time units and their approved abbreviations

 

Chapter title changed to better encompass chapter contents

 

Section 13.2.2: clarification made regarding how best to refer to clock time

Chapter 14:
Geographic Designations 

Outdated references to the USSR were removed and other country names updated

Chapter 15:
The Electromagnetic Spectrum

Section 15.2: simplified for better understanding of longer wavelengths

Chapter 18:
Chemical Kinetics and Thermodynamics

Updates were made to be in line with the most recent edition of the International Union of Pure and Applied Chemistry (IUPAC) Green Book (e.g., the symbol for “apparent” is now “app′” [prime]; the abbreviation for “fluid” is now “f” instead of “fl”)

Chapter 19:
Analytical Chemistry

Section 19.2.1: 2 new techniques were added: electron microscopy and lab-on-a-chip

Chapter 21:
Genes, Chromosomes, and Related Molecules

Section 21.2: new information addresses new technologies and the naming of single-nucleotide polymorphisms

 

Section 21.14.7.1: updated Section on cotton nomenclature

 

Section 21.14.5.3: updated Section on soybean genetics

 

Section 21.15.7: updated Section on human genetic nomenclature

Chapter 23:
Structure and Function

Section 23.5.10: significantly reorganized and modified for clarity

Chapter 26:
Astronomical Objects and Time Systems

Section 26.4.2: title was changed from “Minor Planets (Asteroids) and Comets” to “Dwarf Planets and Small Solar System Bodies (Asteroids and Comets)”

 

The use of “minor planets” was removed throughout the chapter in accordance with the 2006 definitions from the International Astronomical Union, part of which reclassified Pluto as a dwarf planet instead of a planet

Chapter 27:
Journal Style and Format

Contains significant updates to language, including removing references to videocassettes as a modern, viable option for publication

 

Section 27.3.1.2: acknowledges the increasingly prevalent use of online-only publications and parts of publications

 

Section 27.3.1.2.2: updated references to browsers (e.g., removed mention of AltaVista)

Chapter 28:
Published Media

Chapter title changed to be more inclusive of all forms of publication

Chapter 29:
References

Section 29.3.7.11: recommendation changed to no longer include a physical description in a reference listing

 

Section 29.3.7.13: title changed from “Homepages and Other Internet Material” to “Websites and Other Online Formats”

 

recommendations and examples were added for reference citations to e-books, online databases, online images and infographics, podcasts and webcasts, online videos, blogs, and social networking sites

Chapter 30:
Accessories to Text: Tables, Figures, and Indexes

Significantly revised and reorganized for ease of use and to provide the user with recent updates

Chapter 31:
Typography and Manuscript Preparation

Sections 31.1 and 31.2.1: distinctions were added to clarify the differences between “typeface”, “text attributes”, and “font”

 

Section 31.3.2: includes new information about XML, HTML, and electronic devices

 

Language was updated throughout to accommodate electronic software systems as opposed to more print-centric tools

Chapter 32:
Proof Correction

Section 32.4: updated with new mark-up recommendations to hard-copy proofs

 

Section 32.5: new Section, “Annotating PDF Proofs”, provides helpful information covering the basics of PDF annotation and new figures depicting useful tools