Practical examples of CSE format for technical reports

Before getting lost in rules, it helps to see what strong examples look like. Below, I’ll walk through several examples of CSE format for technical reports, each focused on a different STEM context:

• A university environmental engineering capstone report
• An industry lab safety and compliance report
• A public health surveillance technical report
• A software validation and performance report
• A clinical methods validation report
• A materials science test report
• An internal R&D technical memo
• A government-style technical backgrounder

Each example follows the same CSE backbone: clear sections, consistent headings, and CSE-style references. The point isn’t to memorize every detail; it’s to see patterns you can reuse.

Example of a CSE-formatted environmental engineering technical report

Let’s start with a realistic example of a student or consultant report: an environmental impact assessment of nitrate contamination in groundwater.

Sample title page (CSE-style conventions)

Title: Groundwater Nitrate Contamination near Rowley Agricultural District, Iowa: 2024 Assessment Report
Author: Martinez J, Lee H
Affiliation: Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Iowa State University, Ames (IA) 50011
Date: 2025 May 10

In CSE format, titles are usually in sentence case; author initials follow surnames; city abbreviations and state codes are standard. This is the kind of detail that separates sloppy work from the best examples of CSE format for technical reports.

Sample abstract (CSE style)

Abstract
Groundwater nitrate concentrations were measured in 42 private wells within 10 miles of the Rowley Agricultural District between July and September 2024. Mean nitrate–nitrogen (NO₃–N) concentration was 9.6 mg/L (SD 3.1), with 38% of wells exceeding the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) maximum contaminant level of 10 mg/L. Concentrations were positively associated with well proximity to row-crop fields and negatively associated with well depth. These findings support targeted nutrient management and well remediation in high-risk zones.

Note the compact, data-heavy style and lack of citations in the abstract, which is typical in CSE-style technical reports.

Example section layout

A CSE-formatted technical report in this field often uses the following structure:

• Introduction
• Methods
• Results
• Discussion
• Conclusions
• Acknowledgments
• References
• Appendixes (if needed)

Headings are usually flush left, in bold, with consistent capitalization. Subheadings can be italic or bold-italic, but they should follow a clear hierarchy.

Sample in-text citations (CSE name–year system)

In many examples of CSE format for technical reports, the name–year system is preferred:

Nitrate contamination of private wells has been widely reported in Midwestern agricultural regions (Spalding and Exner 1993; Nolan and Hitt 2006). Recent monitoring in Iowa suggests that shallow wells may be particularly vulnerable (Jones et al. 2022).

Multiple sources are ordered chronologically or alphabetically by first author, depending on your instructor’s or journal’s variant of CSE.

Sample reference list (name–year)

References
Jones CM, Patel R, Nguyen L. 2022. Private well nitrate trends in central Iowa, 2005–2020. J Environ Qual. 51(3):612–623.
Nolan BT, Hitt KJ. 2006. Vulnerability of shallow groundwater and drinking-water wells to nitrate in the United States. Environ Sci Technol. 40(24):7834–7840.
Spalding RF, Exner ME. 1993. Occurrence of nitrate in groundwater—a review. J Environ Qual. 22(3):392–402.

This is a straightforward example of CSE references: authors, year, article title, journal title abbreviation, volume(issue):page range.

Lab safety and compliance: another example of CSE format for technical reports

Now shift to a different domain: a lab safety and compliance report for a biomedical research facility. This shows how examples of CSE format for technical reports adapt to institutional templates without losing CSE logic.

Sample heading structure

1. Introduction
2. Regulatory framework
3. Methods
    3.1 Facility description
    3.2 Data collection procedures
4. Findings
    4.1 Biosafety cabinet certification
    4.2 Chemical storage compliance
5. Recommendations
6. References

The numbering is not required by CSE, but it’s common in technical and regulatory reports. The key is consistency.

Sample citation of regulations and guidance

Institutional biosafety activities were evaluated against the NIH Guidelines for Research Involving Recombinant or Synthetic Nucleic Acid Molecules (NIH 2019) and the CDC Biosafety in Microbiological and Biomedical Laboratories (BMBL) 6th edition (CDC 2020).

Sample references

References
CDC. 2020. Biosafety in microbiological and biomedical laboratories. 6th ed. Washington (DC): US Department of Health and Human Services.
National Institutes of Health. 2019. NIH guidelines for research involving recombinant or synthetic nucleic acid molecules. Bethesda (MD): NIH.

These are the kinds of real examples you see in institutional technical reports that still follow the CSE spine.

Public health surveillance: best examples of CSE format for technical reports

Public health agencies rely heavily on technical reports. Some of the best examples of CSE format for technical reports come from outbreak investigations and surveillance summaries.

Imagine a 2024 technical report on influenza-like illness (ILI) trends.

Sample executive summary in CSE style

Executive summary
This report summarizes influenza-like illness (ILI) activity in State X from October 1, 2023, through March 31, 2024. Outpatient ILI visits peaked during epidemiologic week 6 (February 4–10, 2024) at 7.3% of all visits, exceeding the state-specific baseline of 2.1%. Hospitalization rates among adults ≥65 years reached 24.8 per 100,000 during the same week. Data were compiled from 72 outpatient sentinel providers and 46 acute-care hospitals participating in the State X Influenza Surveillance Network.

Sample data and methods description

ILI was defined according to CDC criteria as fever (temperature ≥100°F [37.8°C]) and cough and/or sore throat in the absence of a known cause other than influenza (CDC 2023).

Sample reference

CDC. 2023. Overview of influenza surveillance in the United States [Internet]. Atlanta (GA): Centers for Disease Control and Prevention; [cited 2025 Feb 10]. Available from: https://www.cdc.gov/flu/weekly/overview.htm

This style of reference—with [Internet], place, publisher, cited date, and URL—is standard in current CSE recommendations for web sources.

Software validation: technical computing example of CSE format

Technical reports aren’t only about wet labs and field data. A good example of CSE format for technical reports in computing is a software validation and performance report for a scientific tool.

Sample context

Think of a 2025 report validating a Python-based simulation package used in climate modeling.

Sample methods and results snippets

Methods
The climate simulation package was evaluated using three benchmark scenarios adapted from the Coupled Model Intercomparison Project Phase 6 (CMIP6) protocol (Eyring et al. 2016). Performance tests were conducted on a high-performance computing cluster with 256 CPU cores and 4 NVIDIA A100 GPUs.

Results
Execution time for the historical simulation scenario was reduced by 37% compared with the baseline Fortran implementation (Smith et al. 2020). Mean absolute error in global mean surface temperature was 0.07°C relative to the CMIP6 reference ensemble.

Sample references

Eyring V, Bony S, Meehl GA, Senior CA, Stevens B, Stouffer RJ, Taylor KE. 2016. Overview of the Coupled Model Intercomparison Project Phase 6 (CMIP6) experimental design and organization. Geosci Model Dev. 9(5):1937–1958.
Smith J, Ahmed K, Liu P. 2020. Performance and accuracy of a Fortran-based climate simulation framework. J Adv Model Earth Syst. 12(11):e2020MS002123.

This is a nice illustration of how examples include both performance metrics and scientific validity metrics, all wrapped in CSE’s name–year structure.

Clinical and laboratory methods: real examples of CSE format for technical reports

Clinical labs and translational research centers produce some of the most detailed real examples of CSE-formatted technical reports, especially for assay validation.

Sample report segment: methods validation

Methods
Serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D [25(OH)D] concentrations were measured using a liquid chromatography–tandem mass spectrometry (LC–MS/MS) assay validated according to Clinical and Laboratory Standards Institute (CLSI) EP05-A3 and EP09-A3 guidelines (CLSI 2014; CLSI 2018). Precision was assessed using pooled patient sera at three concentration levels, each measured in duplicate twice daily for 20 days.

Results
Within-run coefficients of variation (CVs) ranged from 3.2% to 4.1%; total CVs ranged from 4.8% to 6.2%. Method comparison with an external reference laboratory (n=120) yielded a Deming regression slope of 0.98 (95% CI, 0.95–1.01) and intercept of 0.9 ng/mL (95% CI, −0.4 to 2.2).

Sample references

Clinical and Laboratory Standards Institute. 2014. Evaluation of precision of quantitative measurement procedures; approved guideline. 3rd ed. CLSI document EP05-A3. Wayne (PA): CLSI.
Clinical and Laboratory Standards Institute. 2018. Measurement procedure comparison and bias estimation using patient samples; approved guideline. 3rd ed. CLSI document EP09-A3. Wayne (PA): CLSI.

These examples of CSE format for technical reports show how to handle standards documents and technical guidelines as references.

Materials science and engineering: applied examples of CSE format

Engineering programs and R&D labs often want real examples that look like what they produce internally. Here’s a condensed model for a 2024 materials fatigue report.

Sample report outline

Title: Fatigue performance of additively manufactured Ti-6Al-4V under high-cycle loading
Sections: Introduction; Materials and methods; Results; Discussion; Conclusions; References.

Sample methods paragraph

Dog-bone specimens of Ti-6Al-4V were fabricated using laser powder bed fusion under argon atmosphere. Build parameters followed those recommended in ASTM F2924–14 (ASTM International 2014). Specimens were machined to final dimensions and polished to 600-grit finish before testing. High-cycle fatigue tests were performed in load control at a stress ratio of R = 0.1 and frequency of 20 Hz at room temperature (22 ± 2°F).

Sample reference

ASTM International. 2014. Standard specification for additive manufacturing titanium-6 aluminum-4 vanadium with powder bed fusion. ASTM F2924–14. West Conshohocken (PA): ASTM International.

Again, this follows the same pattern you’ve now seen in multiple examples of CSE format for technical reports: clear method description, standards cited in CSE style, and consistent units.

Internal R&D and government-style reports: how examples include gray literature

Not every technical report is destined for a journal. Internal R&D memos and government backgrounders still benefit from CSE conventions.

Internal R&D memo example

Title: Preliminary evaluation of enzyme X for industrial starch hydrolysis, Q1 2025
Author: Research and Development Division, Enzyme Technologies Group
Sections: Background; Experimental design; Results; Limitations; Next steps; References.

Even if the report never leaves the company, citing external literature in CSE format keeps it readable and reusable.

Government technical backgrounder example

Title: Technical background on PFAS occurrence in public drinking water systems, 2025 update
Sections: Introduction; Regulatory context; Occurrence data; Analytical methods; Risk characterization; Data gaps; References.

PFAS reports often cite EPA and NIH sources. CSE style works well with these:

US Environmental Protection Agency. 2024. Technical fact sheet: per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) [Internet]. Washington (DC): EPA; [cited 2025 Jan 15]. Available from: https://www.epa.gov/pfas

These are real examples of how agencies and companies quietly lean on CSE conventions even when they don’t say “CSE” on the cover.

Name–year vs citation–sequence: variations in examples of CSE format for technical reports

So far, every example of CSE format here has used the name–year system. Some technical reports, especially in chemistry or physics, use the citation–sequence system instead.

Citation–sequence in practice

In-text, you’d see:

Nitrate contamination of private wells has been widely reported in Midwestern agricultural regions (1,2).

And the reference list would be numbered in order of first citation:

1. Spalding RF, Exner ME. 1993. Occurrence of nitrate in groundwater—a review. J Environ Qual. 22(3):392–402.
2. Nolan BT, Hitt KJ. 2006. Vulnerability of shallow groundwater and drinking-water wells to nitrate in the United States. Environ Sci Technol. 40(24):7834–7840.

When you look at examples of CSE format for technical reports from different departments, pay attention to which variant they use. The rest of the structure—sections, headings, reference details—stays very similar.

Where to find more real examples of CSE format for technical reports

If you want more than the models above, look for:

• University writing centers that publish CSE guides and sample papers, such as many US and Canadian institutions.
• Government technical reports in health and environment that mirror CSE structure even if they don’t label it as such.
• Journals that explicitly follow CSE style; their online “Instructions for authors” often link to style details.

For official guidance, the Council of Science Editors maintains updated recommendations, and many libraries summarize them in student-friendly formats. Cross-checking your draft against these examples of CSE format for technical reports plus an institutional guide is usually enough to satisfy even strict 2024–2025 requirements.

FAQ about CSE format for technical reports

What are some good examples of CSE format for technical reports in 2024–2025?

Strong examples of CSE format for technical reports include university capstone reports in environmental or biomedical engineering, CDC-style surveillance summaries, CLSI-based lab validation reports, and ASTM-guided materials testing reports. The common thread is a clear IMRAD-style structure, consistent headings, and CSE-style references.

Can I mix CSE with my company’s technical report template?

Yes. Most organizations care about their template (logo, fonts, section order) more than the citation style. You can keep the corporate layout and still use CSE for in-text citations and references. Many of the best examples from industry quietly do exactly that.

Is there an example of a short CSE-formatted technical memo?

A short memo might only have Background, Methods, Results, and References. You’d still use CSE in-text citations (name–year or numbered) and a reference list formatted with CSE punctuation, capitalization, and ordering. The structure is lighter, but the citation rules are the same.

Where can I verify that my CSE references are correct?

Use your university library’s CSE guide or an official CSE manual, and compare your references with examples include journal articles, books, and web resources. Many writing centers at institutions like Harvard University or large public universities publish reference examples online. Cross-check against at least one authoritative source, not just a citation generator.

Do all science and engineering technical reports have to use CSE?

No. Some programs prefer APA, IEEE, or AMA. But if your department or journal specifies CSE, modeling your work on strong examples of CSE format for technical reports—like the ones above—will keep you aligned with expectations and make peer review smoother.