How to Cite in ČSN ISO 690:2022: The Czech Citation Standard

This guide explains how to cite sources in ČSN ISO 690:2022, the Czech national citation standard used at most universities in the Czech Republic. It's the Czech adoption of the international ISO 690:2021 standard and, since 1 December 2022, replaces the older 2011 edition. If you're studying at a Czech university, this is very likely the standard your thesis must follow. For the international version, see our ISO 690 guide.

What Is ČSN ISO 690:2022?

ČSN ISO 690 is the Czech technical standard for bibliographic references and citations. The 2022 edition (effective 1 December 2022) is the Czech version of the international ISO 690:2021 and replaces the 2011 edition. It covers more document types than before and is considerably more detailed — though it also contains some inconsistencies you'll encounter in practice.

What Changed from 2011

Element order: the date of citation now comes after the availability statement — "Available from: URL. [cit. YYYY-MM-DD]."
Format designator: written as a word — "Online", "Online, PDF" — and without square brackets (2011 used "[online]").
Author names and identifiers (ISBN, ISSN, DOI)
New name-mark referencing method alongside the existing methods
New source types: social media, art objects, archival materials, manuscripts

Referencing Methods

Choose one method and apply it consistently:

Author–date (Harvard): surname and year in the text, e.g. (NOVÁK, 2022)
Numeric: a number pointing to the reference list, e.g. [1]
Running notes: the reference sits in a footnote
Name marks: new in the 2022 edition

Formatting Creators

Give the creator (author) as prominently as possible — in capitals:

Primary creators appear before the title, inverted: SURNAME, Forename.
Secondary creators (translator, illustrator, editor) appear after the title in natural order, with their role.
Separate multiple creators with semicolons; join the last with "a" (and).
Up to five creators of equal standing: list them all. Six or more: either all, or the first five followed by "et al".

Books (Monographs)

Schema: SURNAME, Forename. Title: subtitle. Edition. Place: Publisher, Year. ISBN.

PROKOP, Daniel. Slepé skvrny: o chudobě, vzdělávání, populismu a dalších výzvách české společnosti. Brno: Host, 2019. ISBN 978-80-7577-991-5.

E-books

Schema: SURNAME, Forename. Title. Online, [format]. Edition. Place: Publisher, Year. ISBN. Available from: URL. [cit. YYYY-MM-DD].

ČERNÝ, Michal. Pedagogicko-psychologické otázky online vzdělávání. Online, PDF. Brno: Munipress, 2018. ISBN 978-80-210-8926-6. Available from: https://munispace.muni.cz. [cit. 2023-11-13].

Journal Articles

Print schema: SURNAME, Forename. Article title. Journal title. Year, vol., no., pages. ISSN.

SOSNA, Karel; ZÁRUBA, Jiří a FRANĚK, Jan. Výzkum tepelného namáhání hornin. Tunel. 2014, roč. 23, č. 4, s. 33–42. ISSN 1211-0728.

Online adds the format and availability: Online. … Available from: URL. [cit. YYYY-MM-DD]. Note the abbreviated form 111(10) is not allowed — spell out volume, issue and pages (roč., č., s.).

Websites

Schema: CREATOR. Page title. Online. Site name. Place: publisher, date. Available from: URL. [cit. YYYY-MM-DD].

ČTK. Masarykova univerzita odebere dva tituly za plagiátorství. Online. Aktuálně.cz. Praha: Economia, 3. 2. 2020. Available from: https://zpravy.aktualne.cz. [cit. 2023-11-22].

Theses

Schema: SURNAME, Forename. Title. Thesis type. Place: Institution, Year.

SVOBODOVÁ, Anna. Renewable energy adoption in developing economies. Doctoral thesis. Praha: Univerzita Karlova, 2022.

Common Mistakes

Brackets on the format: 2022 writes "Online" without brackets, not "[online]"
Wrong order: the date of citation goes after "Available from", not before
Abbreviated numbering: 111(10) isn't allowed — spell out roč., č., s.
Lowercase surnames: creators are given in CAPITALS
Trusting the generator: managers were slow to add the 2022 style — always check

References

Úřad pro technickou normalizaci, metrologii a státní zkušebnictví. ČSN ISO 690:2022 (01 0197) Informace a dokumentace — Pravidla pro bibliografické odkazy a citace informačních zdrojů. Praha: ÚNMZ, 2022.
FARKAŠOVÁ, Blanka; KRČÁL, Martin et al. Výklad normy ČSN ISO 690: účinné od 1. 12. 2022. Online, PDF. Brno: Citace.com, 2023. Available from: https://www.citace.com/Vyklad-CSN-ISO-690-2022.pdf. [cit. 2024-03-15].

Wonders formats ČSN ISO 690 references in your chosen method, with the deterministic mapping to a single source the standard requires.

Frequently asked questions

What's the difference between ISO 690 and ČSN ISO 690?

ČSN ISO 690 is the Czech national version of the international ISO 690 standard. ČSN ISO 690:2022 corresponds to the international ISO 690:2021 edition, but it's a separate Czech document with Czech terminology and interpretation — and it differs in practical details (such as writing the format as the word 'Online' and the order of elements). If you're citing in a Czech thesis, follow ČSN ISO 690:2022.

What changed in the 2022 edition?

The main changes concern mandatory fields, citation structure, and formatting: a different element order (the date of citation now comes after the availability statement), the format written as the word 'Online' without square brackets, revised author-name and identifier rules, and a new name-mark referencing method. The 2022 edition also adds rules for social media, art objects, archival materials, and manuscripts.

Which citation managers support ČSN ISO 690:2022?

Not immediately — after the standard was released, citation managers (CitacePro, Zotero, Mendeley) did not yet include the 2022 style, so citations had to be corrected by hand. Support has been catching up, but always check a generated citation against the standard's rules.