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Invalid Root Element

xml
The root element of a CSL document is not <style>.

Q-9-16 — Invalid Root Element

The root element of a CSL document is not <style>.

What this means

A CSL document’s root element must be <style> (or <cs:style> when the CSL namespace is used). This error fires when the parser reaches the root and finds something else — perhaps a generic <root>, perhaps an element from a different XML schema entirely. The message names what the parser found.

Why this happens

Common causes:

  • The file is not actually a CSL document. It parses as well-formed XML but follows a different schema (RSS, a bibliography format, a configuration file).
  • A failed download that returned an error page (typically HTML) instead of the intended style file.
  • A hand-edited document where the root element was renamed.

How to fix

If the file is supposed to be a CSL style, change its root to <style> (with appropriate attributes — see Q-9-15 on version). If you suspect a download problem, fetch the file again and check that the response is XML, not an error page.