Chemistry Research Guide

Here are some guides you can use to help you with how to format your citations in ACS.

Online Guides:

Library Resources:

No matter the format all citations should tell you:

• WHO wrote/created the source material = name(s) of the authors, editors, etc.
• WHAT is the source called = title of the book, article, website, etc.
• WHEN was the source was created = publication/copyright date
• WHERE is it located = name of journal, volume/issue/page numbers; publisher/location; URL; doi (Digital Object Identifier) 

Citation styles vary in how they present this information, but these elements are always included.

Citing your sources is one of the most important steps in doing research.  RefWorks will allow you to store and organize your citations as well as easily create your bibliography/references (whether annotated or not) and final paper in the correct style.  

You can use RefWorks to:

• Organize references
• Format bibliographies
• Create a database of your own citations
• Import references directly from library databases
• Insert in-text citations, footnotes and bibliographies using the Write-n-Cite tool
• Share your citations with a group

When citing journal articles in ACS take the citation elements and arrange them in the following order: 

                               WHO. WHAT. WHERE. WHEN. WHERE.

Element Order:

Author. Title of the Article. Journal Name. [Format] Publication Year, Journal Information. URL (Date Accessed).

General ACS Formatting:

Last Name, A.A.; Last Name, B. B.; Last Name, C.C. Title of the Article. Abbrev. Jour. [Online] YYYY, V(i), p-p. http://www.linktothearticle.com (accessed Mon DD, YYYY).

Formatting Notes:

• List author names in order listed in the article. Last name, Initials. Separate with semicolons (;)
• Journal Name should be abbreviated. Use official abbreviation from  . Place journal name in italics 
• Bold the publication year
• Place volume number in italics
• For accessed date use 3 letter abbreviation for the month