Learn ACS Citation to Reference Your Sources

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In order to be a successful researcher, you need more than just an engaging personality and knowledge of chemistry. In this guide from the American Chemical Society (ACS), we'll teach you how important citation style is for writing research papers!

You can find examples of commonly cited sources at Williams College. You can also find explanations on everything that comes with it, including why some styles might seem better than others.

Let us begin this blog and explore more about citations in the field of chemistry.

ACS Citation Style

The American Chemical Society (ACS) is a scientific organization with an international reach. The group was founded in 1876 at New York University, and it focuses on chemistry as its primary field of interest. Nowadays, their journals cover topics such as research into plastics or artificial intelligence, anything that has to do with Science!

The American Chemical Society provides a guide to research papers in the field of chemistry. The style may be used by Williams College students for their studies and projects, providing examples that are common among sources to create citations at this institution or others like it around North America.

Types of Citation

Citations make it easier to cite your sources and reference information. They consist of two parts:

The in-text citation, which provides brief identifying information within the text; and
A reference list that provides full bibliographic data. For those who want more detail or just an overview of what was cited at all points during the writing process.

ACS Citation Format

Formatting in ACS style is tricky. It can be difficult to get the formatting right, and there are a lot of different ways you could do it! In addition, there is a different formatting style for either type of ACS.

We will be discussing each formatting in detail.

1. ACS In-Text Citation

The easiest way to make citations is by using ACS in-text citation styles. There are three kinds of them: superscript, italics with parentheses, or author-date, and they should all be used even when you're writing your paper. That way, readers will know where you got the information from!

Here is an example of these types to make you understand better.

Superscript Numbers
At the end of cited sources

Fluoride in water and products like toothpaste can help your teeth remineralize¹.

Within the cited information

Rakita¹ says that water and toothpaste with fluoride in them provide a way for your teeth to build up.

Italic Numbers
At the end of cited information

Fluoride in water and products like toothpaste can help your teeth remineralize (1).

Within the cited information

Rakita (1) says that water and toothpaste with fluoride in them provide a way for your teeth to build up.

Author Name and Publication Year
At the end of cited information

Fluoride in water and products like toothpaste can help your teeth remineralize (Rakita, 2004).

Within the cited information

Rakita says that water and toothpaste with fluoride in them provide a way for your teeth to build up (2004).

2. Reference Lists

The reference list has the full details of each source such as the author name and year you used in your research for this paper. Every entry on the reference list includes the following:

Author or editor
Year of Publication / Author-Date System
Publication Information

Here are some other general guides that you should know while referencing ACS style. You can also find many ACS citation generators, but it is reliable to do the citation yourself.

General Guidelines

Following are some important guidelines that should never be overlooked:

Always use a new page for a reference list.
Ask your references must be center or left justified.
You can use hanging intent to format your references. All lines of references must be intended except the first line.

Ordering the Reference List

The ordering list depends on the type of intext citation you have chosen. For example

If you have used parenthetical or superscript intext citation, then your reference should also be in numbered form.
If you have used author-date in-text citation, then the referencing list is in alphabetical order.

Referencing lists are most commonly used in books, articles, websites, and chapters. Scared of formatting? Don’t be! We are going to provide the examples with a detailed description so that things are easy for you to grasp.

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ACS Citation Examples

Following are the examples of ACS citation of all the sources with examples:

ACS Citation Book

Book	Author 1; Author 2; etc. Title of Book, Edition Number; Series Information If Applicable; Publisher, Year.	Le Couteur, P.; Burreson, J. Napoleon's Buttons: How 17 Molecules Changed History; Jeremy P. Tarcher/Putnam, 2003.
E-Book	Author 1; Author 2; Author 3; etc. Book Title, edition information; Series Information If Applicable; Publisher, Year. DOI or URL	Lo, K. K. Luminescent and Photoactive Transition Metal Complexes as Biomolecular Probes and Cellular Reagents; Springer, 2015. https://librarysearch.williams.edu/permalink/f/s1eqoc/01WIL_ALMA51121331050002786
Chapter in Book	Author 1; Author 2; etc. Title of Chapter. In Title of Book, Edition Number; Series Information, Volume Number; Publisher, Year; pp Pages Used. DOI or URL	Gbalint-Kurti, G. G. Wavepacket Theory of Photodissociation and Reactive Scattering. In Advances in Chemical Physics, Vol. 128; Rice, S. A., Ed.; Wiley, 2004; pp 257.
Edited Book	Book Title, Edition Number; Editor 1, Editor 2, etc., Eds.; Series Information (if any); Publisher, Year. DOI or URL	Mom the Chemistry Professor: Personal Accounts and Advice from Chemistry Professors Who Are Mothers, 2nd ed.; Woznack, K., Charlebois, A., Cole, R. S., Marzabadi, C. H., Webster, G., Eds.; Springer, 2018. DOI: 10.1007/978-3-319-78972-9
Book in Series	Author 1; Author 2; etc. Title of Chapter. In Title of Book; Editor 1, Editor 2, etc., Eds.; Series Information, Volume Number; Publisher, Year; pp Pages Used. DOI or URL	Goh, S. L. Polymer Chemistry in an Undergraduate Curriculum. In Introduction of Macromolecular Science/Polymeric Materials into the Foundational Course in Organic Chemistry; ACS Symposium Series 1151; American Chemical Society, 2013; pp 113-127.

ACS Citation Article

Electronic Journal Article
	Format	Example
Print Journal Article	Author 1; Author 2; Author 3; etc. Title of Article. Journal Abbreviation Year, Volume, Inclusive Pagination.	Evans, D. A.; Fitch, D. M.; Smith, T. E.; Cee, V. J. Application of Complex Aldol Reactions to the Total Synthesis of Phorboxazole B. J. Am. Chem. Soc. 2000, 122, 10033-10046.
Online Scholarly Article	Author 1; Author 2; Author 3; etc. Title of Article. Journal Abbreviation [Online] Year, Issue, Inclusive Pagination. Complete URL (accessed Date).	Peacock-Lopez, E. Exact Solutions of the Quantum Double Square-Well Potential. Chem. Ed. [Online] 2007, 11, 383-393. http://chemeducator.org/bibs/0011006/11060383ep.htm (accessed Dec 6, 2018).
Articles form Database	Author 1; Author 2; Author 3; etc. Title of Article. Journal Abbreviation [Online], Date, Inclusive Pagination. Database Name. Complete URL of database (accessed Date).	Begley, S. When Does Your Brain Stop Making New Neurons? Newsweek [Online] July 2, 2007, p 62. Expanded Academic Index. http:/galegroup.com (accessed Aug 23, 2007).
Articles Published Online in Advance	Author 1; Author 2; Author 3; etc. Title of Article. Journal Abbreviation [Online early access]. DOI. Published Online: Date. Complete URL (accessed Date).	Chung, J.M. and Peacock-Lopez, E. Cross-diffusion in the Templator model of chemical self-replication. Phys. Lett. A [Online early access]. DOI:10.1016/j.physleta.2007.04.114. Published Online: June 12, 2007. http://www.sciencedirect.com (accessed Aug 23, 2007).
Magazines or Newspaper Article	Author 1; Author 2; Author 3; etc. Title of Article. Title of Periodical, Complete Date, Pagination.	Manning, R. Super Organics. Wired, May 2004, pp 176-181.

ACS Citation Lab Manual

Format	Example
Author 1; Author 2; etc. Title of Book, Edition Number; Publisher: Location, Year; Volume number, pp Pages Used.	Bird, P. Chemistry 206 Laboratory Manual; Concordia University: Montreal, QC, 2010; p 21.

ACS Citation Thesis & Patent

	Format	Example
Thesis	Author. Title of Thesis. Level of Thesis, Degree-Granting University, Location of University, Date of Completion.	Thoman, J. W., Jr. Studies of Molecular Deactivation: Surface-Active Free Radicals and S(O)para-difluorobenzene. Ph.D. Dissertation, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA, 1987.
Thesis (it can be written without a title of thesis and location of institution)	Author. Level of Thesis, Degree-Granting University, Date of Completion.	Gehring, A. Ph.D. Dissertation, Harvard University, 1998.
Patents	Patent Owner 1; Patent Owner 2; etc. Title of Patent. Patent Number, Full Date.	Diamond, G.; Murphy, V.; Leclerc, M.; Goh, C.; Hall, K.; LaPointe, A. M.; Boussie, T.; Lund, C. Coordination catalysts. US 20020002257 A1, January 3, 2002.

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ACS Citation Technical Reports and Conferences

	Conference and Meetings
	Format	Example
Full Citation	Author 1; Author 2; Author 3; etc. Title of Presentation. In Title of the Collected Work, Proceedings of the Name of the Meeting, Location, Full Date(s); Editor 1, Editor 2, etc., Eds.; Publisher: Place of Publication, Year; Abstract Number, Pagination.	Weinstein, S. In University Chemical Education, Proceedings of the International Symposium on University Chemical Education, Frascati (Rome), Italy, October 16-19, 1969; Chisman, D. G.. Ed.; Butterworths: London, 1970.
Abstracts Only	Author 1; Author 2; Author 3; etc. Title of Presentation. Title of the Collected Work, Proceedings of the Name of the Meeting, Location, Full Date(s); Publisher: Place of Publication, Year; Abstract Number, Pagination.	Kaplan, L.J.; Selder, A. Books of Abstracts, 213th ACS National Meeting, San Francisco, CA, April 13-17, 1997; American Chemical Society: Washington, DC, 1997; CHED-824.
	Technical Reports and Bulletins
	Author 1; Author 2; etc. Title of Report or Bulletin; Technical Report or Bulletin Number; Publisher: Location, Date; Pagination.	Crampton, S.B.; McAllaster, D. R. Collision and Motional Averaging Effects in Cryogenic Atomic Hydrogen Masers; WMC-AFOSR-002; NTIS: Springfield, VA, 1983.

ACS Citation Website and Computer Programs

	Websites
	Format	Example
General Websites	Author, X (if any). Title of Site. URL (accessed Month Day, Year), other identifying information (if any).	International Union of Pure and Applied Chemistry Home Page. http://www.iupac.org/dhtml_home.html (accessed April 24, 2005).
Institution or Agency Website	Author 1; Author 2; etc. Title of Document, Year. Title of Site. URL (accessed Month Day, Year).	Adrian, B.; Dooley, O.; Huang, C.; Levkowitz, M. Tackling Bed Bugs: A Starter Guide for Local Government, 2016. U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Web site. http://npic.orst.edu/pest/bedbug/tacklingbbstarterguide.pdf (accessed Nov 19, 2010).
Computer Programs
	Author 1; Author 2; etc. Program Title, version, or edition; Publisher: Location, Year.	SciFinder Scholar, version 2007; Chemical Abstracts Service: Columbus, OH, 2007; RN 58-08-2 (accessed Aug 23, 2007).

This was all for all the chemistry students who were about to write their thesis or any academic paper. We have explained and discussed in detail all the referencing styles used for different sources.

If you have any queries or are still not confident about your referencing style, talk to our essay writers at FreeEssayWriter.net. We have skilled teams to write all academic assignments that fit every student’s needs.

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