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Understanding ACS Citation: A Complete Guide
  • Jun 2025
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Understanding ACS Citation: A Complete Guide

29th June 2025

You’ve just finished a big chemistry lab report or a science research paper. You’ve done the experiments, analyzed the data, and written up your findings. You feel a huge sense of relief, but then you see one final requirement on the rubric: “All sources must be cited in ACS style.”

Suddenly, your relief turns to confusion. What is ACS style? How do you do it? It can seem like a secret code used only by scientists.

But don’t worry! This guide is here to break the code for you. Think of citation as “showing your work” in science. It’s how you give credit to the other scientists whose research you used, and it proves to your teacher that your information is solid. Learning to cite correctly is one of the most important steps to how to avoid plagiarism while incorporating research in your writing.

This guide will walk you through everything you need to know about ACS citation in simple, easy-to-follow steps.

What Is ACS Style and Why Do We Use It?

ACS stands for the American Chemical Society. This organization sets the standard rules for writing in the field of chemistry. Just like English classes use MLA style and psychology classes use APA style, chemistry classes use ACS style.

Using one consistent style makes scientific papers easier to read and understand. It has two main purposes:

  1. To Give Credit: It shows exactly where you got your information, so you are giving proper credit to the researchers who did the work before you.

  2. To Help Your Reader: It gives your reader a clear map so they can easily find the original articles, books, or websites you used in your research.

Failing to cite your sources correctly can lead to a lower grade, which is why it is so important to understand that why citation errors lower your grade and how to avoid them.

The Two Simple Parts of ACS Citation

Every citation style, including ACS, has two key parts that work together:

  1. In-Text Citations: These are small markers you put inside the sentences of your paper. They signal to the reader that the information you just presented came from another source.

  2. The Reference List: This is the detailed list at the end of your paper. It gives the full information for every single source you marked with an in-text citation.

You can't have one without the other! The in-text citation is the signpost, and the reference list is the map.

Part 1: In-Text Citations Explained Simply

ACS style is flexible and gives you three different ways to create your in-text citations. The most important rule is to pick one method and use it consistently throughout your entire paper. Always ask your teacher or professor if they have a preferred method.

Here are the three options:

Method 1: Superscript Numbers This is very common in chemistry journals. You simply put a small number above the line right after the piece of information you are citing. The numbers start at 1 and go up.

  • Example: The experiment showed that the new catalyst was highly effective.¹

Method 2: Italic Numbers in Parentheses This method is similar, but instead of a superscript, you put the number in parentheses and italics.

  • Example: The experiment showed that the new catalyst was highly effective (1).

Method 3: Author-Date This method uses the last name of the author and the year of publication. This is helpful because it gives the reader some context right away.

  • Example: The experiment showed that the new catalyst was highly effective (Smith, 2024).

Part 2: How to Build Your Reference List (With Examples!)

Your reference list at the end of the paper provides all the details for your sources. The format of this list depends on which in-text citation method you used.

  • If you used one of the numbered methods, your reference list will be a numbered list, in the order that the sources appeared in your paper.

  • If you used the Author-Date method, your reference list will be alphabetized by the last name of the first author.

Here are the templates for the most common sources you will use.

Example 1: Citing a Journal Article (Most Common)

This is the format for an article you found in a scientific journal, like the Journal of Organic Chemistry.

  • Template: Author 1 Last Name, First Initial.; Author 2 Last Name, First Initial.; etc. Title of the Article. Abbreviated Journal Title Year, Volume Number, First Page–Last Page.

  • Real Example: Miller, S. A.; Smith, J. C. A Revolution in Polymer Synthesis. J. Am. Chem. Soc. 2024, 146, 1234–1237.

  • Key Tips:

    • Notice the semicolons (;) between author names.

    • The journal title is abbreviated and in italics. You can find the official abbreviation using the online CASSI tool.

    • The year is in bold.

Example 2: Citing a Book
  • Template: Author 1 Last Name, First Initial.; Author 2 Last Name, First Initial. Title of Book, Edition Number; Publisher: City of Publication, Year.

  • Real Example: Zumdahl, S. S.; DeCoste, D. J. Chemical Principles, 8th ed.; Cengage Learning: Boston, MA, 2017.

  • Key Tips:

    • The book title is in italics.

    • The publisher and the city are separated by a colon (:).

Example 3: Citing a Website
  • Template: Author or Organization Name. Title of the Page. Title of the Website. URL (accessed Year-Month-Day).

  • Real Example: American Chemical Society. Careers. ACS.org. https://www.acs.org/careers.html (accessed 2025-06-29).

  • Key Tips:

    • If there is no author, start with the name of the organization.

    • It is important to include the date you accessed the website, as online information can change.

Example 4: Citing a Chapter in an Edited Book

Sometimes you will use a book where different authors wrote different chapters.

  • Template: Author(s) of Chapter. Title of the Chapter. In Title of the Book; Editor(s) of the Book, Ed(s).; Publisher: City, Year; pp First Page–Last Page of Chapter.

  • Real Example: Albright, J. F. Analysis of Organic Compounds. In Instrumental Analysis; Wilson, H. W., Ed.; Academic Press: New York, 2023; pp 210–245.

Final Tips for Success

  • Be Consistent: Whichever method you choose for in-text citations, stick with it!

  • Pay Attention to Punctuation: ACS style is very specific about its use of periods, commas, semicolons, and colons. Follow the templates exactly.

  • Use Citation Tools Wisely: Online citation generators can be helpful, but they often make small mistakes. Always double-check the citations they create against a reliable guide like this one. Small mistakes matter, which is why it's good to know the common grammar mistakes in academic writing and how to fix them.

You Can Master This!

ACS citation can look like a foreign language at first, but it’s just a set of rules. Once you understand the basic patterns for journals and books, you’ll be able to handle almost any source you find.

By citing your sources correctly, you are acting like a professional scientist. You are showing respect for the work of others and making your own work more credible. Don't be afraid to take it one step at a time, and always ask your teacher if you have a question.

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