What is an ACS Citation Style?
The most commonly used citation style is ACS which is used in the chemical field, and it is different from other styles. ACS is a set of guidelines that all writers must follow when writing a research paper or want to cite sources in this format.
The American Chemical Society provides a guide to research papers in the field of chemistry. Williams College students use this style to create citations for their studies and projects. This style is common among sources at Williams College and other similar institutions in North America.
Further, there are two parts to a citation:
- In-text citation: a short version of the full reference
- Reference list: a list of all the sources used in your paper.
ACS Citation Format
A lot of people find the process for formatting in ACS style tricky. There are a variety of ways you could do it, but it depends on your professor’s requirements. Thus, consult them first, and then start formatting your paper.
For your help, we have also gathered some information related to the ACS citation format that makes your writing process easy.
ACS In-Text Citation
You can include the in-text citations in three ways:
- By the author's name and date
- By the superscript number
- By the italicized numbers
Let’s discuss them in detail.
1. By the Author's Name And Date
In this method, you can add the author's last name and year of publication in parentheses. There are two ways to do this:
- At the end of the cited information: For Example (Brown, 2003)
- Within the cited information: For Example (2003)
2. By the Superscript Number
There are two ways to add the superscript number.
- At the end of the cited information: For Example (Benzaldehyde reacts to oxygen in a cyclical manner.³)
- Within the cited information: For Example (Harry³ has found that cloud computing is a new latest technology.)
3. By the Italicized Numbers
Below are two ways that can help you to add the italicized numbers in parentheses.
- At the end of the cited information: For Example (Benzaldehyde reacts to oxygen in a cyclical manner (4))
- Within the cited information: For Example (Harry (4) has found that cloud computing is better for working with artificial intelligence.)
All three methods are acceptable. However, which format you can use for your research paper depends on your requirements.
ACS Citation Reference List
There are different styles for citing and referencing different sources of information, like chapters, journals, thesis, articles, etc. ACS style is a well-defined and structured system that helps students and researchers to structure their papers.
The below table shows how to cite different sources in the correct ACS citation style.
| Sources | Format |
| Books | Author 1; Author 2; etc. Title of Book, Edition Number; Publisher: Location, Year; Volume number, pp Pages Used. |
| E-Books | Author 1; Author 2; Author 3; etc. Book Title [Online]; Series Information (if applicable); Publisher: Place of Publication, Year; Volume Number (if applicable), Pagination. URL (accessed Month Day, Year). |
| Chapter in a Book | Author 1; Author 2; etc. Title of Chapter. In Title of Book, Edition |
| Edited Books | Author 1; Author 2; etc. Chapter Title, In Book Title, Edition Number; Editor 1, Editor 2, etc., Eds.; Series Information (if any); Publisher: Location, Year; Volume Number, pp Pages Used. |
| Books in Series or with Multiple Editions | Author 1; Author 2; etc. Title of Chapter. In Title of Book, Edition Number; Series Information; Publisher: Location, Year; Volume number, pp Pages Used. |
| Articles in Print Journal | Author 1; Author 2; Author 3; etc. Title of Article. Journal Abbreviation Year, Volume, Inclusive Pagination. |
| Article in an Electronic Journal | Author 1; Author 2; Author 3; etc. Title of Article. Journal Abbreviation [Online] Year, Issue, Inclusive Pagination. Complete URL (accessed Date). |
| Articles in a Magazine or Newspaper | Author 1; Author 2; Author 3; etc. Title of Article. Title of Periodical, Complete Date, Pagination. |
| Print Reference Work | Article Title. Title of Reference Work, Edition Information; Publisher: Location, Year; Volume, pp Pagination. |
| Online Reference Work | Article Title. Title of Work, edition [Online]; Publisher, Posted Online Posting Date. URL (accessed Month Day, Year). |
| Thesis | Author. Title of Thesis. Level of Thesis, Degree-Granting University, Location of University, Date of Completion. |
| Technical Reports and Bulletins | Author 1; Author 2; etc. Title of Report or Bulletin; Technical Report or Bulletin Number; Publisher: Location, Date; Pagination. |
| Computer Programs | Author 1; Author 2; etc. Program Title, version or edition; Publisher: Location, Year. |
| Online Scholarly Article | Author 1; Author 2; Author 3; etc. Title of Article. Journal Abbreviation [Online] Year, Issue, Inclusive Pagination. Complete URL (accessed Date). |
| Patents | Patent Owner 1; Patent Owner 2; etc. Title of Patent. Patent Number, Full Date. |
| Lab Manual | Author 1; Author 2; etc. Title of Book, Edition Number; Publisher: Location, Year; Volume number, pp Pages Used. |
| Presentation | Author 1; Author 2; Author 3; etc. Title of Presentation (if any). Presented at Conference title, Place, Date; Paper Number. |
| Lab Handout | Author's Last Name, First Initial.; Title of Lab Manual; Publisher: Place of Publication, Year; pp pages. |
Below is an example that you can use for your help and correctly cite sources in ACS format.
This detailed style guide is for all the chemistry students who will write a thesis or any other academic paper. We have explained and discussed this citation style in detail with the help of examples.
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