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Citation Resources: ACS

ACS Style
ACS is the citation style of the American Chemistry Society. Below you will find examples of various sources cited in ACS format. Scroll down to find the type of source you need to cite. Contact a librarian if you need help!

ACS Resources

The ACS Style Guide - New edition coming March 2020

What is a DOI Number?

A DOI number is a journal article's "digital object identifier." This is a unique number assigned to the article, which doesn't change, even if the URL does. It helps other researchers find the article later. Most new journal articles that you access online have a DOI number. Articles that you access in print will not have one, and many older articles also don't have one. The DOI number is often at the very bottom of the pages, near the page numbers. It may also be in the article's abstract page.

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Basic Format for ACS Citations

In-Text Citations

ACS publications use one of three options for in-text citations:

  • Author-Date: This option lists the author's last name and the date of publication in parentheses at the end of the sentence, before the period (Smith, 2019). 
  • Superscript numbers which appear after the sentence and punctuation. These correlate with matching numbered references in the reference list.3
  • Italicized numbers, listed in parentheses before punctuation. These also correlate with matching numbers in the reference list (4).

Reference List

Generally, your references should be listed according to the following format:
(Reference #)  Author's Last Name, First Initial. Title of the Article. Title of the Journal or its Abbreviation. Year.
                        Issue #, pages.

Examples by Source Type

Journals

Journal Article Without a DOI Number:
Moles, E., Kavallaris, M. A Potent Targeted Cancer  Nanotherapeutic. Nature Biomedical Engineering. 2019, 3, (4),  248.

Journal Article With a DOI Number:
Moles, E., Kavallaris, M. A Potent Targeted Cancer  Nanotherapeutic. Nature Biomedical Engineering. 2019, 3, (4),  248. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41551-019-0390-7.

Books

Full Print Book
  Kenakin, T. A Pharmacology Primer: Techniques for More Effective and Strategic Drug Discovery, 4th edition.;
  Academic Press: Amsterdam ; Boston, 2014.

News

Chang, K. Why a Perfect Spiral Football Pass Doesn’t Break the Laws of Physics. The New York Times. October 19, 2020.