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ACS Style Guide, 3rd Edition

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Standard for chemistry, biochemistry, and chemical engineering

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Automatically formatted according to the ACS Style Guide, 3rd edition. Proper author formatting, CASSI journal abbreviations, and bold years.

Numbered References Ready

Citations are formatted for ACS's superscript numbered reference system. Ready to paste into your reference list in order of first citation.

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Optimized for chemistry, biochemistry, and chemical engineering sources. Handles patents, journal articles, books, and online resources used in chemical sciences.

How to Cite in ACS Style

ACS citations most commonly use a superscript numbered reference system. Sources are numbered in order of first appearance in the text. Journal names are abbreviated per CASSI and the year is bold. Here are the most common formats:

Journal Article

Author1, A. B.; Author2, C. D. Article Title. Abbreviated J. Name Year, Vol, Pages. DOI: xxxxx

Book

Author1, A. B. Title of Book; Publisher: City, Year.

Website

Author, A. B. Title of Page. Site Name. URL (accessed YYYY-MM-DD).

Patent

Inventor1, A. B.; Inventor2, C. D. Title of Patent. Patent Number, Year.

Key ACS Formatting Rules

  • Authors listed by last name followed by initials with periods (Smith, A. B.)
  • Semicolons separate multiple authors
  • Journal names abbreviated per CASSI (CAS Source Index)
  • Year is bold in references
  • Volume number is italicized
  • DOIs included when available

ACS Citation Examples

Journal Article

Smith, A. B.; Johnson, C. D. Catalytic Asymmetric Synthesis of Chiral Amines. J. Am. Chem. Soc. 2024, 146, 1234-1245. DOI: 10.1021/jacs.2024.00001

Book

Clayden, J.; Greeves, N.; Warren, S. Organic Chemistry, 2nd ed.; Oxford University Press: Oxford, 2012.

Chapter in Edited Book

Williams, E. F. Spectroscopic Methods in Organic Chemistry. In Modern Analytical Chemistry; Davis, R. J., Ed.; Wiley: New York, 2023; pp 145-198.

Website

Chemical Safety Guidelines. American Chemical Society. https://www.acs.org/safety (accessed 2026-03-21).

Patent

Chen, L.; Park, S. Process for the Preparation of Fluorinated Compounds. U.S. Patent 10,234,567, 2024.
In-text: superscript number (e.g., ¹)

Examples formatted per ACS Style Guide, 3rd Edition

ACS In-Text Citation Formats

Superscript Numbers (Most Common)

Place superscript number after punctuation:

...as demonstrated in recent studies.1

Multiple sources use commas and hyphens:

...confirmed by multiple groups.1,3,5-7

Author-Date (Alternative)

Some ACS journals use parenthetical author-date:

...as shown by Smith and Johnson (2024).

Or at the end of a sentence:

...with improved yields (Smith, 2024).

ACS vs APA: Quick Reference

FeatureACS Style GuideAPA (7th Edition)
In-text formatSuperscript numbers or (Author, Year)(Author, Year)
Reference list orderNumbered, by first citationAlphabetical by author
Used inChemistry, biochemistry, chemical engineeringPsychology, social sciences, education
Author formatLast, Initials. (Smith, A. B.)Last, Initials. (Smith, A. B.)
Journal namesAbbreviated (CASSI)Full journal name

Not sure which to use? ACS is required by most chemistry journals and chemistry programs. Try our APA generator

Frequently Asked Questions

What is ACS citation format?

ACS (American Chemical Society) format is a citation style used primarily in chemistry, biochemistry, and chemical engineering. It follows the ACS Style Guide, 3rd edition. The most common format uses superscript numbered references in order of appearance, though an author-date variation also exists. Authors are listed as Last Name, Initials. with semicolons between authors, and journal names are abbreviated per the CAS Source Index (CASSI).

How do I cite a journal article in ACS format?

For journal articles in ACS format, list authors (Last Name, Initials.; separated by semicolons), the article title, abbreviated journal name in italics, year in bold, volume in italics, pages, and DOI. Example: Smith, A. B.; Johnson, C. D. Catalytic Asymmetric Synthesis. J. Am. Chem. Soc. 2024, 146, 1234-1245. DOI: 10.1021/jacs.2024.00001

How are journal names abbreviated in ACS style?

ACS requires journal names to be abbreviated according to the CAS Source Index (CASSI). For example, "Journal of the American Chemical Society" becomes "J. Am. Chem. Soc." and "Angewandte Chemie International Edition" becomes "Angew. Chem., Int. Ed." You can look up abbreviations using the CASSI search tool at cassi.cas.org.

How do ACS in-text citations work?

ACS offers two in-text citation formats. The most common uses superscript Arabic numerals (1, 2, 3) placed after punctuation, with sources numbered in order of first appearance. The alternative author-date format uses parenthetical citations like (Smith, 2024). Check your instructor or journal guidelines to determine which format to use.

Is this ACS citation generator free?

Yes. CiteMe lets you generate ACS style citations for free. Search real academic databases including OpenAlex, Semantic Scholar, CrossRef, and PubMed to find and format chemistry references automatically.

What is the difference between ACS and APA citation styles?

ACS uses superscript numbered references (or author-date) ordered by first appearance, while APA uses author-date in-text citations with an alphabetical reference list. ACS abbreviates journal names per CASSI; APA uses full journal names. ACS bolds the year; APA does not. ACS is standard in chemistry; APA is used in psychology and social sciences.

How do I cite a website in ACS format?

For websites, include the author (if available), title of the page, website name, URL, and access date. Example: Smith, A. B. Chemical Safety Guidelines. American Chemical Society. https://www.acs.org/safety (accessed 2026-03-21).

When should I use ACS citation style?

Use ACS style when writing for chemistry journals (such as JACS, Angewandte Chemie, Chemical Reviews), chemistry and biochemistry courses, or chemical engineering publications. Most chemistry departments and journals published by the American Chemical Society require ACS formatting.

How do I list multiple authors in ACS format?

List all authors with last name followed by initials, separated by semicolons. Example: Smith, A. B.; Johnson, C. D.; Williams, E. F. For references with many authors, some journals allow abbreviation after a certain number, but the ACS Style Guide generally requires listing all authors.

How do I include a DOI in ACS citations?

Include the DOI at the end of the reference, preceded by "DOI:" — for example, DOI: 10.1021/jacs.2024.00001. Some journals use the full URL format (https://doi.org/10.1021/jacs.2024.00001). Always include DOIs when available, as they provide permanent links to the cited work.

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