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Citation Generator

ACS Citation Generator

American Chemical Society3rd Edition

Standard for chemistry publications.

How it works

1

Search for your source

Type a topic, DOI, ISBN, or URL into the search bar. CiteMe searches real academic databases to find your source.

2

Format in ACS

Your citation is automatically formatted in ACS (3rd Edition) with correct punctuation, italics, and ordering.

3

Copy and use

Copy the formatted reference and in-text citation directly into your paper or export to BibTeX/RIS.

Generate ACS citations now

Open the ACS generator to search real academic databases and copy a ready-to-use reference in seconds.

ACS resources

ACS Citation Format

General format:

Author(s). Title. <em>J. Abbrev.</em> <strong>Year</strong>, <em>Vol</em>, Pages.

Quick rules

  • Use semicolons between authors (Smith, J. D.; Johnson, M. R.)
  • Bold the year, italicize journal abbreviation and volume
  • Abbreviate journal names per CAS Source Index (CASSI)
  • Include publisher location for books (Wiley: New York)
  • Capitalize all major words in article titles

ACS Citation Examples

Journal Article

Smith, J. D.; Johnson, M. R. Catalytic Asymmetric Synthesis of Chiral Amines. J. Am. Chem. Soc. 2024, 146, 1234–1245.
In-text: (1)

Book

Brown, L. M. Organic Chemistry, 4th ed.; Wiley: New York, 2023.
In-text: (2)

Book Chapter

Williams, A. B. Green Chemistry Approaches. In Sustainable Chemistry; Garcia, R., Ed.; Springer: Berlin, 2024; pp 112–145.
In-text: (3)

About ACS (American Chemical Society)

ACS (American Chemical Society) style is the standard for chemistry publications. It supports three citation formats: superscript numbers, italic numbers in parentheses, or author-date. Most ACS journals use superscript numbers. The style has specific rules for chemical nomenclature, formulas, and compound names in citations.

Standard for chemistry publications. CiteMe supports ACS with automatic formatting from real scholarly metadata — no manual entry or guesswork required.

Frequently asked questions about ACS

Which ACS citation format should I use?

Check your target journal. Most ACS journals (JACS, Org. Lett.) use superscript numbers. Some use italic numbers in parentheses. Author-date is rare but accepted by some journals.

How do I abbreviate journal names in ACS?

Use CAS Source Index (CASSI) abbreviations. For example, "Journal of the American Chemical Society" becomes "J. Am. Chem. Soc." You can search CASSI at cas.org.

What is ACS citation style?

ACS (American Chemical Society) is a citation format used in academic writing. The 3rd Edition provides rules for formatting references, in-text citations, and bibliographies for sources like books, journals, websites, and more.

How do I cite a website in ACS?

Use the CiteMe ACS generator above — paste the URL and get a correctly formatted citation instantly. ACS website citations typically include the author, title, website name, publication date, and URL.

Is the CiteMe ACS generator free?

Yes — CiteMe offers free ACS citations on the free tier. Pro users get unlimited citations, all ACS formatting features, and export to BibTeX and RIS.

Other citation styles