ACS suggests citing references in text in one of three ways.
Consult your syllabus or ask your professor which is preferred.
By superscript numbers:
Example 1 Oscillation in the reaction of benzaldehyde with oxygen was reported previously.3
Example 2 Frink3 reported oscillation in the reaction of benzaldehyde with oxygen.
By italic numbers in parentheses:
Example 1 Oscillation in the reaction of benzaldehyde with oxygen was reported previously (3).
Example 2 Frink (3) reported oscillation in the reaction of benzaldehyde with oxygen.
By author name and year of publication in parentheses inside the punctuation (author-date system):
Example 1 Oscillation in the reaction of benzaldehyde with oxygen was reported previously (Frink et al., 2005).
Example 2 Oscillation in the reaction of benzaldehyde with oxygen was reported previously by Frink and colleagues (2005).
For in text citations for items with:
Two authors - provide the last name of both authors, separated by the word "and"
(Nahasapeemapetilon and Alenno, 2005).
More than two authors - provide the last name of only the first author listed, and then "et al."
(Mollman et al., 2012).
Note: In text citations are different from the reference list at the end of the paper. In the reference list, all author names should be provided and separated by semicolons.
Collect all references at the end of the manuscript...
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Journal Article Author 1; Author 2; Author 3; etc. Title of Article. Journal Abbreviation Year, Volume (Issue), Inclusive Pagination.
Caruso, R.A.; Susha, A.; Caruso, F. Multilayered Titania, Silica, and Laponite Nanoparticle Coatings on Polystyrene Colloidal Templates and Resulting Inorganic Hollow Spheres. Chem. Mater. 2001, 13, 400-409.
Notes
- Bold for year, italic for journal title and issue number - Use the CASSI abbreviation for the journal title - Capitalize all main words in the article title (excluding connecting words like "and", "or", "on", etc.) |
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Patent Patent Owner 1; Patent Owner 2; etc. Title of Patent. Patent Number, Date.
Sheem, S. K. Low-Cost Fiber Optic Pressure Sensor. U.S. Patent 6,738,537, May 18, 2004.
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General Website Author (if any). Title of Site. URL (accessed Month Day, Year).
ACS Publications Division Home Page. http://pubs.acs.org (accessed Nov 7, 2017).
Note
- Include the date you accessed a website, since websites often change over time
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Book Author 1; Author 2; Author 3; etc. Book Title, Edition Number; Series Information (if exists); Publisher: Place of Publication, Year; Volume Number, Pagination.
Nakamoto, K. Infrared and Raman Spectra of Inorganic and Coordination Compounds, 6th ed.; Wiley: Hoboken, NJ, 2009; pp 23-32.
Notes
- Italics for book title, but year is not bolded (different from journal article) - pages are indicated with "pp" (different from journal article) |
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Book Chapter (from an edited book) Nishiyama, H.; Shiomi, T. Reductive Aldol, Michael, and Mannich Reactions. In Metal Catalyzed Reductive C-C Bond Formation : A Departure from Preformed Organometallic Reagents; Krische, M.J., Ed.; Springer: Berlin, 2007; pp 105-138.
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E-book Ghosh, A. Arrow Pushing in Inorganic Chemistry: A Logical Approach to the Chemistry of the Main-Group Elements. John Wiley & Sons, Incorporated: Hoboken, NJ, 2014: pp 201. http://site.ebrary.com/lib/gastate/detail.action?docID=10902334 (accessed January 5, 2017).
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ENS EndNote Style file.
Save the file to your EndNote program folder. When you open your EndNote library, use the pull-down menu to choose ACS style.
CSL Citation Style file
CSL Citation Style file - same file as Zotero
What does et al. mean?
Often seen in reference lists for a variety of different styles, et al. is a common abbreviation from the Latin "et alia" (gender neutral), "et alii" (masculine), or "et aliae" (feminine). It means "and others", or "and all the rest".
When is it used?
Et al. is used with a very long list of authors to indicate that there are more contributors not specifically listed. While the ACS Style Guide generally recommends listing all authors (Chapter 14, page 291), some journals ask for only a certain number of listed authors before using et al., so check the requirements of the publication.
Where is the punctuation?
Since only "alia" is abbreviated, it gets the period. Putting the period after "et" is a common mistake.
This Grammarly post does an illustrated explanation.
