The Official Source

The ACS Guide to Scholarly Communication (2020) is the current official resource, published online by the American Chemical Society. It supersedes the print ACS Style Guide, 3rd Edition (2006) by Anne M. Coghill and Lorrin R. Garson.

Access the guide at pubs.acs.org/doi/book/10.1021/acsguide.

Quick Overview

ACS uses a numbered citation system with three format options for in-text citations:

1. Superscript numbers — Most common

2. Italic numbers in parentheses — Alternative format

3. Author name with number — When emphasizing the author

References are numbered in the order they first appear in the text.

In-Text Citations

Choose one format and use it consistently throughout your paper.

Superscript Numbers (Most Common)

The reaction mechanism has been well documented.¹

Parker⁴ demonstrated that minimal condensation is expected.

Italic Numbers in Parentheses

The reaction mechanism has been well documented (1).

Chen (9) attributes the slowdown to measurement errors.

Multiple Citations

Several studies support this conclusion.¹⁻³,⁷

Reference List Basics

The reference list is titled "References" and numbered consecutively in citation order.

Basic Structure

#. Author 1; Author 2; Author 3. Title of Article. Journal Abbreviation Year, Volume, Pages. DOI.

Journal Article

1. Reinke, A. A.; Gestwicki, J. E. Insight into Amyloid Structure Using Chemical Probes. Chem. Biol. Drug Des. 2011, 77, 399–411.

Journal Article with DOI

2. Lu, H.; Tournet, J.; Dastafkan, K. Noble Metal-Free Electrocatalytic Hydrogen Oxidation. Angew. Chem. Int. Ed. 2021, 60, 14865–14871. DOI: 10.1002/anie.202014679.

Book

3. Carey, F. A.; Sundberg, R. J. Advanced Organic Chemistry, 5th ed.; Springer: New York, 2007.

Chapter in Book

4. Asmus, K. D. Recent Aspects of Thiyl and Perthiyl Free Radical Chemistry. In Active Oxygens, Lipid Peroxides, and Antioxidants; Yagi, K., Ed.; Japan Scientific Societies: Tokyo, 1993; pp 57–67.

Website

5. National Institute of Standards and Technology. NIST Chemistry WebBook. https://webbook.nist.gov/chemistry/ (accessed 2024-01-15).

Patent

6. Heller, A. Biological Fuel Cell and Methods. U.S. Patent 9,070,934, June 30, 2015.

Key ACS Conventions

Journal abbreviations — Always abbreviate journal names using Chemical Abstracts Service Source Index (CASSI) standards. Search at cassi.cas.org.

Author format — Last name, initials (no periods): Smith, A. B.

Semicolons between authors — Unlike most styles, ACS uses semicolons: Smith, A. B.; Jones, C. D.

Bold year — The publication year is bolded in the reference.

Italic volume — Journal volume numbers are italicized.

No issue numbers — ACS typically omits issue numbers for journals.

DOI format — Include when available: DOI: 10.xxxx/xxxxx

Publisher location — For large publishers (ACS, Wiley, Elsevier, Springer), location is optional.

Common Mistakes to Avoid

Wrong journal abbreviations — Always verify abbreviations in CASSI. "Journal of the American Chemical Society" becomes J. Am. Chem. Soc.

Periods in author initials — Use Smith, A. B. not Smith, A.B. or Smith, A. B..

Commas between authors — Use semicolons, not commas: Smith, A. B.; Jones, C. D.

Missing bold/italics — Year should be bold; volume should be italic.

Alphabetizing references — ACS references are numbered by citation order, not alphabetically.

Including issue numbers — ACS style typically omits issue numbers for journal articles.

Who Uses ACS Style?

ACS is the standard for:

• Chemistry journals (especially ACS publications)

• Chemical engineering

• Biochemistry and molecular biology

• Materials science

• Pharmaceutical sciences

• Environmental chemistry

If you're submitting to an ACS journal or studying chemistry, this is your citation style.

ACS vs. Other Science Styles

Further Resources

• ACS Guide to Scholarly Communication — Official online resource

• CASSI Search — Journal abbreviation lookup

• ACS Author Guidelines — Submission requirements

Need help generating ACS citations? Research tools like Wonders can export your sources in ACS format automatically.