Styles
Type of Resource
Citation Tools
This guide includes examples of citation styles most commonly used by students at Williams College. For additional examples and further information see the print manuals. |
ACS Style Guide
Developed by the American Chemical Society, this style may be used for research papers in the field of chemistry.
Each citation consists of two parts: the in-text citation, which provides brief identifying information within the text, and the reference list, a list of sources that provides full bibliographic information.
How to Format: In-Text Citations | Reference Lists
How to Format In-Text Citations
(For more detailed information see ACS Style Guide, pp 287-290.)
Select one of the three methods below to cite in-text references:
Superscript numbers
At the end of the cited information:
Fluoridated water as well as various fluoride products such as toothpaste provide fluoride ions necessary for remineralization.¹
Within the cited information:
Rakita¹ states that fluoridated water as well as various fluoride products such as toothpaste provide fluoride ions necessary for remineralization.
Italic numbers
At the end of the cited information:
Fluoridated water as well as various fluoride products such as toothpaste provide fluoride ions necessary for remineralization (1).
Within the cited information:
Rakita (1) states that fluoridated water as well as various fluoride products such as toothpaste provide fluoride ions necessary for remineralization.
Author name and year of publication
At the end of the cited information:
Fluoridated water as well as various fluoride products such as toothpaste provide fluoride ions necessary for remineralization (Rakita, 2004).
Within the cited information:
Rakita states that fluoridated water as well as various fluoride products such as toothpaste provide fluoride ions necessary for remineralization (2004).
Note: for two authors use "and": Rakita and Smith. For more than two authors use "et al.": Rakita et al.
How to Format Reference Lists
Books | Articles | Theses, Patents, Conferences | Web/Online
Books
(ACS Style Guide, pp 300-305)
| Single author |
Chang, R. General Chemistry: The Essential Concepts, 3rd ed.; McGraw-Hill: Boston, 2003. |
| Edited Book |
Gbalint-Kurti, G. G. Wavepacket Theory of Photodissociation and Reactive Scattering. In Advances in Chemical Physics; Rice, S. A., Ed.; Wiley: New York, 2004; Vol. 128; p 257. |
| Book in Series |
Omega-3 Fatty Acids: Chemistry, Nutrition, and Health Effects; Shahidi, F., Finley, J. W., Eds.; ACS Symposium Series 788; American Chemical Society: Washington, DC, 2001. |
| Article from a reference book |
Powder Metallurgy. Kirk-Othmer Encyclopedia of Chemical Technology, 3rd ed.; Wiley: New York, 1982; Vol. 19, pp 28-62. |
Articles
(ACS Style Guide, pp. 291-299 and pp. 317-319 for online articles )
| Article in a scientific journal |
Evans, D. A.; Fitch, D. M.; Smith, T. E.; Cee, V. J. Application of Complex Aldol Reactions to the Total Synthesis of Phorboxazole B. J. Am. Chem. Soc. 2000, 122, 10033-10046. |
| Article in a popular/non-scientific magazine |
Manning, R. Super Organics. Wired, May 2004, pp 176-181. |
| Article from an online journal |
Peacock-Lopez, E. Exact Solutions of the Quantum Double Square-Well Potential. Chem. Ed. [Online] 2007, 11, 383-393 http://chemeducator.org/bibs/0011006/11060380lb.htm (accessed Aug 23, 2007). |
Theses, Patents, Conferences, Technical Reports
(ACS Style Guide, pp 307-316)
| Theses |
Thoman, J. W., Jr. Studies of Molecular Deactivation: Surface-Active Free Radicals and S(O)para-difluorobenzene. Ph.D. Dissertation, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA, 1987. orGehring, A. PhD. Dissertation, Harvard University, 1998. |
| Patents |
Wilkins, T. D.; Tucker, K. D. Detection, Isolation, and Purification of Clostridium Difficile Toxin A with Toxin Receptors. U.S. Patent 5,098,826, March 24, 1992. |
| Conference/Meetings (full-text) |
Winstein, S. In University Chemical Education, Proceedings of the International Symposium on University Chemical Education, Frascati (Rome), Italy, October 16-19, 1969; Chisman, D. G.. Ed.; Butterworths: London, 1970. |
| Conference/Meetings (abstract only) |
Kaplan, L.J.; Selder, A. Books of Abstracts, 213th ACS National Meeting, San Francisco, CA, April 13-17, 1997; American Chemical Society: Washington, DC, 1997; CHED-824. |
| Technical Report or Bulletin |
Crampton, S.B.; McAllaster, D. R. Collision and Motional Averaging Effects in Cryogenic Atomic Hydrogen Masers; WMC-AFOSR-002; NTIS: Springfield, VA, 1983. |
Web/Online
(ACS Style Guide, pp 316-325)
Note: Different web browsers break the text in different places of a URL. The URL should begin on the same line as the rest of the citation information, with a break inserted after a slash, if needed.
| Web page |
National Library of Medicine. Environmental Health and Toxicology: Specialized Information Services. http://sis.nlm.nih.gov/enviro.html (accessed Aug 23, 2004). |
| Article from an online journal |
Peacock-Lopez, E. Exact Solutions of the Quantum Double Square-Well Potential. Chem. Ed. [Online] 2007, 11, 383-393 http://chemeducator.org/bibs/0011006/11060380lb.htm (accessed Aug 23, 2007). |
| Article from full text database |
Begley, S. When Does Your Brain Stop Making New Neurons? Newsweek [Online] July 2, 2007, p 62. Expanded Academic Index. http:/galegroup.com (accessed Aug 23, 2007). |
| Article published online in advance |
Chung, J.M. and Peacock-Lopez, E. Cross-diffusion in the Templator model of chemical self-replication. Phys. Lett. A [Online early access]. DOI:10.1016/j.physleta.2007.04.114. Published Online: June 12, 2007. http://www.sciencedirect.com (accessed Aug 23, 2007). |
| Computer Program |
SciFinder Scholar, version 2007; Chemical Abstracts Service: Columbus, OH, 2007; RN 58-08-2 (accessed Aug 23, 2007). |