How to Cite Your Sources

ACS 2020

From the American Chemical Society

IN-TEXT CITATIONS

In-text notation method is determined by reference list format: either alphabetical by author or numerical by order of appearance.

If writing for publication, numerical order will likely be required, but if not, it's up to you which you prefer.

Reference list ordered...

• Alphabetically by Author

  • Author name and publication year

    • Foster et al.’s (2019) data shows…. 

    • The study of cylindrical nanostructures … (Foster et al., 2019)

• Numerically by Appearance of Citation

  • Superscript numbers

    • Foster et al.’s1 data shows…. 

    • The study of cylindrical nanostructures ….1

  • Italic numbers

    • Foster et al.’s (1) data shows…. 

    • The study of cylindrical nanostructures ….(1)

REFERENCES

Journal Article

Foster, J. C.; Varlas, S.; Couturaud, B.; Coe, J.; O’Reilly, R. K. Getting into Shape: Reflections on a New Generation of Cylindrical Nanostructures’ Self-Assembly Using Polymer Building Block. J. Am. Chem. Soc. 2019, 141 (7), 2742−2753. DOI: 10.1021/jacs.8b08648

Example taken from the ACS Style Quick Guide (The ACS Guide to Scholarly Communication) where you'll also find sample citations for other format types.

Formatting Notes (in order of appearance in the citation, and please note punctuation at the end of each item)

1. List author(s) by Last name, First initial.
   • Multiple authors: separate by semicolon(s) within the author segment, and list in order of appearance in the paper.
2. Article is written in Title Case.
3. Abbrev. J. Title in Title Case and italics.
   • Abbreviate the journal title: ACS articles will usually include the correct abbreviation for the citation. If you don't have that, check the CAS Source Index to ensure accuracy.
4. Publication details: year in bold, volume number in italics followed by (issue number) in parentheses,
5. Page range.
6. DOI or URL with no ending punctuation
7. Access info (if applicable).
   • If the reference comes from a database, add the parenthetical following the DOI or URL:
     (accessed [year-month-day] from [database]).
   • If the reference comes from a website and you can't guarantee the website will be there tomorrow, add in a parenthetical following the DOI or URL:
     (accessed [year-month-day]).
   • Please note: While a citation ending with a DOI or URL does not end in a period, if your citation includes the access info parenthetical, make sure to add a period after it!

Make Your Own:

• Title: Honey as a Source of Dietary Antioxidants: Structures, Bioavailability and Evidence of Protective Effects Against Human Chronic Diseases
• Author(s): Josè M. Alvarez-Suarez, Francesca Giampieri, Maurizio Battino
• Journal Name: Current Medicinal Chemistry, Volume 20, Issue 5, 2013
• Pages: 621-638
• DOI: 10.2174/092986713804999358

Create the citation:

Alvarez-Suarez, J. M.; Giampieri, F.; Battino, M. Honey as a Source of Dietary Antioxidants: Structures, Bioavailability and Evidence of Protective Effects Against Human Chronic Diseases. Curr. Med. Chem. 2013, 20 (5), 621-638. DOI: 10.2174/092986713804999358

ACS STYLE RESOURCES

What to Cite and Why

Did you read the research of others when writing your own paper?

When you are informed by other researchers (which can include yourself!), you must cite the original authors of that work—in the text where the work appears and the corresponding full citation in the list of references—for two main reasons:

1. To lead the readers of your work to the original source, and
2. To show your readers that you have an understanding of the current research of the topic.

What to Cite

• Direct quotations, with author name and page numbers
• Paraphrasing, with name numbers or the range
• When your thinking was informed by the work of others, if not cited directly

What NOT to Cite

You do not need to include a citation for the following:

• Facts
• Common knowledge