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Information Literacy Instruction

ACS Style

ACS style is the citation style of the American Chemical Society.

Print ACS Manual

Online ACS Style Resources

Citation Examples: Books (Print)

Book (Basic format)

Author, A. A.; Author, B. B. Book Title (italics), Edition (if any); Publisher: Place of Publication, Year; Pagination.

Book (Single author)

Toedt, J. Chemical Composition of Everyday Products; Greenwood Press: Westport, Conn., 2005.

Book (Multiple authors)

Anastas, P. T.; Warner, J. C. Green Chemistry: Theory and Practice; Oxford University Press: Oxford, 1998.

Book (Edited)

Polyketides: Biosynthesis, Biological Activity, and Genetic Engineering; Rimando, A.M., Baerson, S.R., Eds.; American Chemical Society: Washington, DC, 2007.

Article in Edited Book

Patel, J.; Dillard, M. Relativistic Effects in Chemistry. In Computational Chemistry, 2nd ed.; Lutz, L., Chu, S. W., Eds.; Academic: New York, 2000; pp 76-96.

Citation Examples: Articles (Print)

Journal Article

Basic Format: Author, A. A; Author, B. B; Author, C. C. Title of Article. Journal Abbreviation (italics) [Online if online] Year (boldface), Volume (italics), Pagination.
Klinger, J. Influence of Pretreatment on Sodium Powder. Chem. Mater. 2005, 17, 2755-2768.
Slunt, K. M.; Giancarlo, L. C. Student-Centered Learning: A Comparison of Two Different Methods of Instruction. J. Chem. Educ. 2004, 81, pp 985-988.

Encyclopedia Article

Porile, N.T. Nuclear Chemistry. In Macmillan Encyclopedia of Chemistry. Lagowski, J.J., Ed. Simon & Schuster Macmillan: New York, 1997; Vol. 3, pp. 1027-1033.

Newspaper Article

Jones, M. Panel Urges NASA to Save Hubble Space Telescope. New York Times, July 16, 2004, p A1.

Citation Examples: Electronic Resources

Online Journal article based on print edition

NOTE: The majority of articles retrieved from online publications are based on corresponding print versions. For these articles (normally in PDF format), the basic periodical reference style is used, but if the article has been viewed only in its electronic form, the designation "Online" is included in brackets after the journal abbreviation.

RECOMMENDED FORMAT: Author, A.A.; Author, B.B.; Author, C.C.; etc. Title of Article. Journal Abbreviation (italics) [Online] Year (boldface), Volume (italics), Inclusive pagination or other identifying information. URL of top page (accessed Month Day, Year).
McClintock, S.P.; Mills, N.S. Magic Acid Free Generation of Antiaromatic Dications at Room Temperature. J. Org. Chem. [Online] 2011, 76, 10254-10257. http://pubs.acs.org/doi/full/10.1021/jo201512n (accessed Jan. 17, 2012).

Online Journal article retrieved from database provider

NOTE: Electronic copies of periodicals retrieved from subscription library databases sometimes provide only the original text (normally in HTML format) but not the original formatting or figures. For these articles, use the style for journals, and include the name of the database provider, the URL of the top page, and the date accessed.

Deichmann, U. The Expulsion of Jewish Chemists and Biochemists from Academia in Nazi Germany. Perspectives on Science [Online] 1999, 7, 1-86. Project Muse. http://muse.jhu.edu/journals/perspectives_on_science/v007/7.1deichmann.html (accessed April 24, 2012)

Web sites

Chemsoc Timeline. http://www.rsc.org/chemsoc/timeline/timeline.asp (accessed May 19, 2012).
American Chemical Society Home Page. http://portal.acs.org/portal/acs/corg/content (accessed Oct. 22, 2011).

Online books

Hale, W.J. Chemistry Triumphant: The Rise and Reign of Chemistry in a Chemical World [Online]; Williams & Wilkins: Baltimore, MD, 1932; pp. 45-67. http://hdl.handle.net/2027/mdp.39015002902271 (accessed May 15, 2005).