American Chemical Society (ACS) Citation
Printed periodicals
Scholarly journal article
Author 1; Author 2; Author 3; etc. Title of Article. Journal Abbreviation Year, Volume, Inclusive Pagination.
Journal abbreviations are based on the Chemical Abstracts Service Source Index (CASSI) listing, which can be found at: http://cassi.cas.org/search.jsp
Nonscientific Magazines and Newspapers
Author 1; Author 2; Author 3; etc. Title of Article. Title of Periodical, Complete Date, Pagination.
Online periodicals
Based on print editions
Author 1; Author 2; Author 3; etc. Title of Article. Journal Abbreviation [Online] Year, Volume, Inclusive pagination or other identifying information. URL (accessed Month Day, Year).
From a database provider
Author 1; Author 2; Author 3; etc. Title of Article. Journal Abbreviation/Title of Periodical [Online] Year/complete date, Volume, Article Number or other identifying information. Database Provider. URL of top page (accessed Month Day, Year).
Published online in advance of print issues
Author 1; Author 2; Author 3; etc. Title of Article. Journal Abbreviation [Online early access]. DOI or other identifying information. Published Online: Month Day, Year. URL (accessed Month Day, Year).
Printed books
Books without editors
Author 1; Author 2; Author 3; etc. Chapter Title. Book Title, Edition Number; Series Information (if any); Publisher: Place of Publication, Year; Volume Number, Pagination.
Books with editors
Author 1; Author 2; Author 3; etc. Chapter Title. In Book Title, Edition Number; Editor 1, Editor 2, etc., Eds.; Series Information (if any); Publisher: Place of Publication, Year; Volume Number, Pagination.
Series publications (can also be cited as a journal)
Author 1; Author 2; Author 3; etc. In Title; Editor 1, Editor 2, Eds.; Series Title and Number; Publisher: Place of Publication, Year; Pagination.
Online books
Online books without editors
Author 1; Author 2; Author 3; etc. Chapter Title. Book Title [Online]; Series Information (if any); Publisher: Place of Publication, Year; Volume Number, Pagination. URL (accessed Month Day, Year).
Online books with editors
Author 1; Author 2; Author 3; etc. Chapter Title. In Book Title [Online]; Editor 1, Editor 2, etc., Eds.; Series Information (if any); Publisher: Place of Publication, Year; Volume Number, Pagination. URL (accessed Month Day, Year).
Online encyclopedias
Article Title. Encyclopedia Title, edition [Online]; Publisher, Posted Online Posting Date. URL (accessed Month Day, Year).
Websites
General web sites
Author (if any). Title of Site. URL (accessed Month Day, Year), other identifying information (if any).
Institutional or agency web sites
Author 1; Author 2; Author 3; etc. Title of Document, Year. Title of Site. URL (accessed Month Day, Year).
Meetings and Conferences
Full citations
Author 1; Author 2; Author 3; etc. Title of Presentation. In Title of the Collected Work, Proceedings of the Name of the Meeting, Location of Meeting, Date of Meeting; Editor 1, Editor 2, etc., Eds.; Publisher: Place of Publication, Year; Abstract Number, Pagination.
Online unpublished conference proceedings
Author 1; Author 2; etc. Title of Presentation. Presented at Conference Title [Online], Place, Date; Paper Number. Title of Site. URL (accessed Month Day, Year).
Material that has no publication information
Author 1; Author 2; Author 3; etc. Title of Presentation (if any). Presented at Conference Title, Place, Date; Paper Number.
Theses
Printed
Author. Title of Thesis. Level of Thesis, Degree-Granting University, Location of University, Date of Completion.
Electronic
Author. Title of Thesis. Level of Thesis [Online], Degree-Granting University, Location of University, Date of Completion. URL (accessed Month Day, Year).
Patents
Patent Owner 1; Patent Owner 2; etc. Title of Patent. Patent Number, Date.
Government publications
Author 1; Author 2; etc. Chapter Title. Document Title; Government Publication Number; Publishing Agency: Place of Publication, Year; Pagination.
Technical reports and bulletins
Author 1; Author 2; etc. Title of Report or Bulletin; Technical Report or Bulletin Number; Publisher: Place of Publication, Date; Pagination.
Data sets
Title; Publisher: Place of Publication, Date; Data Entry Number, Figure Title or other identifying information.
Material safety data sheets (MSDS)
Printed
Title; MSDS Number; Manufacturing Company: Location of Company, Date.
Electronic
Title; MSDS Number [Online]; Manufacturing Company: Location of Company, Date. URL (accessed Month Day, Year).
Unpublished Materials
Intended for publication (“in press”, “(to be) submitted for publication”, “unpublished work”)
Author 1; Author 2; etc. Title of Unpublished Work. Journal Abbreviation, phrase indicating stage of publication.
Not intended for publication (“personal or private communication” including email)
Author. Affiliation, City, State. Phrase describing the material, Year.
DVDs or CD-ROMs
Periodicals
Author 1; Author 2; Author 3; etc. Title of Article. Journal Abbreviation [CDROM or DVD] Year, Volume, pagination or other identifying information.
Books (with or without editors)
Author 1; Author 2; etc. Chapter Title. In Book Title, Edition Number [CD-ROM or DVD]; Editor 1, Editor 2, etc., Eds.; Publisher: Place of Publication, Year; Volume Number.
Author 1; Author 2; etc. Chapter Title. Book Title, Edition Number [CD-ROM or DVD]; Publisher: Place of Publication, Year; Volume Number.
Computer Programs
Commercial software and databases
Program Title, version or edition; comments; Publisher: Place of Publication, Year.
For more examples and details, see:
The ACS Style Guide: Effective Communication of Scientific Information, 3rd Ed. Coghill, A.M.; Garson, L.R., Eds. American Chemical Society: Washington, DC; Oxford University Press: Oxford, U.K., New York, 2006.
Chapter 14 on references is available online at: http://pubs.acs.org/userimages/ContentEditor/1246030496632/chapter14.pdf
Questions Scientists Ask
The overarching question that scientists ask is “why?” Scientists explore countless aspects of our environment – past, present, and future. They examine the natural world around us, investigate beyond the confines of our planet, and work towards understanding it all from the subatomic level to the universal scale. Guided by the scientific method, scientists observe, theorize, and experiment in order to answer their questions.
The specific questions that scientists ask depend on their discipline, but they all share the goal of expanding humankind’s appreciation of our universe. Scientists communicate the answers to their questions by sharing the outcomes of their experiments primarily through publication in scientific journals, books, and conference presentations.
Writing in Chemistry
Experiment Title
Author
Institution
Date
Introduction
This section includes background information of the experimental work and any necessary theory dealing with techniques and/or chemical reactions involved. Most importantly, the purpose of the experiment must be stated. In other words, state the objective(s) of the experiment and what technique(s) were used to determine whether or not these objective(s) were achieved.
Experimental Procedure
This section should be a concise and complete description of the experimental procedure in your own words. It should be written so that someone with the proper background would be able to reproduce the experiment.
Results
All collected data, tables, graphs, spectra, observations, general comments, and calculations significant to the purpose of the experiment should be included in this section.
Discussion
In this section, indicate whether or not the purpose of the experiment was successfully achieved. State all results and explain what they suggest. When writing this section, think about the following questions: What conclusions can you draw from the data? Do the results support your conclusion(s) or expected conclusion(s); why or why not? Discuss any errors that may have contributed to undesired results and how to prevent them.
References
Jason Anderson, Chemistry Faculty
