ACS (American Chemical Society) Citation Style Guide

Articles can be found both online and in print. The formats for each are very similar. The main difference being, for an article accessed through an online database it is necessary to indicate that it was accessed online and the date when it was accessed. Both print and online journals have official abbreviations for their titles, which can be found at the link below. If you cannot find the abbreviation for the journal you are citing, write out the full journal title. Your citation should include:

• Names of the author(s)
• Title of journal (italicized and abbreviated). Journal title abbreviations can be found here
• Publication year (bold)
• Volume number (italicized)
• Page number(s)

If the article is accessed through an online database also include:

• That it was accessed online
• The database used to access the article
• URL to the article
• Month, day, year the article was accessed

Article from a Print Journal

Basic format:

Author(s). Journal abbreviation Year, volume, page(s).

Example:

Munakata, S.; Ishimori, K.; Kitamura, N.; Ishikawa, S.; Takanami, Y.; Ito, S. Regul. Toxico. Pharmacol. 2018, 99, 122-128.

Article from a Database

Basic format:

Author(s). Title of Article. Journal Abbreviation [Online] Year, Volume, Pages. Database. URL (accessed Month Day, year).

Example:

Gashaw, A.; Teshita, A.; Getachew, T. Environmental tobacco smoke exposure and its health impacts: a review.  Int. J. Biol. Chem. Sci. [Online] 2018, 10, 1370-1381. SciFinder Scholar. https://scifinder.cas.org/scifinder/view/link_v1/reference.html?l=BmxxGlm8wGowyyQH6ZcT0DxwCp8OEtvYZbKLqEZUnsOeDd4IMteM3w (accessed October 9, 2018).

With nonscientific magazines and newspaper, always include the title of the article as well as the title of the magazine/newspaper. These magazines and newspapers will not have abbreviations for their titles, so include the full title. The format for print and online articles are similar. The main difference is with online articles it is important to indicate that the article was accessed online, and when it was accessed.

Online Articles

Basic format:

Author(s). Title of Article. Title of Newspaper/Magazine [Online], Complete Date, Pages, Database, URL (accessed Month Day, Year).

Example:

Sullivan, W. The Chemistry Of Hibernation: Hibernation Chemistry. New York Times [Online], January 29, 1985, p. C1. Proquest Historical Newspapers: New York Times. https://search.proquest.com/docview/111102231?accountid=2837 (accessed October 9, 2018). 

Print Articles

Basic format:

Author(s). Title of Article. Title of Magazine, Complete Date, Page(s).

Example:

Palmer, K. Taming Crispr. Wired, Oct 2018, p 108.