ACS citation generator
Create ACS references free, with no sign-up. Fill in a journal article from its DOI, then check it against the ACS style rules and examples below.
- Free, no account needed
- Auto-fill from a DOI or ISBN
- Copies with italics
ACS expects title case here. We never change your capitalisation on our own. The convert buttons cannot recognise names, so re-capitalise proper nouns afterwards.
The site the page belongs to, for example Mayo Clinic.
Reference list entry
Fill in the details above and your citation appears here as you type.
In-text citation
Fill in the details above and your citation appears here as you type.
ACS uses title case and CASSI journal abbreviations (J. Am. Chem. Soc.). Type the abbreviated journal name. The year is bold and the volume italic. Books follow the current ACS guide: publisher and year, with no place of publication. References are numbered in the order you cite them.
References (0)
Sources you add appear here in ACS format, numbered in the order you add them. The list is kept in this browser only.
Check every citation against your source and your instructor’s guidelines before you submit.
How to cite in ACS style
ACS style comes from the American Chemical Society. It allows three in-text formats, and numbered superscripts are the most common.
In the text
- Superscript numbers, the most common: “… was reported previously.3”
- Italic numbers in parentheses: “… was reported previously (3).”
- Author-date: (Watson and Crick, 1953). Use it only if your instructor or journal asks for it.
- With numbers, cite sources in the order they first appear and reuse a number for later citations. Superscripts go after punctuation.
- Choose one format and use it throughout the paper.
In the reference list
- Number references in citation order. With author-date, list them alphabetically by first author.
- Write authors as surname, initials, separated by semicolons: Watson, J. D.; Crick, F. H. C. List up to ten, then add “et al.”
- Use title case for article titles, with no quotation marks. Italicize book titles, web page titles and abbreviated journal names.
- In journal references, set the year in bold and the volume in italics: Nature 1953, 171, 737–738.
- End with the DOI. Web pages get the URL and an access date: (accessed 2026-03-10). Books give the publisher and year, with no place of publication.
Based on the ACS Guide to Scholarly Communication, which replaced The ACS Style Guide (3rd edition). The older guide put the place of publication after the publisher (Publisher: City, Year); the current one leaves it out. Individual ACS journals may ask for small variations, so check their author guidelines.
ACS citation examples
The in-text citation and the numbered reference entry for four source types chemistry students cite most.
Journal article
Watson and Crick, Nature, 1953
- In-text
- The double-helix model was proposed in 1953.1
- Author-date
- (Watson and Crick, 1953)
- Reference
- (1) Watson, J. D.; Crick, F. H. C. Molecular Structure of Nucleic Acids: A Structure for Deoxyribose Nucleic Acid. Nature 1953, 171 (4356), 737–738. DOI: 10.1038/171737a0
Book
Kuhn, 1962
- In-text
- Kuhn described scientific change as a series of paradigm shifts.2
- Reference
- (2) Kuhn, T. S. The Structure of Scientific Revolutions; University of Chicago Press, 1962.
Book chapter
Placeholder pattern
- In-text
- The method is described in an edited volume.3
- Reference
- (3) Author, A. A.; Author, B. B. Title of the Chapter. In Title of the Book; Editor, E. E., Ed.; Publisher, Year; pp 12–34.
Website
Placeholder example
- In-text
- A safety data sheet lists hazards in a fixed order.4
- Reference
- (4) Doe, J. How to Read a Safety Data Sheet. Example Chemistry Hub, March 3, 2024. https://www.example.org/sds-guide (accessed 2026-03-10).
The journal article and book are real sources. The chapter and website use placeholders and an example URL to show the pattern. The issue number (4356) is optional in ACS.
Common ACS citation mistakes
Mistakes to check for
- Separating authors with commas or “and” instead of semicolons.
- Forgetting to bold the year and italicize the volume.
- Putting article titles in quotation marks.
- Spelling out journal names instead of using CASSI abbreviations.
- Mixing superscript numbers and author-date in one paper.
- Leaving out the access date for a web page.
When to use ACS style
ACS style is used in chemistry and related sciences, in American Chemical Society journals, and in many university chemistry courses for lab reports, theses and posters.
- Chemistry and biochemistry
- Chemical engineering
- Materials and environmental science
- Lab reports and ACS journal submissions
Create ACS citations in three steps
The generator at the top of this page is already set to ACS. It is free and runs in your browser, with no account.
Choose the source type
Website, book, journal article or online video. The style is already set to ACS.
Add the details
Enter a DOI to fill in a journal article, then replace the journal name with its CASSI abbreviation (J. Am. Chem. Soc.) and check the title is in title case.
Check and copy
Check the journal abbreviation and authors, then copy the reference with its bold year and italics intact.
The generator formats websites, books, journal articles and online videos; write book chapters from the pattern above. Books can also be filled in from an ISBN. It gives the superscript-number form of the in-text citation only. After pasting, check that the year is still bold and the journal and volume italic, since not every editor keeps formatting.
ACS citation questions
Build your ACS reference list
Free, with no sign-up. Numbered ACS references with bold years and italic volumes.