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CHEM112/116: General Chemistry I Lecture & Lab: Writing & Citing in ACS Style

ACS Style for Marist

There are many different citation formats and journals may have a specific one that they use, but for this course you are expected to use ACS Style from the American Chemical Society.

The ACS Style Guide is available in print and the ACS Guide to Scholarly Communication is available online through the library (see the ACS Style Guide box on this page), but here are a few basic things to be aware of as you create references in ACS Style and as you create them for CHEM111, CHEM112, CHEM115, & CHEM116 at Marist.

Basic Rules

  • In-text citations in ACS Style are NOT footnotes
  • Use the superscript number button in Microsoft Word or Word for Mac to create in-text citations  For more information see the Frequently Asked Questions about ACS Style box on this page.

Microsoft word home menu with the superscript icon, an x with a 2 raised up, encircled

  • The references list at the end will then have the same number in front of it.  Ex: (1)
  • All journal titles are abbreviated in ACS Style, Use the CAS Source Index (CASSI) to look up journal abbreviations.

Marist CHEM111/CHEM112 & CHEM115/CHEM116 Rules

  • Do not use et al. when there are many authors, no matter what The ACS Style Guide says.
  • Always include the article title.

Writing Scientific Articles

There are many resources that provide for tips on writing a scientific style journal article.  Keep in mind each journal and/or class will have slightly different formatting requirements.  So pay attention to the specific guidelines for your class.  Here are a couple of general articles on writing a science paper to help you get started.

You can also get a better idea by browsing journals and looking at how they are written and presented.  Here are a few journal articles for you to look at:

Frequently Asked Questions about ACS Style

Contact

James A. Cannavino Library

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Poughkeepsie, NY 12601
(845) 575-3106