Write Like a Chemist by In-Text Citations
A reference consists of two main components:
When you reference another source in the body of your paper, use an in-text citation. This gives credit to the original source of an idea and refers to the reference in your bibliography at the end of your document.
Your instructor may ask you to form in-text citation by authors' names or by number. Always check with your instructor to confirm which convention your class is using.
By Name
Also known as Author-Date, citing by name requires the inclusion of the author or authors' name and the date of publication. References at the end of your document should then be arranged alphabetically by the author's last name.
Basic Format:
(Author's Last Name(s) or Organization, Year)
(Morelli and Scholkmann, 2023)
By Number
You may be asked to cite using a numerical convention where you refer to items in your bibliography either by using a number within parentheses (1) or in superscript1.
If using this format, references in your bibliography are number sequentially. If a reference is repeated, use the original number rather than giving it a new number.
In-Text Citation:
The role of lipids in oxygen absorption is critical for many aerobic species.1 Further, each species' gas exchange system has evolved to meet specific environmental, anatomical, and physiological needs.2
The role of lipids in oxygen absorption is critical for many aerobic species (1). Further, each species' gas exchange system has evolved to meet specific environmental, anatomical, and physiological needs (2).
References:
1. Morelli AM, Scholkmann F. The significance of lipids for the absorption and release of oxygen in biological organisms. Adv Exp Med Biol. 2023;1438:93-99. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-42003-0_16
2. Jurgens KD, Gross G. Phylogeny of gas exchange systems. AINS. 2002;37(4):185-195. https://doi.org/10.1055/s-2002-25080
Summarizing or Paraphrasing
In ACS Style, it is preferred that you paraphrase and summarize from a research article rather than quoting the author's words directly. Always include the last name of the author(s) and the year of the publication, so your reader can find the full citation in the reference list.
According to Morelli and Scholkmann (2023), the role of lipids in oxygen absorbtion is critical for many aerobic species. Further, each species' gas exchange system has evolved to meet specific environmental, anatomical, and physiological needs (Jürgens and Gross, 2002).
Directly Quoting
If you're quoting the exact words of someone else, introduce the quote with an in-text citation in parentheses. Any sentence punctuation (e.g. commas, periods, etc.) should be placed outside the quotation marks or after the in-text citation unless included in the original quotation.
Note: The ACS Style Guide does not provide specific guidelines for identifying or including page numbers in in-text citations. However, a specific journal or your instructor may require the inclusion of page numbers when directly quoting from a source. Always confirm with your instructor before submitting your work.
This guide makes use of work by Aric Haas at CSUDH Library and licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-Share Alike 4.0 International License.
| Source type | Example |
|---|---|
| journal article | Foster, J. C.; Varlas, S.; Couturaud, B.; Coe, J.; O’Reilly, R. K. Getting into Shape: Reflections on a New Generation of Cylindrical Nanostructures’ Self-Assembly Using Polymer Building Block. J. Am. Chem. Soc. 2019, 141 (7), 2742−2753. DOI: 10.1021/jacs.8b08648 |
| journal article from an aggregator database | Lanzotti A.; Grasso M.; Staiano G.; Martorelli M. The Impact of Process Parameters on Mechanical Properties of Parts Fabricated in PLA with an Open-source 3-D Printer. Rapid Prototyp. J. 2015, 21 (5), 604−617. DOI: 10.1108/RPJ-09-2014-0135 (accessed 2019-11-22 from ProQuest: Materials Science & Engineering Collection). |
| journal article early publication (article ASAP) | Shang, M.; Ren, M.; Zhou, C. Nitrogen Mustard Induces Formation of DNA–Histone Cross-Links in Nucleosome Core Particles. Chem. Res. Toxicol. 2019, Article ASAP. DOI: 10.1021/acs.chemrestox.9b00354 (accessed 2019-11-21). |
| Source type | Example |
|---|---|
| ebook | Hammond, C. The Basics of Crystallography and Diffraction, 4th ed.; International Union of Crystallography Texts on Crystallography, Vol. 21; Oxford University Press, 2015. DOI: 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780198738671.001.0001 |
| book in print | Frankel, F. Picturing Science and Engineering; MIT Press, 2018. |
| ebook chapter | Hammond, C. Crystal Symmetry. In The Basics of Crystallography and Diffraction, 4th ed.; International Union of Crystallography Texts on Crystallography, Vol. 21; Oxford University Press, 2015; pp 99−134. DOI: 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780198738671.003.0004 |
| book chapter in print | Bard, A. J.; Faulkner, L. R. Double-Layer Structure and Absorption. In Electrochemical Methods: Fundamentals and Applications, 2nd ed.; John Wiley & Sons, 2001; pp 534−579. |
| ebook with editors | Mom the Chemistry Professor: Personal Accounts and Advice from Chemistry Professors Who Are Mothers, 2nd ed.; Woznack, K., Charlebois, A., Cole, R. S., Marzabadi, C. H., Webster, G., Eds.; Springer, 2018. DOI: 10.1007/978-3-319-78972-9 |
| ebook series | Gaede, H. C. Professional Development for REU Students. In Best Practices for Chemistry REU Programs; Griep, M. A, Watkins, L., Eds.; ACS Symposium Series, Vol. 1295; American Chemical Society, 2018; pp 33−44. DOI: 10.1021/bk-2018-1295.ch003 |
| encyclopedia article in print | Chloramines and Bromamines. In Kirk-Othmer Encyclopedia of Chemical Technology, 4th ed.; Wiley, 1993; Vol. 4, pp 931−932. |
| encyclopedia article with author and/or editor | Vallero, D. A. Air Pollution, ver. 3. In Kirk‐Othmer Encyclopedia of Chemical Technology; Wiley, 2015. Updated March 16, 2015. DOI: 10.1002/0471238961.01091823151206.a01.pub3 |
| encyclopedia article with no author | Lithium-Ion Battery Anodes Produced from Waste Plastic Bags. In AccessScience; AccessScience Eds.; McGraw-Hill Education, 2019. DOI: 10.1036/1097-8542.BR0301191 (last reviewed March 2019). |
| thesis or dissertation | Cable, M. L. Life in Extreme Environments: Lanthanide-Based Detection of Bacterial Spores and Other Sensor Design Pursuits. Ph.D. Dissertation, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA, 2010. http://resolver.caltech.edu/CaltechTHESIS:05102010-145436548 (accessed 2019-09-10). |
| thesis or dissertation in print | Tsien, R. Y. The Design and Use of Organic Chemical Tools in Cellular Physiology. Ph.D. Thesis, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, U.K., 1976. |
| Source type | Example |
|---|---|
| website | ACS Publications Home Page. https://pubs.acs.org/ (accessed 2019-02-21). |
| document from a website | American Chemical Society, Committee on Chemical Safety, Task Force for Safety Education Guidelines. Guidelines for Chemical Laboratory Safety in Academic Institutions. American Chemical Society, 2016. https://www.acs.org/content/dam/acsorg/about/governance/committees/chemicalsafety/publications/acs-safety-guidelines-academic.pdf (accessed 2019-02-21). |
| newspaper | Beauge, J. School District Sued Over Burns Girl Suffered During Chemistry Class Demonstration. PennLive (Harrisburg, PA), November 17, 2018, updated November 17, 2018. https://www.pennlive.com/news/2018/11/school_district_sued_over_burn.html (accessed 2019-02-22). |
| newspaper article from a database | Hawthorn, M. The Evolution of Ethylene Oxide. Chicago Tribune (Chicago, IL), December 23, 2018, 12. https://search.proquest.com/docview/2159847662?accountid=13567 (accessed 2019-09-15 from ProQuest: US Major Dailies Newstream). |
| federal governmental agency publication | Department of Commerce, United States Patent and Trademark Office. Section 706.02 Rejection of Prior Art [R-07.2015]. Manual of Patent Examining Procedure (MPEP), 9th ed., rev. 08.2017, last revised January 2018. https://www.uspto.gov/web/offices/pac/mpep/s706.html#d0e58220 (accessed 2019-03-20). |
| streaming media | American Chemical Society. Game of Thrones Science: Sword Making and Valyrian Steel. Reactions. YouTube, April 15, 2015. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cHRcGoje4j4 (accessed 2019-02-28). |
| Source type | Example |
|---|---|
| SDS | 1,4'-Bipiperidine, 99%; CAS RN: 4897-50-1; B22028; rev. 1; Alfa Aesar, Thermo Fisher Scientific: Fair Lawn, NJ, February 20, 2018. https://www.alfa.com/en/catalog/sds/B22028/ (accessed 2019-10-07). |
| SDS from a third-party provider | Formic Acid, 88%; CAS RN: 64-18-6; A119P-500; rev. 4; Fisher Scientific, One Reagent Lane, Fair Lawn, NJ, January 18, 2018. Retrieved from Canadian Centre for Occupational Health and Safety, Web Information Service. http://ccinfoweb2.ccohs.ca/msds/records/6333749.html (accessed 2019-10-07). |
| Source type | Example |
|---|---|
| conference abstract | Okita, J.; Iwamoto, T.; Kira, M. Novel Synthetic Route for Hydrosilyllithiums. In Book of Abstracts, 2000 International Chemical Congress of Pacific Basin Societies (PACIFICHEM 2000), Honolulu, HI; Paper INOR 216. |
| conference proceedings | Nilsson, A.; Petersson, F.; Persson, H. W.; Jönsson, H.; Laurell, T. Manipulation of Suspended Particles in a Laminar Flow. In Micro Total Analysis Systems 2002, Proceedings of the μTAS 2002 Symposium, Nara, Japan, November 3−7, 2002; Baba, Y., Shoji, S., van den Berg, A., Eds.; Kluwer Academic Publishers: Dordrecht, The Netherlands, 2002; Vol. 2, pp 751−753. DOI: 10.1007/978-94-010-0504-3_50 |
| data from a database | 4-Bromo-2-fluorotoluene. SDBSWeb. National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology. n.d. https://sdbs.db.aist.go.jp (accessed 2019-03-17). (CAS RN: 51436-99-8). |
| database | SpectraBase. Bio-Rad Laboratories. https://spectrabase.com/ (accessed 2020-01-05). |
| patent | Lois-Caballe, C.; Baltimore, D.; Qin, X.-F. Method for Expression of Small RNA Molecules within a Cell. US 7 732 193 B2, 2010. |
| software | Schrödinger Release 2019-3: BioLuminate; Schrödinger, LLC: New York, 2019. https://www.schrodinger.com/products/bioluminate (accessed 2019-09-08). |
| standard | ASTM International. Standard Test Method for Tensile Properties of Plastics; ASTM D638-14; West Conshohocken, PA, 2014. DOI: 10.1520/D0638-14 |
| technical report |
Hung, C.-C.; Hurst, J.; Santiago, D. Boron Nitride Nanoribbons from Exfoliation of Boron Nitride Nanotubes; NASA/TM-2017-219455; National Aeronautics and Space Administration, Glenn Research Center: Cleveland, OH, 2017. https://ntrs.nasa.gov/search.jsp?R=2017000388 (accessed 2019-09-10). This guides makes use of material from an open access chapter published under an ACS AuthorChoice License, which permits copying and redistribution of the chapter or any adaptations for non-commercial purposes. |