ACS Citation Generator

Generate ACS-style citations for journal articles, websites and books — enter the details and copy a correctly formatted ACS reference.

How to cite in ACS style

ACS (American Chemical Society) style is used throughout chemistry. References can be cited by superscript number, italic number, or author-date. Authors are listed surname-first with spaced initials and periods (Smith, J. A.), separated by semicolons.

Journal: Author, A. A.; Author, B. B. Title. Journal Abbrev. Year, Volume, Pages.

For example: Smith, J. A.; Doe, R. B. Effects of Sunlight on Mood. J. Wellbeing 2020, 12, 45-52. Switch the source type above to format a website or a book in ACS style. The citation is built as you type, ready to copy.

Other styles: AMA, Chicago, IEEE, Turabian, CSE.

Frequently asked questions

How do you cite a journal article in ACS style?

ACS format is: Author, A. A.; Author, B. B. Title of Article. Journal Abbrev. Year, Volume, Pages. For example: Smith, J. A.; Doe, R. B. Effects of Sunlight on Mood. J. Wellbeing 2020, 12, 45-52.

How are authors formatted in ACS references?

ACS lists each author as surname, comma, then spaced initials with periods (Smith, J. A.), separating authors with semicolons.

Is this ACS citation generator free?

Yes — completely free with no account. Enter your source, choose the type, and copy the ACS citation.

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