ACS numbers references in order of first appearance as unparenthesized superscript numerals. Authors are written surname first with dotted initials, separated by semicolons.
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In-text citation
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What this style does
Author format is surname, then dotted initials, with semicolons between authors: Yue, Q.; Liu, W.; Zhu, X.
ACS lists up to ten authors; with more than ten, list the first ten followed by et al. This is stated directly in the ACS author guidelines.
Journal references read: authors, article title, abbreviated journal, year, volume (issue), pages, then DOI: and the DOI.
Journal abbreviations follow CASSI (Chemical Abstracts Service Source Index); single-word journal titles are not abbreviated. Enter the abbreviated form yourself — the tool prints what you type.
Book format is Publisher: City, Year — note the publisher comes first, which is the opposite of APA/Harvard.
ACS asks for article and book titles in title case (sentence case is also accepted, but all entries in one paper must be consistent).
How to use it
Pick the source type at the top of the form.
Fill in the fields that apply — leave optional ones empty.
The reference entry and the matching in-text citation update as you type; copy the reference with the button.
Each reference gets one number, placed in the text as an unparenthesized superscript Arabic numeral, numbered consecutively in order of appearance.
How many authors does ACS list?
Up to ten are listed in full. References with more than ten authors list the first ten, followed by et al.
Does ACS require a DOI?
ACS asks authors to list the DOI for journal references, written as DOI: followed by the number. It is also the accepted locator for articles published online ahead of an issue.
Can I cite web pages in ACS style?
This generator covers journal articles and books only. ACS discourages URLs as references because web content changes; for other source types consult the ACS Guide to Scholarly Communication.
Is my input uploaded?
No. Everything is computed in your browser; no data leaves your device.