ACS Citation Format
Superscript numbered citations (¹, ², ³). Standard for JACS, J. Phys. Chem., ACS Nano, and most ACS publications.
The basic formula
In-text: superscript number after the relevant statement.
Reference list: numbered in citation order with full bibliographic details. Authors separated by semicolons; journal abbreviation italic; year before volume.
In-text examples
Recent work¹ confirms the reaction mechanism.
Smith and colleagues² reported a similar yield.
Multiple sources³⁻⁵ support this finding.
Non-consecutive: ¹,⁴,⁷.Reference list examples
Smith, J. A.; Jones, B. R. New synthesis approach. J. Am. Chem. Soc. 2024, 146 (15), 1234-1245.
Smith, J. A. Spectroscopic study of the compound. J. Phys. Chem. A 2024, 128 (10), 5678-5689. https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.jpca.4c00123
Smith, J. A. Modern Organic Chemistry, 3rd ed.; Wiley: New York, 2024.
Smith, J. A. Catalysis. In Modern Organic Chemistry; Jones, B. R., Ed.; Wiley: New York, 2024; Vol. 2, pp 50-75.
Smith, J. A.; Jones, B. R. Method for Compound Synthesis. U.S. Patent 11,234,567, May 1, 2024.
National Institute of Standards. Density of Water. NIST Webbook. https://webbook.nist.gov (accessed 2024-05-01).
Smith, J. A. Novel reaction pathway. ChemRxiv 2024. https://doi.org/10.26434/chemrxiv-2024-abc123 (accessed 2024-05-01).
Reference list rules
- Numbered in citation order (NOT alphabetical).
- Each entry starts with the citation number.
- Authors separated by SEMICOLONS, not commas.
- Journal abbreviated per CASSI list, in italic.
- Format: Year, Volume (Issue), Pages.
- Include DOI when available (encouraged for newer articles).
The achemso LaTeX package
\usepackage{achemso}
% Or: \documentclass[journal=jacsat,manuscript=article]{achemso}
\bibliography{refs.bib} % achemso-formatted references
% \bibliographystyle{achemso} % if not using documentclassThe achemso class targets specific ACS journals (jacsat for JACS, etc.) and produces journal-compliant manuscripts directly.
Common mistakes
- Using commas to separate authors. ACS uses semicolons.
- Alphabetizing the reference list. ACS lists in citation order.
- Period after journal abbreviation. ACS's "J. Am. Chem. Soc." has periods within but no period at the end before the year.
- Spelling out journal names. Use abbreviations from CASSI.
- Wrong order: volume before year. ACS puts year first: "2024, 146 (15), 1234."
TypeTeX's citation generator handles ACS style — paste a DOI and get a properly formatted reference. Free.
Frequently Asked Questions
ACS (American Chemical Society) is the citation style used by chemistry journals like Journal of the American Chemical Society (JACS), Journal of Physical Chemistry, ACS Nano, and most ACS publications. It has three variants: numerical with superscript, numerical with brackets, and author-date. Numerical with superscript (¹) is most common.
Three options depending on journal preference. (1) Superscript: 'Recent work¹ confirms...' (most common). (2) Italic numbers in parens: '(1)' format. (3) Author-date: '(Smith, 2024)'. Always check the specific journal — individual ACS journals can mandate one variant.
Author 1; Author 2; Author 3. Article Title. Journal Abbreviation Year, Volume, Pages. Example: Smith, J. A.; Jones, B. R. New synthesis approach. J. Am. Chem. Soc. 2024, 146 (15), 1234-1245. Note: authors separated by semicolons, journal abbreviation in italic, year before volume.
All authors listed (no et al. cap unless 11+ authors). Format: last name, comma, initials with periods. Authors separated by semicolons. 'Smith, J. A.; Jones, B. R.; Brown, C. D.' For 11+ authors, list first 10 then 'et al.'
ACS uses semicolons between authors (not commas like Vancouver/AMA). Journal title abbreviated in italic with NO end period. Year follows journal title (not at end). DOI optional but encouraged. Most distinctive: full author list typically (no early et al. truncation).
Yes. The achemso package provides ACS-compliant bibliography. \usepackage{achemso} \bibliographystyle{achemso}. Or use natbib with the achemso .bst. The ACS website also provides reference tools — but BibTeX with achemso is the standard for academic chemists.
ACS has its own approved abbreviation list (ACS Style Guide). Common ones: J. Am. Chem. Soc. (JACS), J. Org. Chem., J. Phys. Chem. A/B/C, ACS Nano, Inorg. Chem. Get the full list from CAS Source Index (CASSI) or the ACS Style Guide. Don't invent abbreviations.
Author or Organization. Page Title. Site Name (URL). Accessed Date. Example: National Institute of Standards. Density of Water. NIST Webbook https://webbook.nist.gov (accessed 2024-05-01). Slightly different from journal articles — URL inline, parenthetical access date.
Use #bibliography("refs.bib", style: "american-chemical-society"). Typst's CSL support handles ACS via the standard CSL style file. Or use #bibliography with a downloaded acs-nano.csl from the Zotero Style Repository for journal-specific variants.