Scribbr ACS Citation Generator
Accurate ACS citations, verified by experts, trusted by millions.
Save hours of repetitive work with Scribbr's ACS Citation Generator.
Stop wasting hours figuring out the correct citation format. With Scribbr's citation generator, you can search for your source by title, URL, ISBN, or DOI and generate accurate ACS citations in seconds. No experience needed.
| ⚙️ Styles | ACS |
|---|---|
| 📚 Sources | Websites, books, articles |
| 🔎 Autocite | Search by title, URL, DOI, ISBN |
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Start citingCitation Generator features you'll love
Autocite
Search for your source by title, URL, DOI, ISBN, and more to retrieve the relevant information automatically.
ACS style
Scribbr's Citation Generator supports ACS (as well as MLA, APA and Harvard). No matter what edition you're using, we’ve got you covered!
Export to Bib(La)TeX
Easily export in BibTeX format and continue working in your favorite LaTeX editor.
Export to Word
Reference list finished? Export to Word with perfect indentation and spacing set up for you.
Sorting, grouping, and filtering
Organize the reference list the way you want: from A to Z, new to old, or grouped by source type.
Save multiple lists
Stay organized by creating a separate reference list for each of your assignments.
Fonts
Choose between Times New Roman, Arial, Calibri, and more options to match your style.
Industry-standard technology
The Scribbr Citation Generator is built using the same citation software (CSL) as Mendeley and Zotero, but with an added layer for improved accuracy.
Annotations
Create perfectly formatted annotated bibliographies with just a few clicks.
Quick tips
Explanatory tips help you get the details right to ensure accurate citations.
Secure backup
Your work is saved automatically after every change and stored securely in your Scribbr account.
How to cite in ACS style
ACS style is a way of citing your sources by providing full information on them all in a numbered reference list at the end of your paper and referring to them by means of the corresponding number in the text.
ACS stands for the American Chemical Society, the organization responsible for the ACS Guide to Scholarly Communication, which explains the rules of the style. ACS style is widely used in the discipline of chemistry.
Scribbr’s free citation generator can create accurate ACS style citations for a wide variety of sources.
- Cite a webpage
- Cite a book
- Cite a journal article
- Cite a YouTube video
ACS references
The basics
The numbered reference list appears at the end of your text, providing full information on all the sources you’ve cited. Sources are numbered in the order in which they were first cited.
A reference entry tends to list the author, title, publisher or publication that contains the source, publication date, and URL and DOI if relevant.
Reference examples
References for different source types contain different details, based on what information is available and useful for identifying the source in question. Explore the tabs to see formats and examples for common source types.
| Format | Author last name, Initial(s). Page title. URL (accessed Year–Month–Day). |
|---|---|
| Example | 1. Bevans, R. Test Statistics | Definition, Interpretation, and Examples. https://www.scribbr.com/statistics/test-statistic/ (accessed 2022-11-10). |
Missing information
When some of the information you need for the reference is missing, you can work around this in various ways, depending on what information is unavailable.
| Missing element | What to do | Parenthetical citation |
|---|---|---|
| No author | List the organization that published the source in the author position.
If there’s no organization to list, start the reference entry with the source title instead. | 1. Scribbr. Test Statistics | Definition, Interpretation, and Examples. https://www.scribbr.com/statistics/test-statistic/ (accessed 2022-11-10).
2. Test Statistics | Definition, Interpretation, and Examples. https://www.scribbr.com/statistics/test-statistic/ (accessed 2022-11-10). |
| No date | For a webpage, just include an access date.
For other kinds of sources that normally require a date, replace this element with “n.d.” (which stands for “no date”). | 3. Bevans, R. Test Statistics | Definition, Interpretation, and Examples.) https://www.scribbr.com/statistics/test-statistic/ (accessed 2022-11-10).
4. Stevens, E. S. Green Plastics: An Introduction to the New Science of Biodegradable Plastics; Princeton University Press, n.d. |
ACS Citation Generator
Generate accurate ACS citations in seconds
ACS in-text citations
The basics
In-text citations in ACS style consist of the number of the relevant reference entry, either italicized and in parentheses (1) or in superscript.1 You should stick to one of these styles, not a mix of the two. Include a citation whenever you quote or paraphrase a source.
Each source has one number. If you cite a source more than once, use the same number each time.
Naming authors
It’s not mandatory to name the author of a source when citing it in ACS style, but you can do so if you want. When you cite a source with two or more authors, mention the first name followed by “et al.” (which means “and others”).
| Example | |
|---|---|
| 1 author | This point is supported by Rosaria (1). |
| 2 authors | Kenneth and Arran (2) point out that … |
| 3+ authors | As indicated by Iuliana et al. (3), … |
| Author(s) not mentioned | Another study (4) suggests that … |
Multiple citations at the same point
Sometimes, you may want to cite multiple sources at the same point in your text. You can do this by combining them with an en dash or with commas.
| Example with parentheses | Example with superscript | |
|---|---|---|
| One source | (11) | 11 |
| Nonconsecutive sources | (10, 12) | 10,12 |
| Range of sources | (13–15) | 13–15 |
| Both | (4, 7–10, 14) | 4,7–10,14 |
ACS Citation Generator
Generate accurate ACS citations in seconds
Tools and resources
In addition to the ACS Citation Generator, Scribbr provides many more tools and resources that help millions of students and academics every month.
- Citation Generator: Generate flawless citations in AMA, APA, ASA, MLA, and Harvard style.
- Citation Checker: Upload your paper and have artificial intelligence check your citations for errors and inconsistencies.
- Free plagiarism checker: Detect plagiarism with unparalleled accuracy with Scribbr’s
free plagiarism checker. - AI Proofreader: Upload and improve unlimited documents and earn higher grades on your assignments. Try it for free!
- Paraphrasing tool: Avoid accidental plagiarism and make your text sound better.
- Grammar checker: Eliminate pesky spelling and grammar mistakes.
- Summarizer: Read more in less time. Distill lengthy and complex texts down to their key points.
- AI detector: Find out if your text was written with ChatGPT or any other AI writing tool. ChatGPT 2 & ChatGPT 3 supported.
- Proofreading services: Have a professional editor (or team of editors) improve your writing so you can submit your paper with pride and confidence. Scribbr offers admission essay editing, paper editing, and academic editing.
- Guides and videos: Explore hundreds of articles, bite-sized videos, time-saving templates, and handy checklists that guide you through the process of research, writing, and citation.