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CHEM 2025 fall 2023--Zito: Citation Help

Introductory sources and services for Dr. Zito's Chemistry 2025 students

What Is a Citation?

As a researcher or reader, a citation is the information needed to locate the article (or book) you are interested in reading. As a writer, a citation is the information necessary to help verify your work. Your credibility as a writer and research can be seriously harmed by poor citation style. 

For articles from a database, a complete citation generally includes:

·         The author's name

·         The title of the article

·         The name of the magazine or journal in which it is located

·         The volume number of the magazine or journal (and sometimes the issue number)

·         The page numbers on which the article is located

·         The date when the article was published

            The DOI--or digital object identifier--a unique digital 'fingerprint'

            And when found in a database, the name of that database providing the article

 

Example:    

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).

 

For books, a complete citation generally includes:

·         The author's name

·         The title of the book

·         The publication date

·         The book's publisher

Example: 

Frankel, F. Picturing Science and Engineering; MIT Press, 2018

Thanks to Oregon State University librarians for allowing me to use and embellish on their materials. 

American Chemical Society (ACS) Citation Style

The ACS Style Guide: Effective Communication of Scientific Information (An American Chemical Society Publication) 3rd Edition, is the preferred style guide for researchers working in chemistry and its subfields. There is a print copy in the library stacks (3rd floor) at this call number: QD8.5 .A25 2006.  Most, if not all, the journals published in chemistry use and follow this style for all manuscripts submitted. 

For fast and free access to the guide content,  there is a Quick Guide to ACS Style. 

 

Useful Tool for Collecting Research Citations and Making Reference Lists:

Zotero--a free browser plugin that can help you collect and store your research information and transform it into a bibliography in many styles including the MLA. 

Zotero allows you to start gathering research immediately. Go to Zotero.org and use the Download button to get the latest version. You will want to register for a Zotero account and  login so you can sync your account and participate in groups, if you choose. Be sure to also add the your plugin of choice for word processing--Word or LibreOffice. Whenever  you update your version of Zotero, please also update your word processor plugin--they may not be compatible otherwise.

                         Quick Start Guide                                                                                              Support Guide (all topics)

Check with your professor if he/she has a preference that you work with a particular citation style or edition, and always follow your instructor's preference for citation. Word.

What Is Plagiarism and How to Avoid It