When and why to cite?
A citation is the quoting, paraphrasing, or summarizing of someone else's work, or recognition of previous work which is used as a basis for your own ideas and research.
- Citations give credibility to your work by showing that you've consulted other research, and strengthen your work by putting it into meaningful context.
- A citation should provide readers with enough information in order to easily locate the original work.
Citation styles
When writing your references, there are many different styles and formats to choose from. These styles are usually specific to subjects, or even journals, in order to make citations consistent for ease of use.
In Chemistry, we recommend following the Style Guide of the American Chemical Society (ACS).
This guide was prepared by Geneviève Boice and Shahira Khair. It can be modified and reused freely under a CC-BY license. 