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CHEM0350 Organic Chemistry Lab

Tips for Success: Citing Your Sources

Please read the following information closely.  You will be expected to cite your sources correctly.

The citation style used for this course is based on the American Chemical Society (ACS) style.

Examples will need to be modifed to accurately reflect your sources.  Check your information and format carefully!  Note that the text boxes in the Chemical Literature Assignment only allow plain text.  Therefore, you will not be expected to include bold and italicized text in your citations for this assignment.

Names of tables should be cited wherever possible.

Do not cite patents.

Electronic Resources

See Electronic Resources box below for format and examples.

Reaxys is a database that indexes published articles.  You must cite the article, not the database.  The format for electronic copies of articles is similar to print articles, with a few changes.

Date accessed must be included in the citation.

If the resource does not have page numbers (e.g. CRC Handbook of Chemistry and Physics, Knovel Critical Tables or The Merck Index Online), then include the name of the table from which you obtained the answers AND specific substance identification information, i.e. CAS RN (CRC Handbook of Chemistry and Physics and Knovel Critical Tables) or monograph number (The Merck Index Online).

When the answers for different compounds come from the same resource, create one citation and enter the CAS RN for the first answer followed by the CAS RN for the second answer, with a comma separating the two numbers.  This also applies to the Merck monograph number.  For Knovel Critical Tables, use the the citation information, especially the URL, provided when you click on the 'Citation' button in Knovel.

For original research articles, you can find the Digital Object Identifier (DOI) on the library's Interlibrary Loan page, the publisher's access page to the article, or in the PDF of the article itself.

The URL of the DOI is a persistent link to the article, which appears as: https://dx.doi.org/DOI.  The first part of the URL is always the same, DOI should be replaced with the DOI for your article.  In this example, the portion highlighted in yellow has been replaced with an actual DOI: https://dx.doi.org/10.1021/ja202375y.

Print Resources

See Print Resources box below for format and examples.

Electronic Resources

CRC Handbook of Chemistry and Physics and Knovel Critical Tables

CAS RN, CAS RN. Table Name. In Book Title [Online], Edition Number; Editor 1, Editor 2, Eds.; Publisher, Year. URL (accessed Month Day, Year)

Examples of styles are provided and like any examples, they may need to be modified when applied to actual resources.  Details from editor names, publication dates, to edition numbers and CAS RNs will likely need to be corrected so that the citation is accurate.

60-12-8. Physical Constants of Organic Compounds. In CRC Handbook of Chemistry and Physics [Online], 95th ed; Haynes, W. M., Ed.; CRC Press, 2014-2015. http://hbcponline.com/ (accessed January 15, 2015)

67-56-1. Basic Physical Properties of Chemical Compounds. In Knovel Critical Tables [Online], 2nd ed.; Knovel Corporation, 2008. http://app.knovel.com/hotlink/toc/id:kpKCTE000X/knovel-critical-tables/knovel-critical-tables (accessed January 8, 2015)

The Merck Index Online

CAS RN. Database Title; Publisher, Year; Monograph ID. URL (accessed Month Day, Year)

65-85-0, 9004-62-0. The Merck Index Online; Royal Society of Chemistry, 2015; M2363, M5978. https://www.rsc.org/merck-index (accessed January 15, 2015)

Journal Articles

Author 1 (Last name, Initials.); Author 2; Author 3. Article Title. Journal title [Online], Year of Publication, Volume Number (if no volume, use issue number), Inclusive Pagination. URL of the DOI (accessed Month Day, Year)

Continue until you have listed all authors, not just the first 3.  Do not change the order of the authors listed.

Lagaditis, P. O.; Lough, A. J.; Morris, R. H. Low-valent ene-amido iron complexes for the asymmetric transfer hydrogenation of acetophenone without base. Journal of the American Chemical Society [Online], 2011, 133, 9662-9665. https://dx.doi.org/10.1021/ja202375y (accessed January 14, 2015)

eBooks

Book Chapter with Author and Editor

Author 1 (Last name, Initials.); Author 2; Author 3. Book Chapter. In Book Title [Online], Edition (# ed.); Editor 1 (Last name, Initials.); Editor 2, Ed(s).; Publisher Name: Place of Publication, Year of Publication; Pages (pp range or p single). URL (accessed Month Day, Year)

Azeez, S. Cumin. In Chemistry of Spices [Online]; Parthasarathy, V.A.; Chempakam, B.; Zachariah, T.J., Eds.; CAB International: Wallingford, UK, 2008; pp 211-226. http://site.ebrary.com.revproxy.brown.edu/lib/brown/detail.action?docID=10236960 (accessed September 26, 2016)

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Print Resources

Books with Authors

Author 1 (Last name, Initials.); Author 2; Author 3. Book Title, Edition (# ed.); Publisher Name: Place of Publication, Year of Publication; Pages (pp range or p single).

Sorrel, T.N. Organic Chemistry, 2nd ed.; University Science Books: Sausalito, CA, 2006; pp 59-63.

Books with Editors

Book Title, Edition (# ed.); Editor 1 (Last name, Initials.); Editor 2, Ed(s).; Publisher Name: Place of Publication, Year of Publication; Pages (pp range or p single).

CRC Handbook of Chemistry and Physics, 85th ed.; Lide, D.R., Ed.; CRC Press: Boca Raton, FL, 2004; pp 3-150.

Books with Neither an Author nor Editor

Book Title, Edition (# ed.); Publisher Name: Place of Publication, Year of Publication; Pages (pp range or p single).

Journal Articles

Author 1 (Last name, Initials.); Author 2; Author 3. Article Title. Journal Title, Year of Publication, Volume Number (if no volume, use issue number), Inclusive Pagination.

Lagaditis, P. O.; Lough, A. J.; Morris, R. H. Low-valent ene-amido iron complexes for the asymmetric transfer hydrogenation of acetophenone without base. Journal of the American Chemical Society, 2011, 133, 9662-9665.

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