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Chemistry

This guide supports MCPHS Chemistry research and classwork, serving as a quick resource for finding articles, books, and chemistry web tools.

What's On This Page?

On this page you'll find the resources we recommend for citing, organizing, and using your resources. You will also learn more about American Chemical Society (ACS) Style, used in Chemistry coursework and research projects at MCPHS.

ACS Style Resources

ACS Style Examples

Quick Citation Generator

To use Zbib to generate citations in ACS style:
1) Enter information about your source.
2) Click on the blue bar below "Bibliography"
3) Click on "10,000+ other styles available..."
4) Type American Chemical Society in the search box
5) Click the Add button. Your citation will be reformatted to approximate ACS style.
6) Important! Check to make sure that the format is correct. Citations often need adjustments!

  • If the journal you are citing is not a traditional Chemistry journal, (for example, Journal of Alzheimers' Disease), check the CAS Source Index to see if there is a CASSI abbreviation for your journal title.  
  • If there is not an official CASSI abbreviation for the journal you are citing, include the full journal title in your citation, like this:

del Valle, E.; Navarro, A.; Martínez-Pinilla, E.; Torices, S.; Tolivia, J. Apo J and Apo D: Complementary or Antagonistic Roles in Alzheimer’s Disease? Journal of Alzheimer's Disease 2016, 53 (2), 639–650. https://doi.org/10.3233/JAD-160032.

Citation Managers

Citation managers are amazing tools that can assist you during the research process. Using citation mangers is a way for you to collect, manage, and organize citations for all the articles, books and other sources you find. You can use them to create reference lists in a wide range of styles, do in-text citations, and share articles and citations with colleagues.

The citation managers that MCPHS supports are Zotero and EndNote.

Using Your Sources: Quoting, Summarizing, and Paraphrasing

Summarize, paraphrase, and quote to include others' ideas in your own writing.

  • Summarize: Condense the information to a few general statements. Summarize when you find the same information in many sources. Summarize when one source provides a lot of context for your project.
  • Paraphrase: Put the information in your own words. Paraphrase when one idea is important but the exact wording does not matter. You will often find paraphrasing useful if multiple sources have similar information.
  • Quote: Use a small portion of another person's words, exactly as that person wrote or said them. Put quotation marks around the words or phrases you borrowed. Quote when information is unique to one source and is not easy to reword. Quote when one source uses especially compelling language.

Helpful Tips

  • Are you working on an assignment?  Check the instructions for any specific citation requirements.  If you don't find any, reach out to your professor! 
  • The MCPHS Writing Center
    • The Writing Center is a great place to receive feedback about how you can improve your writing.  Their friendly experts can coach you through the process of drafting and revising essays, reports, presentations, personal statements for professional and graduate school—anything where clear written communication is important. They can help you with everything from presentation of ideas, to citation style, to grammar errors. Even before you start writing, the tutors are happy to discuss your ideas for a paper. Schedule an appointment with the Writing Center. Learn more about with the Writing Center and the process for scheduling an appointment in the MCPHS Writing Center LibGuide.
  • The Center for Academic Success and Enrichment (CASE)
    • CASE provides academic support services to students across all three campuses. CASE works with students to maximize their potential by introducing them to the strategies that will make them more efficient, effective, and independent learners. Reach out to CASE.
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