Caltech subscribes to many journals in electronic format. However, we may not have electronic access to all issues for a given title. For some titles, we may only have access for the past few years, or back to a certain volume or year. If we do not have access to an older issue of a title, check the Catalog. Also please note that we may have access to different years through different electronic sources.
A tricky part of deciphering citations is figuring out the Journal Abbreviation. There are a few tools to help you do this:
The complete American Chemical Society (ACS) Style Guide (3rd Edition, 2006) is available online and also in print in the Reference Section of the Sherman Fairchild Library, call number QD8.5.A25 2006. Chapter 14 specifically deals with citations. Relevant information about citations presented here draws on that book, as well as general ACS publications.
A typical ACS journal citation follows the following basic style:
Bunnett, J. F.; Kearley, F. J., Jr.; J. Org. Chem., 1971, 36, 184-186.
Sometimes you will see the title given between the author names and the journal abbreviation, but usually not. This is because titles can be very long and include non-standard symbols or fonts. You can find details in Chapter 14 of the ACS Style Guide. However, you should be able to locate the indicated article from the information given.
Not all ACS journals follow this format! It is always a good idea to double-check the journal homepage for format information! Some examples are linked here: