Writing Guides

For help on writing an official chemistry report, lab report assignments, or other important items, please refer to the links below:

• ACS - Preparing a Research Report (PDF)
• References (PDF) - This pdf document presents style conventions for citing references within a manuscript and for listing complete reference citations.
• Purdue University - Chem Lab Resources
  • Graphs/Tables - What are common types of graphs and tables? How do I create professional looking graphs/tables? What do I consider when I am interpreting graphs/tables from others?
  • Citing your sources - Why should I cite my sources? What style should I use? Examples? Answers are here.
• ACS - Chem Lab Report Style Guide
• Awesome Recommendation Letter -  Find out what you need to do to make sure your professor writes a killer recommendation letter.

Safety Guides

For the latest ACS Regulations and Policies regarding Lab Safety, please refer to the links below:

• ACS - Doing Things Safely (PDF)
• ACS - Safety in Academic Chemistry Laboratories (PDF)
• 120 Questions That Could Save Your Life
• Safer Demos Through Safety Data Sheets

Poster Guidelines and Tips

Each poster will have its own dedicated poster board that is 4’ tall by 6’ wide (including the frame), so your poster must fit within those dimensions. You will need to include key information, such as a title, authors and their affiliations, an introduction, methods, results, discussion, a conclusion that covers future work, acknowledgments, and references. Remember that you will be present at your poster, and figures and graphics are much better starting points for discussion than paragraphs, so try to limit the amount of text by using just enough to help tell your story. Any figures, images, and text should be large enough to read clearly from a few feet away. 

Surviving Your First ACS Undergraduate Poster Presentation (PDF)
Speaking Tips for Presenting a Poster (PDF)

These tips were found at Getting Ready for the ACS National Meeting