ACS Catalysis Formatting Requirements: Complete Author Guide

The abstract follows the rules in the ACS Catalysis author guidelines.

• Word limit: Article abstracts are typically limited to 300 words; Letter abstracts are under 100 words

• Required for: Articles, Letters, Perspectives and Reviews (Viewpoints have no abstract)

• Content: the purpose of the research (if it is not in the title), the principal results, and the major conclusions

• Wording: "New", "First" and "Novel" are generally disallowed, and "superb", "excellent", "exceptional", "outstanding" and similar words may not be used unless rigorously supported by a thorough comparison with the state of the art in the manuscript

Your abstract should state the problem, the approach, the primary results with quantitative data, and the broader implications. For catalysis papers, editors expect specific performance metrics in the abstract: turnover frequencies, selectivities, conversions, overpotentials, or whatever the relevant metrics are for your catalytic system. "We report a highly active catalyst" isn't useful. "We report a Pd/CeO2 catalyst achieving 98% selectivity for CO2 hydrogenation to methanol at 200 degrees C with a TOF of 0.45 per second" gives readers what they need.

ACS Catalysis doesn't require a separate graphical abstract, but the TOC graphic serves a similar purpose and is mandatory (see below).

Every ACS Catalysis submission must include a TOC graphic. This is a non-negotiable part of the ACS submission process, and it's one of the most visible elements of your published paper.

TOC graphic specifications:

• Dimensions: the journal checklist gives 3.33 inches wide by 1.87 inches tall, while the ACS TOC guide says the graphic should fit an area no larger than 3.25 inches by 1.75 inches (about 8.25 cm by 4.45 cm); use the smaller size, since the two ACS documents differ

• File: TIF at 300 dpi for color and 1200 dpi for black and white, or EPS in RGB color mode with all fonts converted to outlines or embedded

• Form: a structure, graph, drawing, photograph, or scheme, or a combination

• Text: usually limited to labeling of compounds, reaction arrows, and diagrams, in a sans serif font such as Helvetica, preferably 8 pt and no smaller than 6 pt

• Content: entirely original, unpublished artwork created by one of the coauthors, with no photograph, drawing, or caricature of any person and no trademarked items

• Color: encouraged, and color reproduction of graphics is provided at no additional cost to the author

The TOC graphic appears in the journal's table of contents, in ACS search results, and on social media when the paper is shared. For catalysis papers, effective TOC graphics typically show the catalytic system, the reaction scheme, or a simplified mechanism. Don't try to represent every experiment. Pick the one result that captures the paper's contribution and illustrate it clearly.

Common problems with TOC graphics include wrong dimensions, excessive text, low resolution, and graphics that are too complex to understand at thumbnail size. The ACS guide asks for a graphic that is simple but informative and gives a quick visual impression of the essence of the manuscript without providing specific results.

ACS Catalysis follows ACS-wide figure formatting standards. The guidelines publish no figure limit for Articles.

Figure formatting requirements:

Table formatting: The guidelines prefer tables made with the word processor's table format feature, with each data entry in its own cell. Each table needs a brief title, details go in footnotes, and footnotes use letter designations cited in the table by italic superscript letters.

Schemes: Catalysis papers frequently include reaction schemes. The guidelines ask for chemical structures to be drawn with a program such as ChemDraw, using the ACS Stylesheet settings. Schemes are numbered consecutively with Arabic numerals, separately from figures (Scheme 1, Scheme 2, etc.) and should have clear arrow labels showing reagents, conditions, and products.

Color figures: The author guidelines say color reproduction of graphics is provided at no additional cost to the author. Graphics intended to appear in black and white or grayscale should not be submitted in color.

For the first submission, the author guidelines say references can be provided in any style, but they must be complete, including titles, and they point to the ACS Style Quick Guide for the required components of each reference type. The ACS style below is a safe choice if you want your reference list ready for revision.

In-text citations: Superscript numbers in order of first appearance. Multiple citations grouped as superscript ranges (e.g., ^1-3^ or ^1,4,7^).

Reference list format:

(1) Author, A. B.; Author, C. D. Title of Article. Journal Abbreviation Year, Volume, Pages. DOI.

Typical ACS style details (check the ACS Style Quick Guide):

• Author names: Last name, initials with periods, no spaces between initials

• Semicolons separate authors (not commas)

• Journal titles abbreviated per CASSI (Chemical Abstracts Service Source Index)

• Year follows the journal abbreviation in italics

• Volume in bold, followed by comma and page range

• Include the DOI where a reference has one

• For books: Author, A. B. Title of Book; Publisher: City, Year.

Example journal article (illustrative only, not a real citation):

(1) Wang, L.; Chen, X.; Patel, R. K. Atomically Dispersed Iron Sites on Nitrogen-Doped Carbon for Selective CO2 Reduction. ACS Catal. 2026, 16, 4521-4533. DOI: 10.1021/acscatal.6b00123.

Reference managers with an ACS style can handle most of this formatting. Don't manually reformat references that have been generated by a reference manager unless there's a visible error.

1. Methods go in a separate section of the main text. Articles describing original research must include a separate Methods section within the main text, either before or after Results and Discussion, and computational detail must be sufficient to reproduce the calculations, either in the paper or in the Supporting Information. DFT parameters, basis sets, functionals, and software versions should be clearly reported.

2. TOF and kinetic data reporting conventions. The scope statement expects catalysts to be characterized, to the extent possible, by turnover frequencies and fundamental kinetic parameters, and the guidelines say catalytic measurement conditions should always be specified in full in the main text. As good practice, state the temperature, pressure and conversion level for each TOF, say what selectivity values are normalized to, and give units and temperature for rate constants.

3. Catalyst characterization standards. The author guidelines say solid state materials, such as heterogeneous catalysts, must be characterized in such a way as to sufficiently describe their structure and composition, that atomic ratios and elemental compositions must be provided, and that X-ray diffraction data should be provided for crystalline materials. Which other techniques fit (BET, TEM/SEM, XPS) depends on the catalyst.

4. Supporting Information as separate files. The guidelines say Supporting Information must be submitted as separate file(s) at the same time as the manuscript, with a brief, nonsentence description of each file's contents, including the file type extension. Label items Table S1, Figure S1, Scheme S1, and so on.

5. Acknowledgments, ORCID and disclosures. The guidelines say ORCID iDs should not be typed into the manuscript, the corresponding author gives the conflict of interest statement in the submission system, and funding sources are entered both in the submission system and in the manuscript. ACS asks for disclosure of AI tool use in the Acknowledgments section, so read our ACS Catalysis AI policy guide before you finalize that section, so the disclosure lands where ACS expects it.

6. No separate Conclusions section required. ACS Catalysis allows a Conclusions section but doesn't require one. Many papers end with a combined Results and Discussion section. If you do include Conclusions, keep them brief and avoid restating results verbatim.

7. Cover art consideration. The guidelines encourage authors to submit images for the front cover or Supplementary Covers when they submit a revised manuscript. Cover images should be 8.19 by 10.00 inches (20.80 by 25.40 cm), at least 300 dpi for pixel-based images, in TIF, JPG, PNG or EPS format, with a legend of under 50 words, and the journal title covers the top 2 inches of the image. The cover image should not resemble a graphical abstract or data figure.

A standard ACS Catalysis Research Article follows this order:

1. Title (specific, descriptive, no unnecessary abbreviations)

1. Author names and affiliations (with superscript numbering)

1. Abstract (Articles typically up to 300 words)

1. Introduction (context, gap, and study objectives)

1. Methods (a separate section in the main text for original research Articles)

1. Results and Discussion (combined or separate)

1. Conclusions (optional but common)

1. Acknowledgments and disclosures (funding, conflict of interest statement, AI tool disclosure)

1. References

1. TOC Graphic (labelled "For Table of Contents Only" on the last page of the manuscript; it can also be uploaded as "Graphics for manuscript")

1. Figures and Tables (embedded in the text at the point of relevance)

1. Supporting Information (separate file or files)

The Introduction should be a separate section that states the scientific motivation and ends with a clear statement of what the study does. Don't write a mini-review in the Introduction. ACS Catalysis editors want you to get to the point quickly and save the literature context for what's directly relevant to your work.

These errors are worth avoiding at ACS Catalysis:

• Missing or incorrectly sized TOC graphic

• Incomplete references (the guidelines require complete references, including titles)

• Incomplete catalyst characterization data in the main text

• Reporting catalytic performance without specifying conditions (temperature, pressure, time)

• Supporting Information without a brief description of each file's contents

• No validated ORCID iD when submitting a revision, which the guidelines require of the submitting author

For more on publishing strategy at this journal, see our ACS Catalysis submission guide and our guide on how to avoid desk rejection at ACS Catalysis. If you're weighing journal options, the ACS Catalysis impact factor page has up-to-date metrics.

For the official formatting specifications, visit the ACS Catalysis author guidelines.

For manuscripts targeting ACS Catalysis, four patterns generate the most consistent desk-rejection outcomes.

Catalytic activity reported without mechanistic interpretation. ACS Catalysis's author guidelines ask for original research on molecules, macromolecules or materials that exhibit catalytic turnover, and say manuscripts essentially reporting data or applications of data are generally not suitable. Studies that report turnover frequencies, selectivities, or yields for a new catalyst system without elucidating the mechanism, active site, or structure-activity relationship are desk rejected for scope. Catalyst screening papers that achieve high performance without identifying why the optimum system works are consistently returned. Reviewers specifically ask: "What new mechanistic understanding does this contribute beyond the activity data?"

Stability and recyclability data missing for heterogeneous catalysts. ACS Catalysis reviewers treat long-term stability as a required element for heterogeneous catalyst papers. Manuscripts reporting impressive initial TON or selectivity data without catalyst characterization after multiple cycles, or without leaching tests for metal catalysts in solution, generate major revision requests. Papers presenting only 3 recycle runs without structural characterization of the spent catalyst are routinely asked for additional data.

TOC graphic not meeting ACS format. ACS Catalysis requires a TOC graphic, and the ACS guide says it should fit an area no larger than 3.25 x 1.75 inches, saved as TIF at 300 dpi for color. The catalysis community frequently submits catalytic cycle diagrams or energy profiles that have been formatted for other journals (often wider aspect ratios). Rescaling these to ACS Catalysis dimensions distorts the diagram and fails the resolution check. The TOC graphic must be built for the ACS landscape format.

Homogeneous catalyst study without substrate scope or functional group tolerance. For new homogeneous catalyst systems, ACS Catalysis reviewers expect a substrate scope table demonstrating the catalyst's applicability across structurally diverse substrates, with limitations noted. A single-substrate proof-of-concept with extensive mechanistic characterization does not meet the standard unless the mechanism itself is the central contribution.

A ACS Catalysis submission readiness check evaluates mechanistic content, stability data, TOC graphic compliance, and substrate scope against these patterns.