We are pleased to announce that our journal is adopting a new referencing style. Beginning with the upcoming Volume 15 in 2025, we will transition from the American Chemical Society (ACS) citation style to the American Psychological Association (APA) citation style. This change reflects our commitment to adapting to our journal's evolving multidisciplinary scope, thereby facilitating broader accessibility and alignment with the referencing standards of a wider research community.

While both the ACS and APA styles ensure clear, consistent attribution of sources, they cater to different academic traditions and fields as follows:

1. In-Text Citations

ACS Style: Citations in the text may appear as superscript numbers, italicized numbers in parentheses, or author–date formats, although the numerical system is often preferred.

APA Style: Predominantly used in social sciences, the in-text citations use an author–date format, making it easy to identify the source’s recency directly in the text.

2. Reference List Format

ACS Style: The reference list is numbered in the order of citation, which helps readers locate sources based on the citation sequence.

APA Style: The reference list is arranged alphabetically by the author’s last name, allowing for easy lookup by author. Each reference includes the author(s), publication year, title (in sentence case), journal title, volume, and page range.

3. Emphasis on Publication Date

ACS Style: This style emphasizes the ordering of references by appearance, which is more compatible with research in chemistry where the sequence of research steps is often key.

APA Style: This style prioritizes the publication date in citations, as timeliness is especially crucial in social sciences.

We encourage authors to refer to the APA Publication Manual, 7th Edition, for the detailed guidelines.

Thank you for your attention and cooperation as we undertake this important shift to better serve our community’s needs.