asa essay format sample

ASA Style and Format

• Introduction

Manuscript Sections

Headings & subheadings.

• In-Text Citations

Text must be in 12-point Times or Times New Roman font. All text should be double-spaced except for block quotes.

Structure your paper using the following sections:

• Title page: Includes full title followed by an asterisk, name(s) and institution(s) of author(s), a complete word count, running head, and a title footnote with name and address of author(s), acknowledgments, credits, and grant information (if any).
• Abstract: Begin on a new page headed by the title. Brief, jargon-free paragraph (less than 200 words) summarizing the work, followed by three to five key words.
• Body: Begin on a new page headed by the title. Use headings and subheadings after the introduction.
• Notes: Footnotes and endnotes should be indicated in the text with superscripted numbers. The notes can be typed at the bottom of the page (footnotes) or in a separate section labeled Notes or Endnotes. Do only one or the other; not both. Begin each note with its superscript number.
• References: List alphabetically in a new section labeled References.
• Appendices: If more than one, label Appendix A, Appendix B, etc. Appendices should be labeled with a title.

FIRST-LEVEL HEAD

First-level headings are all in caps and left-justified. Start using headings after the introduction.

Second-Level Head

Second-level headings are italicized, left-justified, and all words except prepositions and conjunctions are capitalized.

            Third-level head.

Third-level headings are italicized, indented, end with a period, and only the first word and any proper nouns are capitalized.

• ASA Sample Paper (Word)

See PDF for a visual layout and feel free to use the Word document as a template.

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• Subjects: Sociology
• Tags: american sociological association , citations , formatting , style guides

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Resources on ASA Style

• ASA Style Guide – Seventh Edition (2022) Cheat Sheet Prepared by Jayne Baker, University of Toronto Mississauga, based on the ASA style guide, 7th edition, © 2022 by the American Sociological Association.
• American Sociological Association (ASA) Style Guide, 5th Edition The fifth edition of the ASA Style Guide is the authoritative reference for writing, submitting, editing, and copyediting manuscripts for ASA journals and other publications following ASA's unique format. This revised, expanded edition features guidelines for the most common situations encountered by authors and editors. New features include revisions to reference formatting and additional information on grammar. In addition, updated reference examples, including citing social media sources and journal articles posted online ahead of print, are included in this new edition. This guide also has been updated based on the 16th edition of the Chicago Manual of Style, on which much of ASA style is based.
• Purdue Online Writing Lab (OWL): ASA Style Brought to you by the folks at Purdue University, this resource covers American Sociological Association (ASA) style and includes information about manuscript formatting, in-text citations, formatting the references page, and accepted manuscript writing style. The bibliographical format described here is taken from the American Sociological Association (ASA) Style Guide, 5th edition.
• ASA Information for Authors The information and links on this American Sociological Association (ASA) webpage will assist you in preparing your manuscript for submission to an ASA journal.
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ASA Citation Format - American Sociological Association

• Introduction to ASA Citation Format
• In-Text Citation Format
• Reference Page Format

American Sociological Association (ASA) Style Guide

The American Sociological Association published its first style guide in 1997 to formalize publication standards for sociological research and writing.  It is the authoritative reference for writing, submitting, editing, and copyediting manuscripts for ASA journals and other publications following ASA's unique format. 

In 2019, the ASA released the sixth edition of the style guide, which features guidelines for the most common situations encountered by authors and editors. New features include reference formatting and additional information on grammar, as well as expanded information on the use of electronic, digital, and social media sources ( ASA, 2019 ). 

The ASA Style Guide is published in print version only. However, they have put many of their general guidelines online. To access information on ASA citations, you may:

• Refer to the print copy we keep at King Library , available for use for two hours at a time from the first floor reserves desk;
• Use an online writing tutorial such as the one managed by Purdue's Online Writing Lab ; 
• Refer to the fundamentals on this subject guide, using the links on the left to navigate. 
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• Last Updated: Sep 17, 2022 2:34 PM
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TAFT COLLEGE

ASA Style Guide, 5th Edition: ASA Style Guide

• ASA Style Guide
• Reference format

Introduction

SOCIOLOGY: ASA Style Guide 5th edition  

The American Sociological Association Style Guide is intended for authors who are preparing manuscripts for publication in ASA journals. This handout is intended for students who are instructed to use "ASA style" when writing research papers. 

• ASA Quick Guide A quick style guide from ASA
• ASA Research Paper Template PDF A research paper template for ASA style guide in PDF format
• ASA Research Paper Template A MS Word document that you can modify for your own work.

A quick guide is also available at the Purdue OWL Writing Lab webpage

Manuscript Format

• All text (including footnotes, references, and endnote) must be doubled spaced .
• Text must be in 12-point Times New Roman (Times is also acceptable)
• Block quotes may be single-spaced . 
• Margins must be at least 1.25 inches on all four sides
• A separate title page including title of paper, author(s) and institution(s) of author(s) (list vertically if more than one author).
• If required, on a separate page provide a short (150-200 word) abstract headed with the title.
• Begin the text of the paper on a separate page headed with the title of the paper.

Citing within your text

Basic form for citations in the text includes the last name of the author(s) and year of publication. Include page number when you quote directly from the work or refer to specific passages.

  If you are including the author’s name in your text, follow it with the publication year in parentheses: Jelin (1977) indicates similar patterns for women in Argentina.  If you are referring to an idea or theory but not citing the author  in the text, enclose the last name and year in parentheses: Women also migrate to become involved in petty trade (Arizpe 1978)... If citing two or more works by the same author: According to William J. Wilson (1978, 1987) race and class play a significant role in today's society.   If citing works by several authors: After the Civil Rights movement a growing number of racial/ethnic scholars such as Almaguer (1975), Barrera (1978), and Takaki (1979) challenged...  or  The subjects of this study seemed to perform their duties as determined by the institutional arrangements within which they worked (Watson, Kumar, and Michaelsen 1993; Cox, Lobel, and McLoed 1991; Fitzgerald 1993). 

For three or more authors, give all last names in the first citation in the text; afterwards use the first name and et al.: (Holland, Holt, Levi, and Beckett 1983)  thereafter (Holland et al. 1989) or Holland, Holt, Levi, and Beckett (1983) stated...   thereafter Holland et al. (1989) refer to...

Pagination follows the year of publication after a colon, with no space between the colon and the page number : ...Arizpe (1978:71) Quotations in the text that begin and end with quotation marks, the citation follows the end quote mark and precedes the period: "In 1999, however, the data were reported by more specific job types which showed that technologically oriented jobs paid better" (Hildenbrand 1999:47). or Cox stated, "The essence of the issue is reality vs. perception" (1993:132), as noted earlier.

Machine-readable data files, cite authorship and date: ....(Pew Research Center 2011).

Quotations in Text Always begin and end a quotation with quotations marks; the author, date, and/or page numbers follow the end-quote and precede the period:

Wright and Jacobs (1994) found that "the variation in men's earnings relative to their peers in the labor force was not reliable predictor of men's...flight from feminizing occupations" (p. 531).

One study found that "the variation in men's earnings relative to their peers in the labor force was not reliable predictor of men's...flight from feminizing occupations" (Wright and Jacobs 1994:531).

Block Quotations These are set off in a separate, indented paragraph and should be used for longer quotations (generally, 50 words or more). Block quotations should not be enclosed in quotation marks.

As stated by Wright and Jacobs (1994):

The variation in men's earnings relative to their peers in the labor force was not reliable predictor of men's attrition. This finding is inconsistent with the prediction that declines in earnings are responsible for male flight from feminizing occupations. (P. 531)

Note: The "P" for "page" is capitalized when the page number is cited alone in a block quote without author and date information.

taken from the ASA Style Guide (2010:25)

ASA Tutorial

This guide was authored by Kathryn Blackmer Reyes at San Jose State University, borrowed and edited with permission by Terri Smith, Taft College Library, February 23, 2017.

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References Page Formatting

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Copyright ©1995-2018 by The Writing Lab & The OWL at Purdue and Purdue University. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, reproduced, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed without permission. Use of this site constitutes acceptance of our terms and conditions of fair use.

References follow the text in a section headed REFERENCES (use first-level head format identified earlier).

All references should be double-spaced and use a hanging indent.

Use title case for all titles (capitalize all words except prepositions such as  of, between, through ), articles (such as  a, the , and  an ), and conjunctions (such as  but, and, or ; however, capitalize them if they begin the title or the subtitle).

Capitalize only the first word in hyphenated compound words, unless the second word is a proper noun or adjective (for example, don’t capitalize it in  The Issue of Self-preservation for Women , but do capitalize it in  Terrorist Rhetoric:   The Anti-American Sentiment ).

All references should be in alphabetical order by first authors’ last names.

Include first names for all authors, rather than initials, but use first-name and middle-name initials if an author used initials in the original publication.

List all authors. It is not acceptable to use  et al . in the References section unless the work was authored by a committee.

For repeated authors or editors, include the full name in all references (note: this is a change from the third edition of the  ASA Style Guide ). Arrange references for the same author in chronological order, beginning with the oldest.

Baltzell, E. Digby. 1958.  Philadelphia Gentlemen . Glencoe, IL: Free Press.

Baltzell, E. Digby. 1964.  The Protestant Establishment . New York: Random House.

Baltzell, E. Digby. 1976. “The Protestant Establishment Revisited.”  American Scholar  45:499-519.

When an author appears in both single-authored references and as the first author in a multiple-authored reference, place all of the single-authored references first, even though they may not be in the proper chronological order.

Hoge, Dean R. 1979. "A Test of Theories of Denominational Growth and Decline." Pp. 179-197 in  Understanding Church Growth and Decline 1950-1978 , edited by D. R. Hoge and D. A. Roozen. New York and Philadelphia: Pilgrim Press.

Hoge, Dean R., Benton Johnson, and Donald A. Luidens. 1994.  Vanishing Boundaries: The Religion of Mainline Baby Boomers . Louisville, KY: Westminster John Knox Press.

When the same first author appears in multiple references, arrange them alphabetically by the last name of the second author.

Alba, Richard, and Philip Kasinitz. 2006. “Sophisticated Television, Sophisticated Stereotypes.”  Contexts  5(4):74-77.

Alba, Richard, John R. Logan, and Brian J. Stults. 2000. “The Changing Neighborhood Contexts of the Immigrant Metropolis.”  Social Forces  79(2):587-621.

When including more than one work by the same author(s) from the same year, add letters to the year (2010a, 2010b, 2010c) and then list the references for that author and year alphabetically by title.

Fyfe, James J. 1982a. “Blind Justice: Police Shootings in Memphis.”  The Journal of Criminal Law and Criminology  73(2):707-22.

Fyfe, James J. 1982b. “Race and Extreme Police-Citizen Violence.” Pp. 173-94 in  Readings on Police Use of Deadly Force , edited by J. J. Fyfe. New York: Police Foundation.

Reference Examples

Book with One Author

Author's full name, inverted so that last name appears first. Year.  Book Title in Title Caps and Italicized . Publishing City: Publisher.

Note that the two-letter state abbreviation should be given only if needed to identify the city. For a publisher located in New York City, Chicago, Los Angeles, or Boston, for example, it would not be necessary to include the state abbreviation.

Note that the word "volume" is capitalized and abbreviated but not italicized.

Gurr, Ted Robert, ed. 1989.  Violence in America . Vol. 1,  The History of Crime . Newbury Park, CA: Sage.

Mason, Karen. 1974.  Women's Labor Force Participation . Research Triangle Park, NC: National Institutes of Health.

Book with Two or More Authors

Same as with one author, but do not invert authors’ names after the first author. Separate authors’ names with a comma, and include the word  and  before the final author.

Note that the word “edition” is abbreviated, and not italicized or capitalized.

Corbin, Juliet, and Anselm Strauss. 2008.  Basics of Qualitative Research.  3 rd  ed. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.

Edited Volume (when citing the entire volume)

Same as book reference but add "eds." to denote book editor'(s') name(s).

Hagan, John, and Ruth D. Peterson, eds. 1995.  Crime and Inequality . Stanford, CA: Stanford University Press.

Chapter in an Edited Volume

Put chapter title in quotes.

Use Pp. and page numbers to designate where the chapter is found in the volume.

Italicize the book title, then give the book editor’(s’) name(s).

Do not invert editor'(s)' name(s).

Use initials instead of first and middle names for editor(s).

Include location of publisher by state or province postal code

Clausen, John. 1972. "The Life Course of Individuals." Pp. 457-514 in  Aging and Society.  Vol. 3,  A Sociology of Stratification , edited by M.W. Riley, M. Johnson, and A. Foner. New York: Russell Sage.

Scholarly Journal Article

Author's full name, inverted so that last name appears first. Year. “Article Title in Title Caps and in Quotes.”  Journal Title in Title Caps and Italicized  Volume Number(Issue Number):page numbers of article. 

Note that there is no space after the colon preceding page numbers.

For multiple authors, invert last name of first author only.

Separate with commas, unless there are only two authors.

Use  and  between last two authors.

Conger, Rand. 1997. "The Effects of Positive Feedback on Direction and Amount of Verbalization in a Social Setting."  American Journal of Sociology  79:1179-259.

Coe, Deborah L., and James D. Davidson. 2011. “The Origins of Legacy Admissions: A Sociological Explanation.”  Review of Religious Research  52(3):233-47.

Magazine or Newspaper Article

Ziff, Larzer. 1995. "The Other Lost Generation,"  Saturday Review , February 20, pp. 15-18.

Newspaper Article (author unknown)

Lafayette Journal & Courier . 1998. Newspaper editorial. December 12, p. A-6.

Public Documents

Because the nature of public documents is so varied, the form of entry for documentation cannot be standardized. The essential rule is to provide sufficient information so that the reader can locate the reference easily.

Reports, Constitutions, Laws, and Ordinances

New York State Department of Labor. 1997.  Annual Labor Area Report: New York City, Fiscal Year 1996  (BLMI Report, No. 28). Albany: New York State Department of Labor.

Ohio Revised Code Annotated, Section 3566 (West 2000).

Telecommunications Act of 1996 , Public Law 104-014,  110 U.S. Statutes at Large 56 (1996).

U.S. Bureau of the Census. 1990.  Characteristics of Population . Vol. 1. Washington, DC: U.S. Government Printing Office.

U.S. Constitution, Article 1, Section 4.

Legislation Examples

Court cases and legislative acts follow a format stipulated by legal publishers.

The act or case is listed first, followed by volume number, abbreviated title, and the date of the work in which the act or case is found.

The volume number is given in Arabic numerals, and the date is parenthesized.

Court cases are italicized, but acts are not.

Case names, including v., are italicized.

Brown v. Board of Education , 347 U.S. 483 (1954).

If retrieved from an online database, such as LexisNexis or HeinOnline, provide access information.

Ohio v. Vincer  (Ohio App. Lexis 4356 [1999]).

U.S. Congress. House of Representatives.  Fair Minimum Wage Act of 2007.  H.R. 2. 110 th Congress, 1 st  Session, 2007. Retrieved July 11, 2010  (http://thomas.loc.gov).

Unpublished Materials

Name of author. Year. Title of Presentation. Location where the article was presented or is available or has been accepted for publication but has not yet been published.

Conger, Rand D. Forthcoming. “The Effects of Positive Feedback on Direction and Amount of Verbalization in a Social Setting.”  Sociological Perspectives .

Smith, Tom. 2003. “General Social Survey.” Paper presented at the Annual Meeting of the American Sociological Association, August 16, Atlanta, GA.

Dissertation or Thesis

King, Andrew J. 1976. “Law and Land Use in Chicago: A Pre-history of Modern Zoning.” PhD dissertation, Department of Sociology, University of Wisconsin, Madison.

Archival Sources

Meany Archives, LRF, Box 6, March 18, 1970. File 20. Memo, conference with Gloster Current, Director of Organization, National Association for the Advancement of Colored People.

Electronic Sources

The fifth edition of the  ASA Style Guide  includes an expanded fifth chapter detailing how to reference electronic sources. This section of the resource will provide examples of some of the more common electronic sources form. 

PowerPoint  Presentations

Conard-Salvo, Tammy, Caitlan Spronk, and Joshua M. Paiz. 2014.  "Soaring into the Future: The Purdue OWL and  Supporting the Next Generation of Writers." Presented  at the 2014 ECWCA Conference, March 28, Miami, Ohio.  Retrieved November 21, 2014 (http://docs.lib.purdue.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi? article=1003&context=writinglabpres).

Social Media Sources

References to social media sources should not appear in the references page. Rather, it should be footnoted in the body text where referenced. this footnote should include the page's title and URL.

Purdue University. 2012. "Purdue University's Foundations of  Excellence Final Report: A Roadmap for Excellent  Beginnings." Retrieved Nov. 21, 2014 (http://docs.lib.purdue.edu/provost_pubs/1/).

Print Edition of a Book Accessed through an Online Library

Daniels, John. 2010.  Apathetic College Students in America . Middletown, IL: University of Middletown Press. Retrieved April 6, 2011 (http://site.ebrary.com/lib/collegestudies/docDetail.action?docID=1010101010).

e-Journal Articles with DOI

Phillips, Reginald M., and S. H. Bonsteel. 2010. "The Faculty and Information Specialist Partnership Stimulating Student Interest and Experiential Learning."  Nurse Educator, 35(3), 136-138. doi: 10.1097/NNE.0b013e3181d95090.  

Note: when a DOI is included, it should be cut and pasted from the article.

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ASA Style Guide

• Introduction
• How to Reference
• In-Text Citations

Citation Management Tools

• RefWorks RefWorks "an online research management, writing and collaboration tool -- is designed to help researchers easily gather, manage, store and share all types of information, as well as generate citations and bibliographies."
• Zotero Zotero is a free, open-source research tool that helps you collect, organize, and analyze research and share it in a variety of ways.

In addition to creating citations, the format of the paper is also important. Consider the following and view examples on how to format title pages and the References page. Be sure to check with your Professor for specific formats. 

The title page should include the following:

• A running head (shortened title)
• The full title of the article
• The author(s) full name and institution (if more than one author, put on separate lines)
• The word count

Title Page Example

Running Head: Shortened Title

Full Title of the Article: Capitalize Subtitle After Colon

Author Full Name Institution

Word Count=1,234

NOTE: Speak with your Professor to confirm formatting of the title page; They may wish to use a different format. 

Reference Page

• The reference page should start on it's own page.
• References should be the title of the page. 
• The reference list should be double spaced. 
• References should be listed alphabetically by the first author's last name. 
• The first line of each citation should be flush with the margin and all consecutive lines should be indented. 

Reference Page Example

                                                                        References

Bender, Wolfgang. 1991. Sweet Mother . Chicago: University of Chicago Press.

Golash-Boza, Tanya Maria. 2014. Race and Racisms: A Critical Approach . 1st ed. New York:         Oxford University Press.​

Nerburn, Kent. 2002. Neither Wolf, Nor Dog: On Forgotten Roads with an Indian Elder. Novato,         ​California: New World Library.

Persell, Caroline, Kathryn M. Hodges Pfeiffer, and Ali Syed. 2008. "How Sociological Leaders Teach:         Some Key Principles." Teaching Sociology 36(2):         108-24. Doi: 10.1177/0092055X0803600202

Additional Formatting & Style Information

• In-text:  (ASA 2019)
• Reference list: ASA (American Soc..) 2018. The American Sociological Association... 
• Access dates for online resources do not need to be included in citation except when web content has no publish date or when an access date can help identify which version of a source the author consulted. 
• If no date can be found for a source, use n.d.  for the citation.
• Include the state abbreviation in a citation only if city is unclear. 
• Page numbers less than 100, use all digits. Example: (42-55).
• Page ranges starting with 100 or multiples of 100, use all digits. Example (100-108, 1300-1325).
• Page ranges such as 101-109 (201-209 etc), use changed part only. Examples: (202-5; 209-10).
• Page ranges such as 110-199 (210-299 etc) use 2 digits unless more are needed. Examples: (421-28; 596-628; 1151-59; 1394-414). 
• Use block quotes if the quote includes 50 words or more. Begin the quote as a separate, indented paragraph with NO quotation marks.
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• ASA Links & Tips
• In-Text Citations
• Reference Lists

Ask a Librarian

Direct quotations & paraphrasing in asa.

ASA style follows the author-date format used by The Chicago Manual of Style for in-text citations. After a quotation or reference, add parentheses containing the author's last name and the year of publication of the work being cited. The page number may also be noted following a colon.

Example: "The quick brown fox jumped over the lazy dog" (Seuss 2007:7).

If you use more than one work by the same author published in the same year, use the letters a, b, etc., after the year.

Example: "The quick brown fox jumped over the lazy dog" (Seuss 2007a:7).

If a reference list includes more than one author with the same last name, add the first initials to in-text citations.

Example: "The quick brown fox jumped over the lazy dog" (D. Seuss 2007:7).

If two or more authors wrote the work, see the "Basic ASA Citations" table below.

If using the author's name in your text, do not include it in the parentheses.

Example: In his scholarly study, Dr. Seuss (2007) observed that "the quick brown fox jumped over the lazy dog."

If no author name is available, use the first few words of the reference list entry (usually the title) and the year. Use quotation marks around titles of articles or web pages and italicize titles of books, periodicals, or reports. Treat in-text citations to legal materials such as court cases, statutes, and legislation the same as works with no author.

Example: "The quick brown fox jumped over the lazy dog" ( Fox in Socks 2007:12).

For additional examples, see section 4.3.1, pages 55-58 in the ASA's Style Guide (2022).

Basic ASA Citations

See American Sociological Association  Style Guide  (2022) for more information.

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ASA Citations: American Sociological Association

• Literature Reviews
• ASA Manual & Guides
• Sample Citations
• ASA Outline Template
• What is a Literature Review?
• Sample Review in ASA
• Literature Review Resources
• Five Steps to Writing a Literature Review
• Annotated Bibliographies
• Organize Citations

What is a literature review?

• A literature review is a critical, analytical summary and synthesis of the current knowledge of a topic. As a researcher, you collect the available literature on a topic, and then select the literature that is most relevant for your purpose. Your written literature review summarizes and analyses the themes, topics, methods, and results of that literature in order to inform the reader about the history and current status of research on that topic.

What purpose does a literature review serve?

• The literature review informs the reader of the researcher's knowledge of the relevant research already conducted on the topic under discussion, and places the author's current study in context of previous studies.
• As part of a senior project, the literature review points out the current issues and questions concerning a topic. By relating the your research to a knowledge gap in the existing literature, you should demonstrate how his or her proposed research will contribute to expanding knowledge in that field.

Take a look at our Literature Review Guide for more information. 

• SAMPLE: Literature Review in ASA This is a sample literature review from a professional journal that publishes in ASA style. ***Lit review begins on page 384 and ends on page 387. DATA AND METHODS section is NOT part of the lit review.
• Literature Review Matrix (Excel Doc) Excel file that can be edited to suit your needs.
• Literature Review Matrix (PDF) Source: McLean, Lindsey. "Literature Review." CORA (Community of Online Research Assignments), 2015. https://www.projectcora.org/assignment/literature-review.
• Academic Writer (formerly APA Style Central) This link opens in a new window This resource has templates available for literature reviews and other types of papers.
• Sample Literature Reviews: Univ. of West Florida Literature review guide from the University of West Florida library guides.
• Purdue University Online Writing Lab (OWL) Sample literature review in APA from Purdue University's Online Writing Lab (OWL)

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ASA Format: Easy Guide for Your Essay or Paper With Examples

11 December 2023

last updated

The English American Sociology Association (ASA) developed a formatting style that allows scholars to use parenthetical in-text citations. In particular, the ASA formatting style remains relevant in social science. Moreover, this guide contains applicable rules that one must follow when formatting ASA essays, papers, and manuscripts. Basically, ASA guidelines reveal that one must include a cover page, abstract, and body in each paper. Firstly, an abstract should provide a clear summary of the essential points. Then, writers organize ASA format papers into different sections by using three acceptable headings levels. Besides, one should include and acknowledge supporting evidence. In this case, each in-text citation must include the author and publication date. Also, tables and images contain compelling details that may be used to validate arguments. In turn, these visuals should appear on a separate page at the end of an essay, research paper, or manuscript. Finally, a reference list should contain all sources quoted, and such articles are organized in alphabetical or chronological order. 

General Guidelines on ASA Format

The English American Sociology Association (ASA) is an acceptable style used to format an essay or research paper in sociology. In this case, students pursuing courses in sociological sciences must use ASA to format their papers correctly. Basically, ASA formatting refers to the scholar’s editorial and mechanics styles, guidelines for organizing and presenting content, and referencing reliable sources . Then, students should follow a specific bibliographic style to foster clear communication in their work. In turn, failing to use ASA correctly may put a written paper in a position of discrediting or delayed acknowledgments and student’s career development. Hence, this guide provides exact steps that one must follow when formatting sociology essays and research papers in ASA.

How to Format a Title Page in ASA

ASA formatting style requires one to use headers that include the work’s full title. Basically, if the manuscript’s title exceeds sixty characters, one should use its short form. Also, headings should include page numbers, which appear as Arabic numerals. In turn, one should flush all the page numbers to the left.

2. Credentials

ASA formatting style requires learners to include adequate details to identify the work and the writer. In particular, papers formatted in ASA must consist of the manuscript’s title, author’s names, and institution. Basically, writers should list these details vertically if there is more than one. Then, other details include a complete word count of a written document. In practice, the word count should include footnotes and references used in a paper. In rare cases, scholars may include a correct address. As a rule, one must center all the details.   

ASA formatting style requires authors to include the manuscript’s full title. In this case, scholars should consider using a short but clear title that summarizes a research paper. Also, a long title may obstruct the intended meaning of a study, which makes it sound vague. In turn, one must bold the paper’s title.

How to Format an Abstract Page in ASA

An abstract should appear separately after a title page and contain a concise summary of the work in 150 or 200 words. Basically, students must use accessible language that allows readers to understand the primary message of a study. Also, writers should include keywords that reflect the main points of a paper. Then, an abstract should appear in the document’s second page below a complete title. In this case, one should not use the term “abstract” above the summary provided. As a rule, all the sentences in an abstract must begin at the left margin. Moreover, authors should not indent the abstract’s first line. In turn, keywords, which include several essential terms, must follow the abstract’s content. Hence, one should use the word “Keywords” followed by a full colon before writing actual terms.

How to Format In-Text Citations in ASA

ASA formatting style requires the student to support main arguments by using credible sources . Basically, writers must use in-text citations when presenting information from any source. In this case, one must state the author’s last name and the cited material’s initial publishing date as a rule. Moreover, students may come across different types of sources when gathering evidence for supporting the main arguments. Hence, guiding principles that one should follow when developing in-text citations are:

1. Unknown and Different Numbers of Authors

In-text citations for sources that lack an author must include adequate identification details. In this case, in-text citations for such sources should contain titles and publication dates. Moreover, the source’s title should appear in a title case where all major words must begin with a capital letter. However, one should not capitalize prepositions and conjunctions. Hence, familiar phrases that should start with lower case letters include:

• Prepositions – “of,” “between,” and “though.”
• Articles – “a,” “the,” and “an.”
• Conjunctions – “by,” “and,” and “or.”

Students may begin to type words given above with capital letters if they start a sentence. Hence, ASA format of in-text citations that do not have a specific author are:

• Parenthetical in-text citation – ( The Evolution of Field Artillery Organization and Employment during the American Civil War 1993) 
• Narrative in-text citation – The data evidence obtained from The Evolution of Field Artillery Organization and Employment during the American Civil War (1993) reveals that … .

Other articles may have several authors. In this case, ASA formatting style requires scholars to follow specific guidelines when citing such sources inside the document’s text. Hence, strategies that one must follow when preparing citations for sources that contain different numbers of authors are: 

2. Citing One Author in ASA Format

In-text citations for a source that contains one author may appear as parenthetical or narrative. In this case, in-text citations should include the author’s surname and publication date. Besides, space must separate these two details. Hence, ASA format and examples of in-text citations for a single author are:

• Citing scheme – (Author’s Surname Year).
• Parenthetical in-text citation – (Arnold 2004).
• Narrative in-text citation – Arnold (2004) affirms that … .

3. Referencing Two Authors is ASA Format

In-text citations for sources containing two authors should include their surnames. In this case, the term “and” should separate two names. Then, other essential details include the actual publication date for a source. Moreover, one should use spaces to separate all the details in this in-text citation. Hence, relevant examples of in-text citations for two authors are:

• Citing scheme – (First Author’s Last Name and Second Author’s Surname Year).
• Parenthetical in-text citation – (Viray and Nash 2014).
• Narrative in-text citation – Viray and Nash (2014) noted that … .

4. Three Authors

In-text citations must include the surnames of three authors. In this case, one should use a comma after the first and second surnames. Besides, students should use the word “and” to separate the last two surnames. However, space should separate the third surname and publication date. Hence, relevant examples for citing three authors are:

• Citing scheme – (First Author, Second Author, and Third Author Year).
• Parenthetical in-text citation – (Carr, Smith, and Jones 1962).
• Narrative in-text citation – Carr, Smith, and Jones (1962) notes that… .

Writers should include three surnames for the first in-text citation. However, subsequent in-text citations must use the first author’s surname and the phrase “et al.” In this case, one must include a period after the words “et al.” for a source to meet the credit requirements. Hence, relevant examples of subsequent in-text citations for sources that contain three authors are:

• Citing scheme – (First Author’s Surname et al. year).
• Parenthetical in-text citation – (Carr et al. 1962).
• Narrative in-text citation – Carr et al. (1962) state that … .

5. More Than Three Authors

In-text citations for sources containing more than three authors should include the first author’s surname only. For instance, scholars use the phrase “et al.” instead of the other scholars’ names. Basically, this rule applies to first and subsequent in-text citations. Hence, relevant examples of in-text citations that contain more than three authors are:

• Parenthetical in-text citation – (Nilson et al. 1962).
• Narrative in-text citation – Nilson et al. (1962) notes that … .

6. Citing an Article Title or an Organization Name in ASA Format

For sources authored by institutions, one should supply the minimum identification required for in-text citations. In this case, students should include the institutional author, publication date, and page number for quotes. Hence, ASA format for a source that covers a corporate author is:

• Citing scheme – (Corporate Author or “Article Title” Year).
• Parenthetical in-text citation – (U.S. Bureau of the Census 1963).
• Narrative in-text citation – The data given by the U.S. Bureau of the Census (1963) reveals that … .

7. Citing More Two or More Sources in ASA Format

In-text citations may contain more than one source. In this case, writers may find similar evidence from multiple sources. Moreover, credible in-text citations should identify authors and years of publication of all the references. In turn, one should use a semicolon to separate scholarly sources. Hence, relevant examples of citing two or more sources in a single sentence are:

• Citing scheme – (First Source; Second Source; Third Source).
• Parenthetical in-text citation – (Arnold, 2004; U.S. Bureau of the Census 1963; Carr, Smith, and Jones 1962).

8. Including Pages, Paragraphs, and Lines in ASA Format

A. citing pages.

ASA formatting style requires authors to include page, paragraph, or line numbers for direct quotes. In particular, students use extracts obtained from sources, which must appear between double quotation marks, to support their arguments. Moreover, ASA in-text citations must contain details identifying the exact location of the quoted information. As a rule, writers include these details after the publication year. Hence, an example of an in-text citation that contains a page number is:

• Citing scheme – (Author’s Surname Year:Page).
• Parenthetical in-text citation – (U.S. Bureau of the Census 1963:117).

From an in-text citation given above, scholars use a direct quote from a report written by the U.S. Bureau of the Census. In this case, the element “117” represents the page number that contains the quoted evidence. Also, writers should not use a comma to separate the corporate author and the publication year. However, one should use a full colon after the publication date when including page numbers. In turn, scholars can represent in-text citations in a narrative form by following ASA format, as shown below:

• The statistical data given by the U.S. Bureau of the Census (1963:117) reveals that … .

An example given above contains the year and pagination inside the rounded parenthesis. However, one should include the publication date in the parenthesis when using a summary or paraphrase for a citation.

B. Citing Paragraphs

Some sources, like websites, contain information organized in paragraphs. In this case, students need to identify the actual section that contains the quoted statement. Also, this strategy increases the credibility of the cited evidence. Hence, relevant examples for this category of ASA citation are:

• Citing scheme – (Author’s surname Year:Para. X).
• In-text citation for a quote obtained from one paragraph – (Jones 1998:Para. 3).
• In-text citation for a quote obtained from more than one paragraph – (Jones 1998:Paras. 3-5).

C. Citing Lines

Poems are credible sources of information used to write essays and research papers. In some instances, learners quote poem lines in their papers, which requires them to state the actual line that contains the mentioned information. Hence, examples of poem citations that one may use for in-text citations in ASA format are:

• Citing scheme – (Author’s surname Year:Line X).
• In-text citation for a quote obtained from one paragraph – (Jones 1998:Line 2).
• In-text citation for a quote obtained from more than one paragraph – (Jones 1998:Lines 4-5).

ASA citation style requires one to use evidence obtained from diverse sources. In this case, examples provided above prove that one specifies the exact location of the quoted evidence. Moreover, citations received from chapters or tables should follow the format stated above.

9. Citing Block Quotes in ASA Format

In ASA format, block quotations contain more than forty words obtained directly from a source. In this case, one should offset a block quotation from the main body text. However, writers should not use any form of quotation marks to enclose a copy-pasted passage. Hence, the format of a block quotation formatted by using ASA guidelines is:

• The arguments presented by Green (2018:3) show that…
• No longer is the school’s most promising pipeline, the average teenager going to college for the first time, but more likely the adult who may need to go back for a second or third. After 160 years as an anchor of rural Pennsylvania, the university is becoming obsolete.

From an example provided, block quotes may appear in single spacing. In this case, page numbers, lines, or paragraphs that contain the information should follow the publication year. Moreover, writers should not include the page number after the last punctuation mark. Hence, some of the points that one must consider when making ASA format citations are:

• Students must enclose all the direct quotes by using double quotation marks.
• Writers must provide the specific location of a direct quote in a referenced source.
• Scholars should not use the older form of using “p.” or “pp.” to denote pages that contain the cited information.
• For reprinted versions, one should list the earliest publication date in square brackets followed by the year of the recent version used as a reference. For instance, an in-text citation for a source published in 2020, but its first publication date as 2000, should appear as “Veblen ([2000] 2020) stated that … .”
• Learners should separate multiple sources with semicolons when they appear as in-text citations. However, one should arrange them in alphabetical order of the authors’ surname.

How to Cite Charts in ASA Format

Learners find visuals that help to support the main arguments presented in their works. For example, some visuals that remain useful for educational use include figures, illustrations, and photographs. As a rule, visual arts used in ASA formatted papers must add indisputably to the reader’s understanding of the information presented. In this case, one should consider the importance of visual presentations used in an essay, research paper, or manuscript objectively. Hence, the following questions can help one in evaluating the importance of visual arts:

• Do the visual arts clarify the evidence presented?
• Do the visual arts expand the information presented?
• Do the visuals explain a concept better than one could in the text or a table?

Images that meet the above criteria are suitable for use in ASA formatted papers. Otherwise, writers should adopt a better strategy to explain the information. In turn, irrelevant visuals tend to distract readers from understanding the intended message.

A. Numbering Illustrations

Writers must number figures, illustrations, or photographs one after the other throughout an essay, research paper, or manuscript. In this case, the most acceptable way of labeling images is the use of specific phrases, like “Figure 1,” “Figure 2,” and “Figure 3,” respectively. Moreover, each image must contain a clear and accurate title. Then, readers should understand the implication of the data presented without referring to the text. In practice, each figure should appear on a separate page at the end of a written document. However, one should include a note inside a paper that indicates the approximate location of an image. In turn, some words, like “Fig. 1 about here,” enable writers to identify the information related to the evidence taken from visual arts. Hence, good ASA formatted academic papers should contain effective marking and identification.

B. Editing Images

Students should edit visual arts to enhance their clarity before including them in ASA formatted essays, papers, and manuscripts. For instance, one should ensure that readers understand all the components of an image. In this case, one should add labels and relevant explanations to enhance the image’s quality. Hence, one should edit photos to improve their quality and significance in supporting the evidence presented. However, it is optional.

C. Making Illustrations Professional

Camera-ready figures should have clear and legible illustrations. For example, one should type all the explanations that accompany images. Unfortunately, using hand-written pictures makes the work appear unprofessional. Besides, one must consider using black and white photos where possible. Hence, writers should focus on making academic papers appear professional.

Data tables contain credible information that scholars may use to support their thoughts when writing essays, research papers, or manuscripts. In particular, ASA formatting style requires one to number tables consecutively throughout an academic text. Also, each table should appear in a typed or printed form on a separate page at the end of a paper. Then, students must insert a note inside the body text that indicates the approximate location of each table. For example, one may use the statement “Table 2 about here” in the text’s body to show where a table appears.

A. Table Title

Each table should have a descriptive title. In this case, writers must be sure that the tables’ entry provides an adequate explanation that readers can understand without referring to the article’s text. For instance, a table title should specify what it presents. Then, some of the familiar depictions include means, coefficient, and percentages. Moreover, a compelling table’s entry should contain information about the data set and time frame. Hence, each data table should be independent and relevant ideas presented in a paper.

B. Table Headings

All columns and rows in a table must contain accurate headings. For example, students should avoid using headers for columns. In this case, one should spell out percentages in titles. Besides, writers should use subheadings to separate different sections of a table or make clear classifications of other variables. Thus, each column and row should have an accurate and relevant heading.

C. Table Measurements

Data presentation in tables depends on specific measurement methods used by scholars. For example, measurement methods determine the number of decimal places that make sense. In general, researchers round off or truncate decimals into thousandths and omit zeros. Moreover, a good example is where one writes 0.7234 as .723. As a rule, writers must use a consistent number of decimals throughout their works. Hence, students need to round or truncate decimal places to enhance the readability of measurements.

D. Table Statistics

ASA formatting style requires scholars to represent statistical tables correctly. For example, writers should include a standard error, and t-statistics enhance the reader’s ability to understand tables. Moreover, such details should appear under coefficients. Then, students must enclose the information with rounded brackets and provide explanatory notes that identify specific statistics. Alternatively, one may decide to include these details in a separate column of a table.

E. Table Notes

Tables included in ASA manuscripts must contain relevant notes and sources. Basically, writers should use the phrases “ Notes ” and “ Sources ” followed by a full colon when presenting additional details. For tables that contain explanatory footnotes, one should use alphabetical letters to label necessary explanations. As a rule, students list full citations of data sources in a reference list. In turn, all notes and descriptive details must appear below a table. Hence, presentable tables should contain relevant explanations for readers.

F. Significance Levels

Statistical tables presented in ASA manuscripts should contain appropriate significance levels. As a rule, one should use asterisks *, **, and *** to indicate significance levels 0.05, 0.01, and 0.001, respectively. Basically, these three significance levels are the acceptable standards in statistics. Moreover, one must specify if significance levels presented are results from one-tailed or two-tailed tests. However, writers should not include or explain the data that remain insignificant at p< .05 or < .10. Hence, good ASA papers should contain tables that present accurate and appropriate measures of significance levels.

G. Variables and Metrics

Each table should contain variables with similar metrics. For instance, using different metrics leads to problems when reading and interpreting data tables. In this case, each metric requires other numerical formats and interpretations. Also, students must report all the metrics into four significant figures. Hence, readers should not use variables with different metrics when presenting statistics in tables.

How to Format Headings in ASA Style

ASA formatting style provides guidelines that students should use to organize their works in a readable format. For example, readers must distinguish different sections and subsections easily. In this case, the ASA formatting method relies on three heading levels. Also, each level follows specific rules, as it is stated below:

Level 1 Heading

ASA formatted papers should have first-level headings written in capital letters. For instance, a capitalized entry must begin at the left margin of a page. In this case, students do not need to use bold fonts or underline it when preparing heading entries. Besides, good ASA formatted papers should not begin with a heading. In turn, writers should not include the phrase “INTRODUCTION” at the beginning of an essay, research paper, or other written manuscripts.

Level 2 Heading

ASA formatted essays and manuscripts should include italicized second-level headings. In practice, these entries must begin at the page’s left margin. As a rule, one should not use bold fonts or underline this heading. Then, all the essential words in a second-level title should begin with upper-case letters. However, prepositions (of, between, though), articles (the, an, a) and conjunctions (by, an, or) should begin with lower-case letters.

Level 3 Heading

ASA formatted papers should contain run-in third-level headings indented at 0.5 inches from the page’s left margin. In turn, this heading should begin a new paragraph. Also, one should include a period after a title. Then, other factors that one must consider when formatting third-level headings include:

• Italics – one should italicize all the words in a third-level heading.
• Sentence case – one should capitalize the first letter and proper nouns in a third-level heading. As a rule, the first word in a title should begin with a capital letter, even if it is a preposition, article, or conjunction.

How to Format a Reference Page in ASA

A reference list in ASA formatted papers should follow the text and footnotes in a separate section. In particular, one includes a heading “REFERENCES” at the top of a page that contains bibliographic entries. Moreover, essayists need to follow the guidelines for first-level heading to write a reference list’s headline. Then, writers double-space all the reference entries and use a hanging indentation. In turn, a suitable reference list must include all the sources used in the text’s body. As a result, one has the responsibility of ensuring that each entry contains adequate and accurate publication details.

Note: Students should not use examples provided in this article for their papers. In turn, such examples serve only for educational purposes of learning ASA format.

1. Alphabetic Order of Sources

The arrangement of source entries in a reference list must follow alphabetical order. In this case, one needs to ensure that all the entries follow the first author’s surname’s alphabetical order. For sources without a specific author, students use a title to determine the correct positioning. Then, scholars include the first names of all the authors, instead of initials. However, one may use the first- and middle-name initials if authors use them in the article’s publication.  As a rule, writers list all the authors. Moreover, ASA formatting guidelines prohibit scholars from using “et al.” in a reference section. In turn, publications authored by a committee are the only exception from this rule. Hence, some essential points that one must consider are:

• Add spaces when using first- and second-name initials in a reference list. Basically, some noteworthy examples include R. B. Betty and M. L. B. Adams.
• Invert the author’s first name when sources have multiple-authorship. In this case, some good examples include Jones, Arthur B., Colin D. Smith, and James Petersen. Otherwise, one should use the author’s first and second names when preparing relevant entries.
• List bibliographic entries in the order of publication year for more than one source provided under the same author. As a rule, students use six hyphens and a period to replace names for repeated authorship.

2. Using Alphabetical Letters

Students distinguish works by one author in the same year by using alphabetical letters. In particular, added alphabetical letters should follow the year. For example, three sources published by one author in the same year should appear as 2000a, 2000b, and 2000c. Moreover, writers should use titles to list such sources in alphabetical order. Hence, examples of sources authored by the same person in different years are:

• Turner, Alex. 2019a. “ASA Format.” Wr1ter 26(6):612-615.
• Turner, Alex. 2019b. “Guide on Citing Rules.” Pp. 13-18 In ASA Format , edited by M. Turner. New York: Self Publisher.

Note: The current ASA style guide edition requires one to include full names of repeated authors and editors.

3. Chronological Order

Scholars follow chronological order when representing sources authored by the same researcher. In this case, writers list reference entries by using their publication date’s order. Hence, examples of different sources authored in separate years by the same person are:

• Turner, Alex. 2018. ASA Format Guidelines . New York: Self Publisher.
• Turner, Alex. 2019. Easy Guidelines for Citing in ASA . New York: Self Publisher.
• Turner, Alex. 2020. “ASA Referencing Style for Newbies.” Wr1ter 36(8):384-390.

4. Citing Single- and Multiple-Authored Sources in ASA Format

ASA formatting style provides guidelines for citing sources with one biographer appearing in single- and multiple-authored sources. Basically, writers should place a single-authored scholarly source first even when such entries violate a chronological order. Hence, examples of single- and multiple-authored publications are: 

• Turner, Alex. 2018. “How to Cite.” Pp. 28-32 in ASA Manual , edited by M. Turner, New York: Self Publisher.
• Turner, Alex, and Michael Turner. 2020. Citing Manual in ASA Format . New York: Self Publisher.

Examples presented above show that a single-authored source has an earlier publication date. However, it must appear before a multiple-authored scholarly source. In this case, ASA formatting style requirements allow writers to violate a specific order when formatting such literary sources. In some instances, the first author appears in several references. Besides, students should arrange their bibliographic entries by following the alphabetical order of the second author’s surname. Hence, relevant examples os this case are:

• Alba, Richard, and Philip Kasinitz. 2006. “Interesting Television and Its Stereotypes.”  Review  5(4):76-77.
• Alba, Richard, John R. Richardson, and Brian J. White. 2001. “The Changing Neighborhood Background of the Immigrant Metropolis.”  Social Science 79(2):587-621.

From the examples provided above, the first and second author’s names follow an inverted format. In turn, this style differs from bibliographic entries of a source that contains more than one author. Also, examples given below show bibliographic entries of sources with multiple authors. However, the second author’s names follow the standard format:

• Bursik, Robert J., Jr., and Harold G. Brown. 1993. Neigh­borhoods and Crime: The Perspectives of Effective Commu­nity Control . New York: Self Publisher.
• Hagen, John, and Ruth D. Green, eds. 1995. Crime and Other Aspects . New York: Self University Press.
• Jaynes, Gerald D., and Robin M. White, Jr. 1989. A Com­mon Truth: Blacks and American Society . New York: Self Academy Press.

5. Using a Title Case

One must use a title case when writing headings for all sources. For instance, one must capitalize on each publication’s title apart from prepositions, articles, and conjunctions. However, students may capitalize on these exemptions when they begin a title or subtitle. In turn, one should capitalize on hyphenated compound terms unless the second one is a proper noun or adjective. Hence, relevant examples that show appropriate ways of capitalizing hyphenated words are:

• African-American Discrimination – The term American begins with an upper-case letter because it is an adjective related to the noun America.
• The Issue of Self-preservation for the Feminine Gender – The word preservation begins with a lower-case letter since it follows a hyphen.

Referencing Different Types of Sources in ASA Format

Despite the general rules that one must observe when formatting the reference list, ASA style presents specific recommendations for formatting bibliographic entries for different sources. For example, students should prepare bibliographic entries for books, journal articles, websites, magazines, and media sources differently. Hence, reference requirements that writers must meet when using different sources are:

Bibliographic entries for books must have adequate identification details. As a rule, each entry should contain authors, publication dates, book titles, places of publications, and publishers. Besides, one should observe correct punctuation marks when writing bibliographic entries. Hence, a citing scheme that one should use when preparing a bibliographic entry for books in ASA format is:

• First Author’s Surname, First Name A. Second Author’s First Name, B. Surname. Year. Book’s Title: Subtitle . Place of Publication. Publisher.

Students may use books with a different number of authors. In this case, ASA formatting style requires one to use an inverted form for the first author. Then, the second and third author’s names should not have inverted surnames. In turn, the publication’s name should appear in the italicized form. Hence, examples of bibliographic entries that contain a different number of authors in ASA format are:

• One author – Williams, Dianne. 2012. Race, Ethnicity, and Crime: Alternate Perspectives . New York: Algora
• Two authors – Jaynes, Gerald D., and Robin M. Williams, Jr. 1989. A Common Destiny: Blacks and American Society. Washington, DC: National Academy Press.
• Three authors – Barak, Gregg, Paul Leighton, and Jeanne Flavin. 2010. Class, Race, Gender, and Crime: The Social Realities of Justice in America. Lanham, MD: Roman & Littlefield.
• Books with editors as authors – Hasselm, Alicia E., ed. 2011. Crime: Causes, Types, and Victims. Hauppauge, NY: Nova Science Publishers.
• Chapter of a book – Riley, Matilda White. 1985. “Women, Men, and the Lengthening Life Course.” Pp. 333-47 in Gender and the Life Course, edited by A. S. Rossi. New York: Aldine.
• Electronic books that one may obtain from a database – Newman, Katherine S., and Rourke L. O’Brien. 2011. Taxing the Poor: Doing Damage to the Truly Disadvantaged. Berkeley, CA: University of California Press. Retrieved August 27, 2013 (http://site.ebrary.com/lib/stmarysca/docDetail.action?docID=10446269).
• A handbook or encyclopedia article – Levine, Felice J. 2001. “Professionalization of Social and Behavioral Scientists: the United States.” Pp. 12146-54 in The International Encyclopedia of the Social and Behavioral Sciences, edited by N.J. Smelser and P.B. Bates . London, England: Elsevier Science Limited.

One should separate the second and subsequent author’s names from examples of bibliographic entries for the books listed above. Moreover, students need to separate the first author’s surname and the first name using a comma. For books authored by editors, one should use the phrase “ed.” after the relevant proofreaders’ names. Besides, writers should enclose the book’s chapter inside double quotation marks. Finally, scholars should include the URL link and access date for books obtained from online databases.

2. Websites

Some websites contain credible information for use in supporting various arguments. Moreover, government and learning institutions have websites that contain credible evidence. As a rule, one should cite relevant websites by using the URL link and date of access. Hence, a citing scheme and an example of the website’s bibliographic entry in ASA Format are:

• Website’s Name Year. “Article’s Title.” Place of Publication: The Publisher. Retrieved Month Day, Year (URL Link)
• American Sociological Association, 2006. “Status Commit­tees.” Washington, DC: American Sociological Associa­tion. Retrieved December 12, 2006 (http://www.asanet.org/cs/root/leftnav/committees/committees).

3. Journal Articles

ASA formatting guidelines state relevant details that one should include in a journal article’s bibliographic entry. For instance, a reference citation for a journal article consists of the author’s names, the article’s title, publication name, volume and issue numbers, and page numbers. Then, writers enclose the article’s title by using double quotation marks. For journal articles published in online databases, reference entries include DOI numbers or valid URL links. Hence, a citing structure that one should use when creating bibliographic entries for journal articles in ASA format is:  

• Author. Year. “Article’s Title.” Journal Title Volume number (Issue number): Page range. DOI or URL link.

Learners may come across journal articles that contain different identification details. Hence, examples of journal sources that one must come across are:

• Printed journal article – Gillespie, Diane, Leslie Ashbaugh, and Joann Defiore. 2002. “White Women Teaching White Women about White Privilege, Race Cognizance, and Social Action: Toward a Pedagogical Pragmatics.” Race, Ethnicity, and Education 5(3):237-253.
• For journal articles obtained from an online database and contain a DOI number – Desmond, Matthew. 2012. “Eviction and the Reproduction of Urban Poverty.” American Journal of Sociology 11(1):88-133. DOI:10.1086/666082.
• For journal articles obtained from an online database and contain a URL link – Minor, Kevin I., James B. Wells, Irina R. Soderstrom, Rachel Bingham, and Deborah Williamson. 1999. “Sentence Completion and Recidivism Among Juveniles Referred to Teen Courts.” Crime & Delinquency 45(4): 467-480. Retrieved from http://cad.sagepub.com/content/45/4/467.

Films are credible sources of information for use in supporting main arguments. In particular, ASA bibliographic entries of a video should contain adequate identification details that enhance its credibility. For example one of the crucial information that students include is the film’s title, year of creation, directors, production’s location, producer, and format. Hence, a referencing scheme and an example of a video’s bibliographic entry in ASA format are:

• Films Title. Year. A film by Directors. Place of Production. The Producer. Format.
• The Central Park Five . 2013. A film by Ken Burns, David McMahon, Sarah Burns. Arlington, VA: PBS Distribution . DVD.

Examples provided above show that bibliographic entries should contain an italicized title. Also, one should not invert the director’s names. For films comprising more than one director, writers separate their names with a comma.

General Rules of Formatting in ASA

Most lecturers and editors reject papers and manuscripts that fail to meet the acceptable formatting specifications. In this case, paying attention to formatting requirements saves time and avoidable frustrations. Hence, essential formatting aspects that scholars must consider before submitting their work in ASA format are:

1. Indentation

ASA formatting style requires one to indent the first line of body paragraphs. As a rule, essayists indent the first line at 0.5 inches from the left margin. Moreover, this rule applies to third-level headings. Then, one should indent all block quotations to distinguish them from the rest of the essay’s body. However, writers must remember not to indent a paragraph that follows first- and second-level headings.

Papers and manuscripts formatted in ASA should have a uniform margin all-round a page. In this case, a general rule requires scholars to leave a 1.25 inches margin. Besides, this format leaves adequate space for editors to write notes.

ASA formatted papers should have legible fonts, which enhances readability levels. As a rule, students use a 12-point font.

ASA formatted papers should include double spaces. For instance, acknowledgment, abstract, text, footnotes, and references must follow a double spacing format. Basically, this spacing strategy makes it easier for one to read through the essay’s text.  

5. Sentence Case

ASA formatting style requires authors to use a sentence case when writing third-level headings. Basically, this sentence case implies that only the first words and proper nouns should begin with capital letters. Also, students start the first word after a colon with an upper case letter even though it is a conjunction, article, or preposition.

6. Title Case

ASA formatting style requires students to use a title case for a title in a reference list and second-level headings. Basically, all the words in the source’s title should begin with an upper case letter. In turn, one should follow these guidelines to implement a title case:

• begin the first word of a title or heading with a capital letter, even when it is a minor word;
• capitalize the first word of a subtitle;
• capitalize the first word after a colon, em dash, or end punctuation mark when it appears in a heading;
• capitalize major and second part of hyphenated words;
• capitalize all four-letter words, like with, between, and from.

Note: Exceptions from a title case rule are:

• Short conjunctions – Students should not capitalize short conjunctions, like and, as, but, if, or, so, and yet.
• Articles – Writers should not capitalize articles, like the, an, and a.
• Short prepositions – Scholars should not capitalize short prepositions, like as, at, by, for, in, of, off, on, per, to, up, and via .

Summing Up on ASA Format Rules

ASA is a parenthetical referencing style developed by the English American Sociology Association. Basically, ASA formatting style is applied for research papers in sociological sciences. Moreover, ASA format provides various guidelines for formatting the title page, in-text citations, page margins, headings, and reference pages. In turn, failure to follow specific guidelines when submitting ASA formatted papers and manuscripts may result in rejections. Hence, the basic rules that one must observe when using ASA formatting styles are:

• Researchers include an abstract containing between 150 and 200 words separately after a title page. Basically, an acceptable abstract includes a concise summary of the work.
• Each in-text citation consists of the author’s last name and the cited material’s initial publishing date.
• When citing sources without a specific author, students must use the source’s title. In this case, one capitalizes all the significant words except prepositions, articles, and conjunctions.
• For sources with three authors, the first in-text citation includes three surnames. Then, subsequent in-text citations must have the first author’s surname and the phrase “et al.”
• For in-text citation of sources containing more than three authors, one includes the first biographer’s surname and the phrase “et al.”
• In-text citations for a quotation in ASA format follow the strategy – (Author’s Surname Year: Page).
• When citing an image, students need to determine if it clarifies the evidence presented, expands the information presented, or explains a concept better.
• Scholars must number figures, illustrations, or photographs one after the other throughout an essay, research paper, or another type of a written manuscript.
• Writers use the phrases “Figure 1,” “Figure 2,” and “Figure 3” when labeling figures.
• ASA formatting style requires one to number tables consecutively throughout the text. In this case, students must present each table in typed or printed form on a separate page at the end of a manuscript.
• One should include a phrase that identifies the approximate location of a table in a written text.
• Students must use capital letters in writing first-level headings, which must begin at the left margin.
• Learners must use a capital case and italics when writing a second-level heading. Also, this entry must begin at the left margin.
• Researchers need to format third-level headings in a sentence case and italics. Besides, one should indent this entry 0.5 inches from the left margin.
• A reference list in ASA formatted papers follows the text and footnotes in a separate page. Besides, writers use a heading “REFERENCES” at the top of a page that contains bibliographic entries.
• ASA formatting style requires one to indent the first line of body paragraphs that do not follow first- and second-level headings.
• ASA formatted papers should have a uniform margin of 1.25 inches all-round a page.

Guide to ASA Format and ASA Citation

The field of sociology is where you would most commonly find an ASA format or manuscript format as it also called. If you are a sociology student, it’s a high chance the overall guide to the ASA citation from pro essay writers will come you in handy. Let’s start with the ASA definition.

What Is ASA

ASA is a citation style used in the field of sociology. ASA, as an abbreviation, stands for the “American Sociological Association”. ASA format citation is mostly used by scholars, academics, and students of sociology in their manuscripts or articles that they submit to the sociology department or field of sociology overall. If the ASA citation format is not used correctly, it might put the work in the position of being discredited or, perhaps, it might lead to its acknowledgements being postponed along with its writer’s career development.

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While using ASA citation format, it is necessary to pay close attention to the certain parts of the paper the format affects, such as the title page, abstract, heading format, in-text citations, reference list, and its formatting specifics.

ASA citation style bears a close resemblance to the widely used APA style. The biggest similarity is that both styles use parenthetical references. These appear at the end of the paper in the “References” section. MLA style papers, for instance, call that section “Works Cited” and format it in a different way. Another noticeable feature of the ASA citation format is its emphasis on the date. It always follows the author’s name.

If you are a student of computer science, you should definitely know what the IEEE format is.

Basics of ASA Citation

There are a few general formatting requirements from the ASA Style Guide that need to be applied when using the ASA citation format.

Stick to the following format, unless instructed otherwise:

• Make sure all written text (including footnotes, etc.) is in font size 12 and is double-spaced.
• Place margins of 1 ¼ inches on each side.
• There should be a separate title page that includes the title of the paper, names of all the authors, the word count, and title footnote (it should include the name of the author(s), addresses, credits, grants, and acknowledgements)
• An abstract should also be included if necessary. It should have a title and be about 200 words long.
• Pages, tables, figures, footnotes, and endnotes are numbered sequentially (1,2,3…) or (Table 1, Table 2, Table 3…)

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ASA Title Page

The title page is the first thing one sees when picking up a paper. It is your job to make it look sharp and to create it in accordance with all of the rules so that it looks presentable and professional.

The ASA citation format title page usually contains the following information:

• ASA header, which is also the full title of the work
• Names and institutions of the writers
• A total word count
• Address of the author, or one who receives communication and feedback regarding the work
• Credits or acknowledgments of all contributors or sponsors
• Grants/funding of the research or the paper

ASA Abstract

The abstract appears on a separate page between the title page and the beginning of the essay. It usually contains about 150-200 words. If an abstract page is included, it often lists several keywords that help identify the essay’s main points of study.

Subheadings

The ASA citation format uses subheadings to organize body paragraphs. They do not serve to simply name the paragraphs of the document; using “Introduction” in a subheading wouldn’t be a great choice.

There are three levels of subheadings. Subheadings in ASA formatting are always left-aligned and are never written in the bold letters. Note that the editing style of the following subheadings correspond with the way they should appear in the text:

• FIRST-LEVEL SUBHEADING
• Letters in caps signify the first-level subheading
• Do not use bold font
• Do not begin with a heading such as Introduction
• Second-Level Subheading
• Title case (the first letter of each word is capitalized except for articles and prepositions)
• Third-level subheading
• Only first word is capitalized
• Should be followed by a period
• Should be indented in the beginning of the paragraph

General ASA Citation Rules

There are a few simple rules when it comes to the ASA writing style:

• This type of work avoids using the first-person, unless instructed otherwise.
• Since the paper will be heavily referenced, it is best to avoid giving opinions—unless the essay is argumentative.
• The writing must be straightforward and written in the active voice. Jargon, common expressions, slang, and superlatives are always best avoided.
• Words like ”percent” and “verses” are always spelled and not abbreviated, unless they appear as data in tables or graphs.
• Gendered terms are only used if they are crucial in the specific analysis. Otherwise, avoid using references such as “mankind” and instead use non-gendered terms such as “humanity” or “the global population”, etc.
• Racial and ethnic stereotyping is another thing to be cautious of. Be specific when describing a race or ethnicity. Use Japanese instead of Asian; Mexican instead of Latino.
• If the text requires acronym usage, provide the full name with the acronym in parentheses. After this, you can stick to the acronym: (first time) Based on a report conducted by the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA)... (later in the text) The CIA report concludes…

ASA In-Text Citations

How and when to use in-text citations.

The ASA citation format is similar to APA when it comes to in-text citations and they are used when presenting information from any source. The general rule for American Sociological Association citations is to state the last name of the author and the initial publishing date of the referenced material. Here are some in-text citation examples:

• If the author's name is in the sentence, simply include the year:

ASA in text citation example: When Vasari (1550) studied the renaissance painters…

• If not - put the author’s last name inside the parentheses:

ASA in text citation example: When the renaissance painters were studied (Vasari 1550)...

• When citing reprinted work with several publish dates, list the first date and then the most recent one, separated with a slash.

ASA in text citation example: (Reed and Christgau 1978/2013)

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ASA Citation for Multiple Authors

Below are a few examples of using ASA in-text citations for multiple authors.

• For two, write both their surnames, followed by the year of publication.

ASA citation example:

(Bockris and Malanga 2003)

• For three or more, include all last names in the first citation. In later citations, include the first name and ‘et al.’ along with the year of publication.

ASA citation example: (Breton, Magritte, and Dali 1961) — first citation (Breton et al. 1961) — later citations

• If the work does not provide the writer’s name, give enough information to find the work in the reference list.

ASA citation example: (U.S. Department of Justice 1977:82)

• For multiple citations, separate the references with a semicolon and place them sequentially.

ASA citation example: (Rutt 1950; Smith 1952) (Kenway et al. 1934; Stewart 1981)

• For a citation of reprinted work that had been published earlier and was released again, include both years of publication. First the earliest, followed by a slash and the later year.

ASA citation example: (Smith and Greyjoy 1995/2019)

• For unpublished work that is to be published soon, use forthcoming in lieu of a date. If the date has not been determined, use n.d.

ASA citation example: Cramer (n.d.) conducted research on interracial relationships of the twentieth century.

Citing Quotes

Short quotations in the body of the text should have quotation marks. Quotations of more than 40 words are called block quotations and should be offset from the rest of the text with a single space. When using block quotes in ASA citation format, omit quotation marks. The works are cited as usual, although besides the year of the publication, the page number should also be included. The year is separated from the pagination with a semicolon.

Example: In his studies, Newton (1704:21) discovered that…

ASA Reference Page

The ASA citation reference page should start with the word REFERENCES. All references are double-spaced and are placed using a hanging indent. Capitalize the first letter of everything except for prepositions, articles, and conjunctions—although you should capitalize them if they are in the beginning of the reference’s title or subtitle. References are listed in alphabetical order based on the authors’ last names.

• First and middle names are included for all authors unless they used initials in the publication.
• If the author repeats, still include their full name on all the references. In that case, arrange the work in chronological order from oldest to newest.
• If the same author is in both a single-authored reference as the first author and in a multi-authored reference, you should place single-authored references first.
• When you are including multiple works by the same author(s) from the same year, include letters after the year and list all of the references from one author alphabetically.
• Make sure to include all of the authors of the publications. You may not use et al in the REFERENCES section.

The ASA reference page looks similar to APA with a few deviations. Here is how to cite the most common types of references, like writers of our graduate paper writing service do:

How to Cite Books: Author [Last, First]. Year of Publication. Title (italicized). Place of Publishing: Publisher.

Example of an ASA reference: James, Henry. 2003. The Turn of the Screw. New York: Barns & Noble Books.

How to Cite E-Books: Author [Last, First]. Year of Publication. Title (italicized). Place of Publishing: Publisher. Retrieved Month Day, Year {link}.

Example of an ASA reference: James, Henry. 2003. The Turn of the Screw. New York: Penguin Books Kindle Version. Retrieved January 18, 2017. {link}

How to Cite a Journal Article: Author [Last, First]. Year of Publication. "Title (italicized).” Journal Name issue #: inclusive page numbers.

Example of an ASA reference: Feekins, Bo. 2008. “Chasing Tree Frogs.” National Geographic #182. 6-10

How to Cite a Magazine Article: Author [Last, First]. Year of Pub. "Title (italicized).” Magazine Name, Month Year, pp. Inclusive page numbers.

Example of an ASA reference: Geary, Rachel. 2012. “The Issue with Mastery Learning.” New York Times, April 2002. Pp. 15-23.

How to Cite a Web Page ASA Style: Author [Last, First]. Date of Publishing. Title. Publisher. Retrieved Month Day, Year {link}.

Example of an ASA reference: Lee, Bruce. 03.09.2004. Birth of a Nation. History.com. Retrieved 18.01.2017. {link}

Footnotes and Endnotes

Footnotes and endnotes come into play when you need to expand the text, add or explain information from the table, or cite materials with limited access.

Endnotes are more likely than footnotes to be used. It is better to choose whether you will be using endnotes or footnotes in your ASA format paper and then use one or the other consistently throughout the paper. Each entry should not exceed 100 words. They are usually placed at the bottom of the page that the reference is on.

Footnotes appear on the same page as the material being underlined or expanded upon. They should be numbered in the order they appear using Arabic numerals.

Endnotes are listed at the end of the paper after the ‘References’ section. Both footnotes and endnotes are numbered for the ASA citation. There must always be some harmony in how they are utilized.

For example: If you use footnotes to define difficult vocabulary in the text, do not do the same thing in endnotes. Avoid mixing them up to give the paper stronger continuity.

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ASA Paper Example

Now that we have covered all of the details for ASA paper formatting, let’s look at an example to get some practical experience and a better understanding of ASA format citation from our economics essay writing service.

You can also read more about APA or other essay writing format in the article prepared by our experts.

Further ASA Format Help

An ASA paper requires a lot of attention to detail. If you are still having trouble citing ASA style papers, you can buy essays online at our service. By doing so, you can receive a custom essay or request our professional writers to proofread, edit, or rewrite existing papers. Rest assured that your essay is in good handsof our coursework writing services

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What Is the ASA Format?

ASA format is an academic style of writing that people use in writing academic papers or research articles that have a sociological topic. The American Sociological Association uses this format as a way to standardize the overall look and content of a sociological academic paper.

How to Write in the ASA Format

It is important to know how to write in the ASA format when you are planning to write a paper or a research article on a sociological topic or thesis question. If you need a reference you may use any of the ASA format examples, ASA format templates, ASA Paper format examples, and ASA format samples on the list above.

Step 1: Determine If the Topic Is Sociological

Begin by checking or determining if the topic you are writing about is a sociological topic. If it isn’t sociological, then you must follow the writing style associated with that specific topic.

Step 2: Research How to Create ASA In-Text Citations

All academic writing styles will require the author/s to refer to and cite their sources in the body of the text and on their reference page. Research and understand the ASA in-text citation format.

Step 3: Research the Basic ASA Format

Research the basic ASA format which includes all the various formatting elements like the font size, font style, margin, spacing, and headers. Be sure to keep these elements consistent throughout the whole paper.

Step 4: Check If Your Information on the ASA Format Is Up-To-Date

The ASA format is subject to change as time goes on, this means that some of the old formattings of the ASA style of writing are invalid. Determine if the information and format you are using are up-to-date with the latest format ASA uses.

What is the difference between the ASA format and the APA style?

American Sociological Association or the ASA is a specific format that sociologists use to write research papers and essays that have the topic of sociology. This type of format often focuses on the person’s punctuation , bibliographies , and other types of notes. The APA style of paper is a type of writing style that focuses on writing psychological papers or research that is may lead to a quantitative or a qualitative research report. Both ASA and APA have unique formats for their in-text citations. (See APA in-text citation )

Does the ASA have an abstract?

Yes, the ASA abstract is very similar to the APA abstract . This abstract will include various elements the ASA format will ask the writer to incorporate into their paper. Just note that the abstract should be around one hundred fifty to two hundred words.

Are there any ASA citation generators online?

Yes, there are many free ASA citation generators you can use to easily create in-text citations and for the full reference in the works cited page. Citethisforme.com and citationmachine.net are two great websites that can generate citations for the references the person will use in their paper.

The American Sociological Association or the ASA format is a style of writing that tries to outline and standardize the theme , tone , and overall style a sociological paper should look like. If one is planning to write an essay or a research paper on sociological topics then the person should know how to format and write their paper using the ASA style of writing.

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