ASA Format and Citation
PRESENTED BY THE
WRITING RESOURCE CENTER
CALIFORNIA STATE UNIVERSITY,
BAKERSFIELD
Why ASA?
 ASA stands for American Sociological
Association
 The style was developed to be used for
publications in ASA journals
 ASA is becoming more popular as Sociology
departments are requesting students to
write research papers using ASA style
Title Page Formatting
Papers using ASA style must have a title page
Header
should not be
visible on the
title page
In publications, word count
is required on the title page
Include title of the paper, author(s)
name(s), and institution.
Some instructors may also request
the date and instructor name
Formatting: Abstract
An abstract may not always be needed
Comes after
the title page
Abstracts
should be
limited to
one
paragraph
and a
maximum
of 200
words
Formatting: Key Words
Follows the
abstract, on
the same page
3-5 words
Should identify themes in the paper
Formatting: Body
 Body of text should come after the key words
on a separate page
 Body should include headings and
subheadings
 No subheading at the start of the body (for
example, do not use a heading to say
Introduction)
Overall Formatting
12-point
font, double
spaced
Headers
required
and
should
include
title and
page
number
1 ¼ in. margins on all sides
Formatting: Subheadings
FIRSTLEVEL
HEADING
• All caps
• Justify left
Subheadings are used
to organize your paper
SecondLevel Head
• Title case
(capitalize all
major words. ex:
Social
Stratification
and its Effects on
Higher
Education)
• Italicize
• Justify left
Third-level head
• Capitalize only the first word
• Italicize
• Justify left
Tables and Figures
When writing a
research paper,
tables and figures
may be necessary to
display information
Tables should be
numbered consecutively.
Example: Table 1, Table 2,
Table 3, and so on
Figures should be numbered
consecutively as well.
Example: Figure 1, Figure 2,
Figure 3, etc.
Footnotes
Generally,
footnotes and
endnotes are not
used in ASA style
However, if necessary,
they can be used to add
more information for a
chart/table/figure or to
cite material
Number consecutively using
superscript with Arabic numerals
In-Text Citations
 Author’s name already included in text:

Pierre Bourdieu (1963) examined…
 Citing study by an author but author’s name not
included in the text:

The study revealed… (Gibbons 2012)
 Page numbers are used for quotes or information
found on a specific page:
As reported by Rowan-Kenyon… (2008:152)
 “One-third of college applicants are first-generation” (RowanKenyon et al. 2010:134).

In-Text Citations Continued…
 Multiple Authors:
Three authors, first in-text citation: (Rowan-Kenyon,
Bell, and Perna 2010)
 Three authors, later in-text citation: (Rowan-Kenyon et
al. 2010)
 More than three authors: (Holcomb et al. 2008)

 Quotations:

“Parenting practices during middle school are associated
with educational aspirations in late high school” (Hill and
Wang 2014:225).
All references
hould be placed
n a separate page
Double-spaced
with hanging
ndent
Alphabetical
order by first
authors’ last
name
References
Use first-level head
format discussed
earlier
References: Same Author
 Arrange in chronological order:
Bourdieu, Pierre. 1977. Outline of a Theory of Practice.
Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
Bourdieu, Pierre. 1991. Language and Symbolic Power.
Cambridge: Polity Press.
Bourdieu, Pierre. 1993. The Field of Cultural Production.
Cambridge: Polity Press.
References: Same Author
 When author is referenced for single-authored works
and multiple-authored works, place single-author
references first.
 For example, if you are using a book by Pierre
Bourdieu, and also use a book that he wrote with
someone else, you would cite as follows:
Bourdieu, Pierre. 1977. Outline of a Theory of Practice.
Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
Bourdieu, Pierre and Richard Nice. 1999. Acts of
Resistance: Against the Tyranny of the Market.
Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
References: Books
 One Author:
Last name, First name. Year. Book Title in Title Caps
and italicized. Publishing City: Publisher.
 Two or More Authors:
Last, First, and First Last. Year. Title of Book.
Publishing City: Publisher.
 Ex:
Freud, Sigmund and Oskar Pfister. Psychoanalysis
and Religion. 1963. New York: Oxford Press.
References: Edited Volume
 Same as book references with the addition of “eds.”
to indicate editor(s) name(s)
 Leonard, Kimberly Kempf, Carl E. Pope, and William
H. Feyerherm, eds. 1995. Minorities in Juvenile
Justice. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publications.
 Koshar, Rudy, ed. 1990. Splintered Classes. New
York: Holmes and Meier.
References: Chapter in Edited Volume
 Put chapter in quotes and add page numbers:
Author Last Name, First Name. Year. “Chapter in
Quotations.” Pp 1-100 in Name of book in
Italics, edited by Editor Last Name, Editor
First Name. Publishing City: Publisher.
References: Scholarly Journal Article
 One author:
Author’s Last Name, First Name. Year. “Article Title
in Quotes.” Journal Title Italicized Volume
Number(Issue Number):page numbers of
article.
 Multiple Authors
Palmer, Nathan and April Scheuths. 2013. “Online
Teaching Communities within Sociology: A
Counter Trend to the Marketization of Higher
Education.” Teaching in Higher Education
Volume 18(7):809-820
References: Magazine or Newspaper Article
 Known Author(s):
Author Last Name, First Name. Year. “Article Title in
Quotes.” Magazine or Newspaper Name,
Month Day, pp. 1-100.
 Unknown Author:
Magazine or Newspaper Name. Year. Newspaper
editorial. Month Day, p. A-1.
Online Materials (E-resources)
 Not everything on the internet is considered a
website nor should it be cited as such.
 Books, journals, magazines, newspapers, websites,
etc. found online will be cited differently than their
print counterparts.
 The following slides will show you how to cite these if
you find them online.
References: E-Books
 The same as a print book, except you will add
retrieval date and URL.
 One Author:
Last name, First name. Year. Book Title in Title Caps and
italicized. Publishing City: Publisher. Retrieved Month Date,
Year (URL)
References: Newspapers and Magazines
 Known Author(s):
Author Last Name, First Name. Year. “Article Title in
Quotes.” Magazine or Newspaper Name, Month Day,
Retrieve from Month Day, Year (URL).
Sampson, Robert J. 2006. “Open Doors Don’t Invite
Criminals.” New York Times, March 11. Retrieved July
10, 2010 (http://nytimes.com/2006/03/11/
opinion/11sampson.html).
References: e-Journal Articles with DOI
Author’s Last Name, First Name. Year. “Article Title
in Quotes.” Journal Title Italicized Volume
Number(Issue Number):article page numbers.
doi:10.1097?NNE.0b013557e31225d988
DOI stand for digital object identifier and is a unique
number used to track an article.
References: Website
 Note: Use regular author format (if author is
provided) or use full title of the corporate author.
 American Sociological Association. 2006. “Status
Committees.” Washington, DC: American
Sociological Association. Retrieved July 11, 2010
(http://www.asanet.org/about/committees.cfm).
References: Government Documents
U.S. Bureau of the Census. 2015. State and County
Quickfacts: Kern County, CA. Washington,
DC. Retrieved August 15, 2015 from
(http://uscensus.gov/quickfacts/kern/ca)
Unpublished Materials
 Check with your instructor first before using
unpublished materials.
 Unpublished materials should be cited as follows:
Author Last Name, First name. Year. “Title of
Presentation.” Location where article was
presented or made available.
FOR FURTHER QUESTIONS
 Please visit the Writing Resource
Center (WRC) in Admin. East, Room
105. to meet with a tutor to go over any
questions you have.
 Our schedule is available on our
website at www.csub.edu