ASA (American Sociological Association)

Citation and Format Style Guide

This guide provides examples of citations you might use in research papers following the ASA standard. Explanations and formats are based on the ASA Style Guide, 2nd edition (HM73.A54 Ref.), which is located at the Reference Desk.

Examples for Quick Reference

Book:
MacGaw, Dickinson and George Watson.  1976.  Political and Social Inquiry.  New
         York: John Wiley & Sons.

Journal Article:
Treas, Judith and Deirdre Geisen.  2000.  "Sexual Infidelity Among Married and
         Cohabiting Americans."  Journal of Marriage and the Family 62(1): 48-60.

Website:
*Note: this is a suggested style. ASA has not yet endorsed a website standard.

Author, Author. "Title of Document."  Edition, revision, or version info.  Date.  (2 Jan. 2002)
          (Date you last accessed the site).

In-Text Citation Format:
(Author date).

*NOTE: these are examples of citations that are most frequently used; however, ASA contains many different conditions and nuances for citations. If your citation does not fit the examples below (i.e. encyclopedia, magazine, etc.), see the more extensive ASA Guide or consult the ASA handbook.

Paper Format and Reference List

The Reference List appears at the end of the paper and includes only works actually cited in the text. It is arranged alphabetically by the first element or component in each citation (usually author's last name). The List should be reverse-indented five spaces as show in the above examples.