PRESENTED BY THE WRITING RESOURCE CENTER

CALIFORNIA STATE UNIVERSITY, BAKERSFIELD

ASA Format and Citation

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

Include title of the paper, author(s) name(s), and institution.

Some instructors may also request the date and instructor name

In publications, word count is required on the title page

Header should not be visible on the title page

Formatting: Abstract

An abstract may not always be neededComes after the title pageAbstracts

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

1 ¼ in. margins on all sides

Headers required and should include title and page number

Formatting: Subheadings

Subheadings are used to organize your paper

FIRST-LEVEL HEADING• All caps• Justify left

Second-Level 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.

FootnotesGenerally, 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”

(Rowan-Kenyon 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).

References

All references should be placed on a separate page

Use first-level head format discussed earlier

Double-spaced with hanging indent

Alphabetical order by first authors’ last name

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 AuthorsPalmer, 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: 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: 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.

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