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Citation Resources

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ASA Style (American Sociological Association)

ASA citation style was created by the American Sociological Association specifically for publishing in ASA journals.  It has since been used for teaching sociological studies and by other writers writing on sociological and social sciences topics.

The ASA is based loosely on the most current volume of the Chicago Manual of Style, and as such that manual may be referenced. Writers should be aware of some guidelines that have been created specifically for the ASA.  See the ASA style guide for specifics.

The citations in this guide are general citations from the sixth edition American Sociological Association Style Guide. For more information and more details on the formatting, writing, and citing of papers see the links below.  And remember you can always ask a librarian!

Basic book citation example:

      Edin, Kathryn, and Maria Kefalas. 2005. Promises I Can Keep: Why Poor Women Put Motherhood Before Marriage. Berkeley: University of California Press.

This example shows first the author, last name first, second author first name first, year of publication, then the title of the book in italics, followed by the publisher's location and publisher name. (Citation found on page 57 of ASA Style Guide sixth edition.)

In-text citations:
  • Parenthetical citation: (Edin and Kefalas 2005)
  • Narrative citation:  According to Kathryn Edin and Maria Kefalas,.....(2005).
Note that due to the nature of E-books requiring specific devices or applications, authors need to indicate which format of E-book was used.  
For Example:
Fenichel, Marilyn, and Heidi A. Schweingruber. 2010. Surrounded by Science: Learning Science in Informal Environments. Board on Science Education, Center for Education, Division of Behavioral and Social Sciences and Education. Washington, DC: National Academies Press. Adobe Digital Editions EPUB.
(Citation found on page 84 of ASA Style Guide sixth edition.)
For further examples and examples of different types of books follow the links below.

Basic article citation example:

      Chang, Virginia W., and Diane S. Lauderdale. 2009. "Fundamental Cause Theory, Technological Innovation, and Health Disparities: The Case of Cholesterol in the Era of Statins." Journal of Health and Social Behavior 50(3):245-60.

This example shows first the author, last name first, second author first name first, year of publication, then the title of the article in quotation marks, followed by the journal title in italics, then the volume, issue, and page number of the article. (Citation found on page 57 of ASA Style Guide sixth edition.)

In-text citations:
  • Parenthetical citation: (Chang and Lauderdale 2009)
  • Narrative citation:  According to Virginia W. Chang and Diane S. Lauderdale,.....(2009).
For further examples and examples of different types of articles follow the links below.

Basic website with date citation example:

  •  Reference: CEC (Council for Exceptional Children). 2014. "CEC's <ossopm Statement." https://www.cec.sped.org/About-Us/Mission.

  • In-text citation: (CEC2014)

This example shows first the creator's name, year of publication, then the title of the article in quotation marks, followed by the web address. (Citation found on page 87 of ASA Style Guide sixth edition.)

Basic website with no date citation example:
  • Reference: WERA (World Education Research Association). n.d. "About WERA." Accessed June 30, 2018. https://wera.site-ym.com/?AboutWERA.
  • In-text citation: (WERA, n.d.)
This example shows first the creator's name, n.d. instead of date, then the title of the article in quotation marks, the date access, followed by the web address. (Citation found on page 87 of ASA Style Guide sixth edition.)
For further examples and examples of different types of websites follow the links below.

For all other types of sources including interviews, email, social media, conference presentations, and more see the resources below.