WHAT IS ASA FORMAT?

ASA citation, short for American Sociological Association, is known to be the chief form of citation. This ASA format is used mostly by scholars studying or working in the field of sociology. Students in the sociology field are required to collect information for their journals and publications and should have an understanding of the ASA citation principles. However, ASA citation changes depending upon the source of the material the students have.

GENERAL ASA CITATION RULES

• Any work using the ASA format should never be referenced in the first person unless instructed otherwise.
• This format depends a lot on references, so giving opinions is unnecessary unless the work is argumentative.
• All content should be written in active voice. Jargon, slang, and superlatives should be avoided.
• Gendered terms should be used only when analyzing the text in a specific manner.
• Racial and ethnic stereotyping will not be encouraged. But be specific when you have to mention a race or ethnicity.

GUIDE TO ASA CITATION FORMAT

Although the ASA citation format keeps changing depending upon the origin of the source material, there are some basic guidelines that scholars can refer to for their work. There are different formats to be followed while writing manuscripts, in-text citations, and bibliography.

1. ASA FORMAT FOR MANUSCRIPTS

• All text must be double-spaced and in a font of 12 points, including footnotes and references.
• Margins should not be any less than an inch from all sides.
• The title page should be separate. It should include details such as the page title, the names of all the authors, complete word count, references and footnotes, and title footnote.
• There can be an abstract of no more than 200 words and should be headed with the title.
• The text should be on a separate page, starting with the title of the manuscript.

2. IN-TEXT ASA CITATIONS

• The in-text citations must have the author’s surname and specify the year of publication.
• Throughout the text, when an author’s name comes up, the author’s surname and the year of publication should also be mentioned.
• All page numbers will be followed by the publication year. Both elements should be separated by a colon.
• If there are three authors, then their surnames must be mentioned in the first citation. In the following citations, their first names or “et al” can be used.
• Quotes must begin and end with quotation marks.

3. ASA FORMAT FOR BIBLIOGRAPHY/REFERENCES

• The bibliography must follow the corresponding text/footnotes in a section titled “References” or “Bibliography”.
• Anything that is referenced in the body must be listed in the reference section and vice versa.
• All references in the ASA format should be double-spaced.
• References should be listed in an alphabetical order using the surnames of the authors.
• Hanging indents should be used on each reference.
• The last name of the author should always be mentioned first.
• The order of publication of multiple citations by the same author should be listed starting with the earliest publication year.
• Six hyphens and a period can be used in place of an author’s name for repeated materials.
• Book titles and periodical titles should be italicized. If the italic font is unavailable, then the titles can be underlined.
• Both city and state names should be used for publication. Use the country’s name also for foreign cities.

SUMMARY

The rules of the ASA format are very straightforward and can be used in a simplified manner. Following the style guide mentioned above, one can ensure that their manuscripts and other forms of work are not only properly formatted but adhere to the guidelines of the ASA format.