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ASA Style Guide

Format

In addition to creating citations, the format of the paper is also important. Consider the following and view examples on how to format title pages and the References page. Be sure to check with your Professor for specific formats. 

Title Page

The title page should include the following:

  • A running head (shortened title)
  • The full title of the article
  • The author(s) full name and institution (if more than one author, put on separate lines)
  • The word count

Title Page Example

 

Running Head: Shortened Title

Full Title of the Article: Capitalize Subtitle After Colon

Author Full Name
Institution

Word Count=1,234

 

NOTE: Speak with your Professor to confirm formatting of the title page; They may wish to use a different format. 

Reference Page

  • The reference page should start on it's own page.
  • References should be the title of the page. 
  • The reference list should be double spaced. 
  • References should be listed alphabetically by the first author's last name. 
  • The first line of each citation should be flush with the margin and all consecutive lines should be indented. 

Reference Page Example

 

                                                                        References

Bender, Wolfgang. 1991. Sweet Mother. Chicago: University of Chicago Press.

Golash-Boza, Tanya Maria. 2014. Race and Racisms: A Critical Approach. 1st ed. New York:
        Oxford University Press.​

Nerburn, Kent. 2002. Neither Wolf, Nor Dog: On Forgotten Roads with an Indian Elder. Novato,
        ​California: New World Library.

Persell, Caroline, Kathryn M. Hodges Pfeiffer, and Ali Syed. 2008. "How Sociological Leaders Teach:
        Some Key Principles." Teaching Sociology 36(2):
        108-24. Doi: 10.1177/0092055X0803600202

Additional Formatting & Style Information

  • If a citation includes an Institutional/organizational author name, use the abbreviation.
    • In-text:  (ASA 2019)
    • Reference list: ASA (American Soc..) 2018. The American Sociological Association... 
  • Access dates for online resources do not need to be included in citation except when web content has no publish date or when an access date can help identify which version of a source the author consulted. 
  • If no date can be found for a source, use n.d. for the citation.
  • Include the state abbreviation in a citation only if city is unclear. 
  • When including page numbers in reference list citation and in-text citations, use the following rules:
    • Page numbers less than 100, use all digits. Example: (42-55).
    • Page ranges starting with 100 or multiples of 100, use all digits. Example (100-108, 1300-1325).
    • Page ranges such as 101-109 (201-209 etc), use changed part only. Examples: (202-5; 209-10).
    • Page ranges such as 110-199 (210-299 etc) use 2 digits unless more are needed. Examples: (421-28; 596-628; 1151-59; 1394-414). 
  • Use block quotes if the quote includes 50 words or more. Begin the quote as a separate, indented paragraph with NO quotation marks.