Free ASA Citation Generator

Here at Cite This For Me we are committed to educating students in excellent citing practice. This style guide has been written to support anyone who is using the ASA style to cite their essay, research paper, or journal article. It provides clear, useful guidance that covers in-text citations, the reference list, manuscript formatting, and much more. Referring to this style sheet will ensure you achieve consistency across your work, taking you one step further to getting the result that you deserve after all your hard work.

Looking for a citation tool to save you time? Our open-access citation generator does just that, leaving you more time to spend on actually writing your paper. You can format ASA citations quickly, simply and smartly in the version of the style recognized by your institution using our multi-platform tool.

Do you need to cite a research paper using MLA formatting? Or has your professor asked you to use the APA citation format? You may be looking to instantly cite in the Chicago citation style, or just need to read up on how to create IEEE or AMA citations… There are thousands of referencing styles in use today, and the one that you need will depend on your discipline, college, professor, or the publication you are writing for. Whichever style you need, visit Cite This For Me’s website to select from 1,000+ citation styles, including college variations of each. Simply sign up to Cite This For Me for free, log-in to your account, and set your institution in ‘My Profile’.

Check with your institution to find out which they want and make sure you follow their requirements exactly, as it’s what you’ll be marked on.

Continue reading this guide for practical advice and examples that will help you create each citation with ease. For more information on the mechanics of the style, in-depth guidance on the required writing style and further examples, we encourage you to refer to the complete ASA Style Guide (5th Edition).

As well as inserting in-text citations within the main body of your work, you will need to provide a comprehensive reference list that details exactly which sources you have drawn upon in your research and writing process. Ultimately, a full and accurate reference list is essential because it allows your reader to easily locate and verify the source material you have used.

Each parenthetical citation in the text must have a corresponding reference list entry, and vice versa. Remember to double-check that none of your citations are missing from your reference list.

These ASA formatting guidelines will help you compile your reference list:

• • A reference list follows the text and footnotes on a separate page headed ‘References’ – use the first-level head format for the heading
  • List all citations in alphabetical order by the first author’s last name
  • Include the first names for all authors rather than their initials – unless the author used their initials in the original publication; in these cases, add a space between the initials
  • Citations should be double-spaced, with double line spacing between each entry
  • Do not use the ampersand (&) for and when including two names in a citation
  • Add a comma between two or more author names – this is an update in the 5th edition of the style guide
  • Capitalize all words except prepositions (e.g., of, between, through), articles (e.g., a, the, an) and conjunctions (e.g. but, and, or) – only capitalize these exceptions if they begin the title or subtitle
  • When including more than one work by the same author, include their full name in each citation – arrange these citations in chronological order, beginning with the earliest work
  • If an author features in both a single-authored citation and as the first author in a multi-authored citation, place all of the single-authored ASA citations first, even though this may not be chronological

Example:

Hoge, Dean R. 1979. “A Test of Theories of Denominational Growth and Decline.” Pp. 179-197 in Understanding Church Growth and Decline 1950-1978, edited by D. R. Hoge and D. A. Roozen. New York and Philadelphia: Pilgrim Press.

Hoge, Dean R., Benton Johnson, and Donald A. Luidens. 1994. Vanishing Boundaries: The Religion of Mainline Baby Boomers. Louisville, KY: Westminster John Knox Press.

• • For multiple authors, invert only the first author’s last name (Jones, Arthur B., Colin D. Smith, and James Petersen) – list in alphabetical order by author’s last name
  • Do not use ‘et al.’ in the reference list, unless the work was authored by a committee
  • Distinguish works by the same author(s) in the same year by adding letters to the year (2002a, 2002b, 2002c) – list such works in alphabetical order by title

Example:

Horwitz, Allan V. 2002a. Creating Mental Illness. Chicago: University of Chicago Press.

Horwitz, Allan V. 2002b. “The Measurement of Mental Health Outcomes: Where Have We Been and Where Are We Going?” Journal of Health and Social Behavior 43(2):143-51.

• • Include the state abbreviation only if city of publication is not clear. For example, New York, Chicago, and Los Angeles do not need a state abbreviation. However, Cambridge should be followed by an appropriate state abbreviation or country name.
  • If no date is available, use N.d. in place of the date. If the cited material is unpublished but has been accepted for publication, use Forthcoming in place of the date and give the name of the publisher or journal

Depending on the nature of your work, and the preference of your tutor or publication to whom you are submitting your work, you may need to include a bibliography as well as a reference list. For instance, if you are preparing a book-length manuscript it will add value to include a list of every relevant source you consulted whilst researching your topic.

The examples that follow demonstrate common usages of different source types; adhere to these when creating your own reference list:

Book with one author.

Author’s full name (inverted so that last name appears first). Year of publication. Name of Publication (italicized). Location of publisher, state, or province postal code (or name of country if a foreign publisher): Publisher’s Name.

King, Mary E. 2007. A Quiet Revolution: The First Palestinian Intifada and Nonviolent Resistance. New York: Nation Books.

Book with two or more authors.

Author1 (last name inverted), Author2 (including full surname, last name is not inverted), and Author3. Year of publication. Name of Publication (italicized). Location of publisher, state, or province postal code (or name of country if a foreign publisher): Publisher’s Name.

Note: When there are only two authors or editors, add a comma after the name of the first author or editor (change in the 5th edition of the style guide).

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

Journal Articles.

Author1 (last name inverted), Author2 (including full surname, last name is not inverted), and Author3. Year of publication. “Title of Article.” Name of Publication (italicized) Volume Number(Issue Number):page numbers of article.

Colen, Cynthia G. 2011. “Addressing Racial Disparities in Health Using Life Course Perspectives.” Du Bois Review 8(1):79-94.

Coe, Deborah L., and James D. Davidson. 2011. “The Origins of Legacy Admissions: A Sociological Explanation.” Review of Religious Research 52(3):233-47.

Note: These examples include the issue number after the volume number of the journal; issue numbers should be included in ASA citations to make the source easier to locate. If issue numbers are used, they should be used throughout the reference list.

Chapters in Books or Other Collected Works.

Author1 (last name inverted), Author2 (including full surname, last name is not inverted), and Author3. Year of publication. “Title of article.” Pp. (with page numbers, elided) in Name of Publication (italicized), edited by Editor1, Editor2, and Editor3 (use editors’ initials only for first/middle names, names not inverted). Location of publisher, state, or province postal code (or name of country if a foreign publisher): Publisher’s Name.

Montez, Jennifer K., and Mark D. Hayward. 2011. “Early Life Conditions and Later Life Mortality.” Pp. 187-206 in International Handbook of Adult Mortality, edited by R. G. Rogers and E. Crimmins. New York: Springer Publishers.

Archival Sources.

George Meany Memorial Archives, Legislature Reference Files, Box 6. March 18, 1970. File: 20. Memo, Conference with Gloster Current, Director of Organization, National Association for the Advancement of Colored People.

Looking to cite another source type? Check out Section 4.3.2.2 in the ASA Style Guide: ‘Other Types of Reference Material’ for guidelines and examples on how to cite other types of documents. For instance; major reference books, dissertations and theses, unpublished papers magazine articles, book reviews and other peer-reviewed material, translations, government documents and presentations. You can read more about creating a reference list on Bucknell University’s website.

It is a common mistake to leave your reference list until the very last minute, but Cite This For Me’s ASA citation machine will accurately write your entire list in just a few minutes. Your reference list is then stored in the cloud, ready for you to access online and copy straight into your work.

The ASA Style Guide outlines a rigorous set of rules for organizing and presenting content in manuscripts and articles. It is crucial that you adhere to the style requirements, so make sure that your work is formatted in line with what is expected or you could be penalized.

The style requires that the following pages are included when you submit your manuscript:

1. Title Page

• Includes the full title of your paper, the author name(s), the author’s institution(s), a running head*, the total word count (including ASA citations and footnotes), and a title footnote
• An asterisk (*) after the title refers the reader to a title footnote at the bottom of the title page. This must include the name and address of the corresponding author, additional acknowledgments (usually not necessary for papers submitted in a sociology class), and grant numbers

*A Running Head is simply a shortened version of the work’s title (no more than 50 characters); this gives an idea of what your paper is about and helps to identify the pages of your paper so they are kept together. It should be titled ‘Running head’ and appear in uppercase letters at the top left of each page.

Example of title page (American Sociological Association, p. 90):

Running Head

Word Count = Text, Footnotes, and References

*Title footnote

2. Abstract

• • Your abstract should begin on a separate page after the title page, and you should use your work’s title as the heading
  • Do not include the author’s name for anonymity purposes
  • Essentially, an abstract is a brief (no more than 200 words) description that summarizes the key points you cover in your paper
  • Ensure that the language is readily comprehensible and jargon-free

3. Keywords

• • Select 3 – 5 keywords that highlight the primary themes you have approached in your work

4. Text

• • Begin the main body of text on a new page that is headed by the work’s title
  • Omit any form of author identification throughout the text
  • Use 12-point Arial and double-space all text (including ASA citations, footnotes, and endnotes)
  • Margins need to be at least 1 ¼ inches on all sides
  • Pages should be numbered sequentially, from the title page to the reference list

5. Footnotes and Endnotes

• • Place footnotes and endnotes in a separate section following the text
  • You should only add footnotes or endnotes where absolutely necessary because they can distract your reader; it is recommended that they are limited to less than 100 words
  • Use them to expand further on the text, cite materials of limited availability, or to add additional information to a table
  • Do not use both footnotes and endnotes, stick to one or the other throughout your work
  • Indicate every footnote with a superscript Arabic numeral to which it is keyed in the main body of text
  • Footnotes should be numbered consecutively and double-spaced at the bottom of the page
  • To refer to a footnote again later in the text, insert a parenthetical note: e.g., (see note 5)
  • Include endnotes in a separate section titled Notes or Endnotes
  • Read more about footnotes here

6. Appendixes

• This is your chance to add any supplementary, supporting material to the end of your work – generally explanatory, statistical, or bibliographic
• Consider adding an appendix as an alternative to a footnote or endnote
• If you are only including one appendix, title it Appendix. Multiple appendixes should be lettered (e.g., Appendix A, Appendix B) to differentiate them from numbered figures and tables

7. Tables, Figures, and Graphic Materials

Tables

• Accompany each with a descriptive title so that the reader does not need to refer to the main body of text in order to understand it
• Tables should be numbered consecutively throughout the text, and each should be included on a separate page at the end of the paper
• Left-justify title above the table
• Include headings for all columns and rows, and use subheadings to separate different sections or clarify categories
• Gather general notes on the table under Notes or Sources beneath the table – use a, b, c etc. to add explanatory footnotes to the table, and list full citations for each data source in the reference list
• All text and data should fit vertically across two columns

Find further details on the presentation of tables, alongside some demonstrative examples, in 4.8.1 (p. 64) in the ASA Style Guide.

Figures, Illustrations, and Photographs

• Visual art should only be included when it significantly contributes to the reader’s understanding of the paper – consider how much value a figure adds before including it in your work
• Number them consecutively throughout, and accompany each with a title and clear label
• Left-justify each figure caption and place below the figure
• Submit high-resolution images electronically in a single file
• Use black-and-white figures unless it affects clarity
• You must secure permission to publish a copyrighted figure, illustration or photograph

More information on formatting graphs, charts, images and much more, can be found in Section 6: ‘Preparing and Submitting a Manuscript to an ASA Journal’ of the ASA Style Guide.

Subheadings

• Use subheadings to organize the main body of text – for a full-length article, three subheadings should suffice

THIS IS A FIRST-LEVEL HEAD

• Capitalize the whole heading, left-justify, and don’t use a bold font
• Some journals do not indent the paragraph immediately following a first-level head

This is a Second-Level Head

• Italicize, left-justify, and don’t use a bold font
• Capitalize all words except prepositions (of, into, between, through), articles (a, an, the), and coordinating conjunctions (and, but, or)
• Some journals do not indent the paragraph immediately following a second-level head

This is a third-level head.

• Italicize, left-justify, and don’t use a bold font
• Indent at the beginning of the paragraph, and follow with a period
• The paragraph continues immediately after the period
• Capitalize only the first letter of the first word and proper nouns

Further ASA Formatting Guidelines:

• All text, tables and figures should be typeset and sized to fit the journal page dimension (smaller than regular letter-sized 8.5” by 11” paper)
• When figures are sized down to fit on the page, all text in the figure must not be smaller than 8-point Arial font
• Block quotes may be single-spaced
• Avoid using space bars or indents to align the text or create hanging indents
• Use a hard return after the title of the article, the running head, and every paragraph, text heading, page heading, reference, and footnote

Clearly and consistently presenting your work according to the style requirements will improve its readability and add to its overall professional finish.

Cite This For Me aims to empower students by elevating their research to the next level and educating them in how to avoid plagiarism. We know that citing can be time-consuming and confusing, but it can mean the difference between reaching your scholarly goals and damaging your reputation amongst other academics.

The ASA citation format is dedicated to complete and accurate author accreditation, and sets out its ethos in the ASA Code of Ethics section 14:

(a) In publications, presentations, teaching, practice, and service, sociologists explicitly identify credit, and reference the author when they take data or material verbatim from another person’s written work, whether it is published, unpublished, or electronically available.

(b) In their publications, presentations, teaching, practice, and service, sociologists provide acknowledgment of and reference to the use of other’s work, even if the work is not quoted verbatim or paraphrased, and they do not present others’ work as their own whether it is published, unpublished, or electronically available. (American Sociological Association, 2014, p. 3)

Under the pressure of fast-approaching deadlines it is easy to slip up and inadvertently plagiarize your work; even something as small as leaving a citation out of your reference list, or including an incorrect publication date for a source, could affect your grade. It is unbelievably frustrating to miss out on valuable points because of something so simple yet so integral to academic success, so it is in your own interest to ensure you cite fully and accurately.

Even if you are using our citation generator, it is important that you get to grips with the reasons why citing is essential as this will help you to naturally integrate the process into your work.

Firstly, every time you use someone else’s words, data that someone else has collected, or even paraphrase another author’s ideas (regardless of whether it is published, unpublished, or available online), you must appropriately cite the source. The bottom line is, whenever information that you have used in your work has originated from somewhere else, it needs to be cited both in the text and in a reference list. The only exception to this rule is common knowledge – e.g. ‘Barack Obama is the President of the United States’. You can regard something as common knowledge if you are certain that your reader will already know it, for instance; a fact or an everyday phrase.

Secondly, plagiarism is stealing. Researchers and writers must acknowledge their debts to their predecessors by carefully documenting each source they use in their work. If you are going to uphold your intellectual honesty, you’ll need to accurately signpost where you have drawn on someone else’s work. Attributing your research will serve to validate your own work by demonstrating that it is built upon a combination of appropriate academic reading and original thought.

We have also created a checklist to use throughout your research and writing process.

How to avoid plagiarism:

• Plan – create a detailed plan before you start writing that includes all relevant content, as well as an outline of how you plan on structuring the paper
• Time management – make use of time plans and targets, and give yourself enough time to read, write and proofread
• Record sources – note down publication information for each source as you go, save each quote word-for-word, and place it in inverted commas to distinguish it from your own words
• Use your own words – this is particularly important to remember when paraphrasing information; your work must differ from the original text
• Save everything – store your research and citations in a safe place.

If you follow the style guidelines, and run any questions past your institution or publisher, it is unlikely that you will plagiarize.

American Sociological Association. 2014. American Sociological Association Style Guide. 5th ed. Washington, DC: American Sociological Association.