ASA (American Sociological Association)

Please see this ASA website for details. http://www.buffalostate.edu/library/docs/asa.pdf

In-text Citations

ASA style prefers in-text citations to footnotes or endnotes.

If it’s a direct quote, use a bracket, the author’s last name, the year, a colon, the page number(s), and then close the bracket. If the quote finishes the sentence, put the period after the citation.

“I can see why she wrote that, on the wall of the cupboard…” (Atwood 1986: 175).

If it’s an indirect quote where the speaker is already mentioned by name, you can just use the page number.

In Margaret Atwood’s The Handmaid’s Tale (1986), the women find strength in a Latin pun once written by schoolboys (175).

or

In The Handmaid’s Tale, the women find strength in a Latin pun once written by schoolboys (Atwood 1986).

Bibliography

Here are a few basics for an ASA bibliography. Remember to watch for small details like punctuation.

Books

Author Lastname, Firstname. Year. Title of Book. Place of Publication: Publisher.

Doe, Jane. 2001. The Book. Springfield: Printer Press.

If there are two authors, the second author’s name goes in the normal order.

Doe, Jane and John Smith. 2001. The Book. Springfield: Printer Press.

If the book is edited, just put , ed. after the editor’s first name.

Doe, Jane, ed. 2001. The Book. Springfield: Printer Press.

Chapter or Article in a Book

Author Lastname, Firstname. Year. "Title of Chapter/Article." Pages (Pp) in Title of Book. Place of Publication: Publisher.

Doe, Jane. 2001. “Writing.” Pp. 149-193 in The Book. John Smith, ed. Springfield: Printer Press.

E-book

Author Lastname, Firstname. Year. Title of Book. Place of Publication: Publisher. Date retrieved (URL).

Doe, Jane. 2001. The Book. Springfield: Printer Press. Retrieved February 18, 2011 (www.eliterature.com)

Article in Journal (print)

Author Lastname, Firstname. Year. "Title of Article." Name of Magazine. Volume number (issue number): pages.

Doe, Jane. 2001. “Writing.” The Weekly Sociologist. 3 (21):6-17.

Article in Journal (web)

Author Lastname, Firstname. Year. "Title of Article." Name of Magazine. Volume number (issue number): pages. Date retrieved (doi or URL).

Doe, Jane. 2001. “Writing.” The Weekly Sociologist. 3 (21):6-17. Retrieved February 18, 2001 (doi xxxxxxxxxxxx).

Website

Author Lastname, Firstname. Year. "Title of website." Publisher. Date retrieved (URL).

Doe, Jane. 2001. “Writing.” Printers Anonymous. Retrieved February 18, 2001 (www.writing.com).

Dissertation or Thesis

Author Lastname, Firstname. Year. "Title." Dissertation or thesis, department, institution. Retrieved from database.

Doe, Jane. 2001. “Writing.” PhD dissertation, Department of English, University of Springfield. Retrieved from AllThingsWriting database.