A Guide to ASA Format and ASA Citation

Understanding of the format

It is obvious that most of the time, titles and names encode meaning. The same anthology applies to the ASA citation formatting where it stands for “American Sociological Association”. What does ASA mean is also one of the most commonly asked questions? It means that the citation is used in the field of sociology. The ASA format is mostly used by the students of the sociological subjects and departments, the scholars, and the academics who deal in the studies that are related to sociology. It is certain that if a student fails to understand and use the correct approach towards the citation, it can lead to some major issues particular deductions in the marks, and discredits. For general information, it is inferred that the citation style is much similar to that of the APA citations, particularly in terms of the fact that both use parenthetical references that appear under the heading of references in the end. of precis.

The basics of the ASA paper format infer that there should be the same margins and the textual specifications that are adopted for the APA citation style. In addition, all the other features such as adding the graphs, tables, and pictures should follow the same approach like that of the APA citation style.

• ASA title page format

  Discussing the title page, in particular, it is inferred that a student should follow the basic approach to the title page, i.e. it should be sharp, presentable, and has the required information, then, while adjusting and formatting the page as per the ASA citation style, the header should be the full title of the work. Then, the name of the student and the institution should be mentioned. The word count of the work should also be made part of the title page, alongside the address of the author or the one who will be receiving the paper, and there should be a place for the feedback. ASA format title page must have each of them.

  The credits and the acknowledgment should be mentioned on the same page, taking into account that the grants and the funding details should be clearly crafted.

• The abstract section

  The abstract section of the ASA style formatted paper should be placed at the beginning of the content pages. There should be around 180-200 words of the abstract. In the end, there should be a list of the keywords that are already included in the paper. The abstract is more like a summary of the task which entails whatever is written in the paper.

• Subheadings

  In the ASA style paper, there should be both, headings and subheadings, which should be made part of the body paragraphs. It is not always about naming the paragraphs, but the subheadings should have content words reflecting the main idea that is expressed in that paragraph.

  It is of consideration that the sub-headings can be designed in three particular levels. However, the only thing that is common in these subheadings is, there should always be left-aligned content and no use of the bold letters.

  FIRST LEVEL SUBHEADING
  • The letters in the caps explain the first level headings
  • One should not use the bold font
  • There should not be an introduction heading
  Second-level heading
  • The second-level heading should be italicized
  • The title case i.e. the first letter of the words should be capitalized but not the preposition and the articles
  • Nothing should be written in bold font.
  Third level heading
  • The third level heading should be in italics
  • Only the first word should be capitalized
  • There should be a period at the end of the word
  • The beginning of the paragraph should be intended

Understanding the crux of citations and formatting

Citations and referencing are central to academic writing, it would not be wrong to say that the student's work can be considered unethical or a serious violation of the academic code of conduct without references. Following are some of the important points to be memorized and remembered

• The first aspect to be acknowledged while writing or coming up with an academic task is to understand that a student is always free to consult some references and websites that can help to add to the underlying knowledge and understand the point of communication.
• A student should always try consulting credible sources, pdf versions, or databases to come up with the required information. Usually, students consternate on the available or visible information i.e. the live websites which is never a good option.
• The students are required to understand that the type of citations and the formatting style varies with the type of the paper, subject, or sometimes the institution. The variation is the product of course and sometimes it is also linked with the choice of the instructor.
• While using different citation styles it is not humanly possible for a student to manage time with the take so it is sometimes recommended to get access to the software that can help to add citations without committing serious mistakes. The software is usually very easy to handle and helps to achieve the writing goals with excellence.
• There are different types of referencing styles that can be used and accomplished while fulfilling the requirements of the document.
• However, it is crucial for a student to be aware of the fact that the choice of referencing style should always be coordinated with the instructor because failure to achieve the goals can definitely lead to deduction in marks and it can also affect the quality of work.

General rules of ASA citation

There are a few simple and general rules that should be followed while writing in the ASA format

• There should not be any first-person account in the paper
• However, there can be exceptions when writing a reflective paper
• As the paper will be referenced, the first-person account is neither justified and it will not make sense. Also, an opinionated paper doesn’t have any kind of citation so it will affect the credibility of the paper.
• Always write in the first person, along with including the required jargon, however, the slags and common expressions should be excluded.
• The use of terms such as verses and percent should never be written in abbreviations rather they should be spelled.
• One must be very careful about the use of gendered terms, particularly when there is a specific analysis required to be done. Always make sure to see the non-gendered terms because it plays a central role in empowering credibility.
• Always add the full name instead of the acronym, while adding an acronym, make sure to also add the full form and the full term. One must be very clear about using the right word and the right term.
• Always make sure to add the required date but it is important to help locate the proper timeline.

In-text citations

As already stated, the citation style should be similar to the APA one, particularly in terms of the in-text citation. It will help to add information from different sources that can add to the underlying credibility of the paper as per the rule. Firstly, the last name of the author should be stated, along with the publication date.

There are some examples of the in-text citation

According to Jason (2019), the Japanese are more respectful towards others. Then, for the in-text citations at the end of the sentence, it should be The Japanese are more respectful towards others when compared to other nations (Jason, 2019).

When there are multiple authors, there will be a slight change in the citation.

For two authors it will be as follows

March & Spenser (1986) proposed the idea of starting an independent brand for the company.

The company came up with the idea of an independent brand pertaining to the competition in the market (Mark & Spencer, 1986).

For three authors, the citation will be as follows

Jacob et al., (2016) asserted the need of highlighting the underlying issues.

The need of identifying underlying issues was identified by many researchers (Jacob et al., 2016).

The same approach should be used for citing the quotations however, the citation of more than two or three lines should be written in the form of a block.

Reference page

The reference page should be started with the heading of “References” much like the APA formatting style. The references should be double spaced, and they should be handing intend. The first letter of the content words should be capitalized except for the prepositions and the articles. It is also important to note that the references should be placed in alphabetical order. There are certain aspects of the paper to be followed

• The first name and the middle name should be included for almost all the authors
• No matter how many times the author is repeated, the citation will be used in the same way.
• Using multiple works of the same authors should all be cited with the changed year.

To cite the book, “the name of the author”, year of publication, italicized title, place of publication, and the name of the publisher

To cite the e-book: name of the author, year of the publication, title in the italics, the place of publication, name of publisher, and the retrieved from source.

To cite a journal article: name of the author, the year of publication, title in italics, and the name of the journal, its issuance number, and the page number that is added or consulted.

To cite a web page: the name of the author, date of the publication, its title, the name of the publisher, and the retrieved from source.

How to add endnotes and the footnotes

In some of the cases, a student is required to add the endnotes and the footnotes. There is more importance given to the endnotes rather than the footnotes. When adding the footnotes, the list of resources is applied at the end of the page, indicating the references that are used. In the end, the references are replaced with the endnotes, where the references are listed as per the numbers that are cited.

It is also inferred that none of the entries should exceed 100 words, and then, the resources should appear in the Arabic numerals.

A sample of the paper is attached that can help you get an insight into the proper formatting and the setting style. It can also help you with the editing of your paper.

• ASA Formatted paper

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