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ASA 6th Edition (2019)

Free ASA Citation Generator

Generate free ASA citations instantly — paste a DOI, URL, ISBN, or search by topic. CiteMe searches 250M+ scholarly sources and formats author-date references and in-text citations like (Smith 2024) for sociology papers. No signup required.

Used in sociology, criminology, social work, and related social sciences

How to Generate ASA Citations

1

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2

Verify and select

Review the source details and select the correct match from search results.

3

Copy your citation

Get the formatted ASA reference and in-text citation. Copy or export to BibTeX/RIS.

Why Use Our ASA Citation Generator?

Real Academic Databases

Search 250M+ works from OpenAlex, Semantic Scholar, and CrossRef. Every ASA citation is real and verifiable with DOI links.

ASA 6th Edition Compliant

Automatically formatted according to the ASA Style Guide (6th edition). Full first names, proper title formatting, and correct punctuation.

Author-Date In-Text Format

Get both the full reference list entry and the in-text citation (Author Year) format used in sociology papers.

Built for Sociology Standards

Designed for sociology, social sciences, and related disciplines. Handles journal articles, books, reports, and web sources in ASA format.

How to Cite in ASA 6th Edition

ASA citations follow an author-date format with full first names. Here are the most common templates:

Journal Article

Last Name, First Name. Year. "Article Title." Journal Name Volume(Issue):Pages.

Book

Last Name, First Name. Year. Title of Book. City, ST: Publisher.

Website

Last Name, First Name. Year. "Title of Page." Website Name. Retrieved Month Day, Year (URL).

Edited Book Chapter

Last Name, First Name. Year. "Chapter Title." Pp. xx-xx in Book Title, edited by First Name Last Name. City, ST: Publisher.

Key ASA In-Text Rules

  • No comma between author and year: (Smith 2024) not (Smith, 2024)
  • Use "et al." for 4+ authors from the first citation
  • For 3 authors, list all on first mention, then use "et al."
  • Use page numbers after a colon for direct quotes: (Smith 2024:45)

ASA Citation Examples

Journal Article

Rios, Victor M. 2011. "Punished: Policing the Lives of Black and Latino Boys." American Sociological Review 76(2):234-253.

In-text: (Rios 2011)

Book

Goffman, Erving. 1963. Stigma: Notes on the Management of Spoiled Identity. Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice-Hall.

In-text: (Goffman 1963)

Edited Book Chapter

Portes, Alejandro. 1998. "Social Capital: Its Origins and Applications in Modern Sociology." Pp. 43-67 in Annual Review of Sociology, Vol. 24, edited by Karen S. Cook and John Hagan. Palo Alto, CA: Annual Reviews.

In-text: (Portes 1998)

Website

U.S. Census Bureau. 2024. "Income and Poverty in the United States: 2023." Retrieved March 15, 2024 (https://www.census.gov/library/publications/2024/demo/p60-279.html).

In-text: (U.S. Census Bureau 2024)

Article with 4+ Authors

Chetty, Raj, Nathaniel Hendren, Patrick Kline, and Emmanuel Saez. 2014. "Where Is the Land of Opportunity? The Geography of Intergenerational Mobility in the United States." Quarterly Journal of Economics 129(4):1553-1623.

In-text: (Chetty et al. 2014)

Examples formatted in ASA 6th Edition

ASA In-Text Citations

Parenthetical

Place at the end of the sentence (no comma between author and year):

...as shown in recent studies (Smith 2024).

Narrative

Include author in the sentence with year in parentheses:

Smith (2024) demonstrated that...

Frequently Asked Questions

What is ASA citation style?

ASA (American Sociological Association) is a citation style used in sociology and related social sciences. It follows an author-date in-text citation system and uses a "References" list at the end of the paper. The current standard is the ASA 6th edition Style Guide, published in 2019.

How is ASA different from APA?

While both use author-date in-text citations, ASA has several key differences: ASA uses full first names (not initials) for authors, article titles are not placed in quotation marks or italics, ASA uses "Retrieved" for online sources with access dates, and page numbers in references are not preceded by "pp." for journal articles.

Is this ASA citation generator free?

Yes! CiteMe offers free ASA citations with a monthly limit. For unlimited citations, you can upgrade to our Pro plan.

How do I format author names in ASA?

In ASA style, use full first names rather than initials: Last Name, First Name. For multiple authors, use "and" before the last author. Example: Wright, Erik Olin and Joel Rogers. In the reference list, invert only the first author's name.

How many authors before et al. in ASA?

In ASA in-text citations, use "et al." for works with four or more authors (e.g., Smith et al. 2024). In the reference list, list all authors regardless of number. For three authors in-text, list all three on first mention, then use "et al." subsequently.

How do I cite a website in ASA format?

For websites, include author, year, title (in quotation marks for articles, italics for stand-alone works), the website name, and the URL. Include "Retrieved" with the access date if the content may change. Example: Smith, John. 2024. "Article Title." Website Name. Retrieved March 15, 2024 (https://example.com).

What is the difference between ASA and Chicago style?

ASA is based on Chicago style but adapted for sociology. Key differences include: ASA uses full first names while Chicago author-date uses initials, ASA has specific rules for sociological content like census data and legal citations, and ASA has stricter rules about using "Retrieved" for online sources.

How accurate is this ASA generator?

Very accurate. We search real academic databases (OpenAlex, Semantic Scholar, CrossRef) and format citations according to official ASA 6th edition guidelines. Unlike AI chatbots, we never generate fake citations.

Does ASA use a hanging indent?

Yes. ASA references use a hanging indent where the first line is flush left and subsequent lines are indented. This is the same format used by APA and Chicago styles. The reference list is alphabetized by the first author's last name.

How do I cite a source with no author in ASA?

When no author is available, begin the reference with the title. For in-text citations, use a shortened version of the title in place of the author name. For organizational authors, use the full organization name.

ASA vs APA: Quick Reference

FeatureASA (6th Edition)APA (7th Edition)
Author namesFull first names (Smith, John)Initials only (Smith, J.)
In-text format(Author Year) - no comma(Author, Year) - with comma
Bibliography nameReferencesReferences
Article titlesIn quotation marks, sentence caseNo quotes or italics, sentence case
Online sourcesUses "Retrieved" with date and URL in parenthesesDirect URL or DOI link
Et al. threshold4+ authors in-text3+ authors in-text
Used inSociology, criminology, social workPsychology, education, nursing

Need APA instead? Try our APA generator

How ASA Compares to Other Styles

StyleSystemFieldIn-Text Example
ASAAuthor-DateSociology(Smith 2024)
APAAuthor-DateSocial Sciences(Smith, 2024)
ChicagoNotes-BibliographyHistory¹Smith, Title, 45.
MLAAuthor-PageHumanities(Smith 45)
HarvardAuthor-DateUK Universities(Smith 2024)

Common ASA citation mistakes

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Cite by Source Type in ASA

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