ASA 6th Edition - Books

Free ASA Book Citation Generator

Generate accurate ASA citations for books, e-books, edited volumes, and book chapters. Search by title, author, or ISBN for instant formatting.

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How to cite a book in ASA

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ASA Book Citation Format

Basic Format:

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

ASA Book Citation Examples

Book with One Author

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

In-text: (Goffman 1963)

Book with Two Authors

Wright, Erik Olin and Joel Rogers. 2011. American Society: How It Really Works. 2nd ed. New York: W. W. Norton.

In-text: (Wright and Rogers 2011)

Edited Book

Smelser, Neil J. and Richard Swedberg, eds. 2005. The Handbook of Economic Sociology. 2nd ed. Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press.

In-text: (Smelser and Swedberg 2005)

Book Chapter in Edited Volume

Portes, Alejandro. 1998. "Social Capital: Its Origins and Applications in Modern Sociology." Pp. 1-24 in Annual Review of Sociology, Vol. 24, edited by Karen S. Cook and John Hagan. Palo Alto, CA: Annual Reviews.

In-text: (Portes 1998)

E-book with DOI

Wilson, William Julius. 1987. The Truly Disadvantaged: The Inner City, the Underclass, and Public Policy. Chicago: University of Chicago Press. doi:10.7208/chicago/9780226924656.001.0001.

In-text: (Wilson 1987)

Examples formatted in ASA style

Handling Special Cases

Full First Names

ASA uses full first names in references, not initials. This is one of the easiest ways to accidentally leave an APA-style reference in an ASA paper.

Goffman, Erving. 1963. Stigma. Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice-Hall.

Publisher Location

ASA 6th edition still requires publisher location for books.

New York: W. W. Norton.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do I cite a book with one author in ASA?

Use the format: Last Name, First Name. Year. Title of Book. City, ST: Publisher. For example: Goffman, Erving. 1963. Stigma: Notes on the Management of Spoiled Identity. Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice-Hall. Note that ASA uses full first names and the book title is italicized.

How do I cite a book with multiple authors in ASA?

Invert only the first author's name. Use "and" before the last author. List all authors regardless of number. Example: Wright, Erik Olin and Joel Rogers. 1998. American Society: How It Really Works. New York: W. W. Norton. In-text, use "et al." for works with four or more authors.

How do I cite an edited book in ASA?

Include "ed." for a single editor or "eds." for multiple editors after the name(s). Example: Smelser, Neil J. and Richard Swedberg, eds. 2005. The Handbook of Economic Sociology. 2nd ed. Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press.

How do I cite a book chapter in ASA?

Include the chapter author, year, chapter title in quotation marks, page range with "Pp." prefix, the word "in" followed by the book title in italics, "edited by" with editor names, and publisher info.

How do I cite an e-book in ASA?

Cite e-books like print books but add the DOI or URL at the end if available. If the e-book is a direct digital equivalent of the print edition, no additional format information is needed.

Does ASA require publisher location for books?

Yes. Unlike APA 7th edition, ASA 6th edition still requires the publisher location, usually city and state abbreviation or country. Format: City, ST: Publisher.