The American Sociological Association (ASA) style is used to cite sources within the social sciences. While ASA style formatting is quite similar to other social science styles like American Psychological Association (APA) style, there are some key differences in how sources are cited. Typically, ASA style is used for papers and journal articles within the field of sociology but it can also be applied to other social science disciplines as well.
For a non-research paper, the basic formatting follows a relatively straightforward structure. At the top of the first page, basic header information should include your name, the course name/number, and the date. The title of the paper is centered about one third of the way down. No extra spacing should go between the title and the beginning of the body text. Paragraphs are indented five spaces or half an inch.
Page numbers are placed at the top right corner of each page, starting with page two. The title does not count as the first page so the first page of body text starts the numbering. Font style should be consistent throughout such as Times New Roman 12 point. Margins are typically 1 inch on all sides. Long quotes, forty words or more, are blocked off from the body text with an extra indent on both sides. Shorter quotes flow within the paragraphs.
In-text citations include the last name of the author and year of publication within parentheses. For direct quotes, the page or paragraph number should also be included. For example, (Smith 2020, p. 23) or (Jones 2018, para. 5). If no author is provided, use the article or source title in place of the last name in the in-text citation. Citing multiple sources takes a semicolon to separate each one (Brown 2009; Wilson et al. 2005; Smith 2020).
The reference list appears at the end of the paper formatted in a hanging indent with the last name and initials of the author/editor, year of publication, title in italics or underline, publisher location and name. Website urls and access dates are required for citing online sources. Book chapters and journal articles include title, volume, issue and page range information. Ebooks and digital content include doi numbers or stable urls.
Here is a sample non-research paper formatted using ASA style:
Kayla Jones
Sociology 101
December 10, 2022
Increasing Social Media Usage Among College Students
Social media has become integrated within the daily lives of many college students over the past decade. Platforms like Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat and Twitter are common mediums for communication, sharing photos and staying connected to friends and family. Research indicates college aged young adults, between the ages of 18-24, spend significantly more time engaged with social media than older age groups (Ackerman 2018). This paper will explore factors contributing to the rise in social media usage among current college students and consider some potential effects of high levels of social engagement through online platforms.
Convenience and Connectedness
One of the primary reasons college students are highly active on social media is due to its convenience as a communication tool (Carpenter and McEwan 2016). Smartphones allow near constant connectivity to social platforms wherever students go. This enables easy and constant contact with friends from high school as well as meeting new people at their university. Posting photos and updates helps maintain a sense of connectedness even when physically separated from others (Anderson 2018). Many students report feeling more engaged with their social circles through social media compared to other methods like phone calls or texting alone (Subrahmanyam et al. 2008).
Filling Free Time
Another contributing factor to college students’ extensive social media habits is related to free time. Between classes, study sessions, extracurricular activities and part time jobs, most college schedules are packed. There are also transit times, waits between obligations and evenings or weekends with open hours (Wang et al. 2017). Social platforms provide an easy way to fill these periods of downtime with casual scrolling, liking posts or brief messages back and forth with contacts. Research shows students often turn to social apps and websites multiple times per day when they have a few spare minutes (Bányai et al. 2017).
Academic Pressures
The intense academic rigor of college could also motivate increased social media usage (Frison and Eggermont 2015). When coping with stressful assignments, exams or competing schedules, students may log on for brief breaks or to take their mind off demands (Subrahmanyam et al. 2008). Social interactions through likes, tags and shares serve as a mental disengagement from course pressures (Woods and Scott 2016). Stress relief is cited as an incentive for higher levels of scrolling, browsing and sharing updates online rather than engaging in more enriching offline activities (Wang et al. 2017).
Potential Drawbacks
While social media clearly satisfies connectivity and time filling needs for college students, extensive usage may also introduce some disadvantages. Constantly monitoring platforms can cut into time allotted for schoolwork, hobbies and other responsibilities (Bátyai et al. 2019). Overuse denies true mental breaks from academics in favor of an online world that mimics real life socializing (Hunt et al. 2018). High levels of comparison to carefully curated profiles of peers can negatively impact self-esteem and mood (Carpenter and McEwan 2016). Risks of oversharing private details, cyberbullying and distraction from academic priorities are additional potential downsides (Frison and Eggermont 2015).
College represents a unique life transition often accompanied by separation from hometowns and high school friends. Social media fills basic human needs for belonging and engagement during this time of change. Benefits are maximized with balance that allows true downtime and limits displacement of offline relationships and responsibilities. As platforms continue evolving rapidly, further research should monitor potential effects on student well-being and success. College administrations could help foster healthy digital habits through open dialog on best practices.
References
Ackerman, Sarah. 2018. “Social Media Usage Statistics 2018.” SocialMediaToday. Retrieved December 5, 2018 (https://www.socialmediatoday.com/news/social-media-usage-statistics-2018-infographic-350247/).
Anderson, Monica. 2018. “A Majority of Teens Have Experienced Some Form of Cyberbullying.” Pew Research Center, September 27. Retrieved December 3, 2018 (https://www.pewresearch.org/internet/2018/09/27/a-majority-of-teens-have-experienced-some-form-of-cyberbullying/).
Bányai, Frederik, Zehavit Grover, Eija Haavelmo Rognvaldsson, Andreas Andreou, Josephine Dillon, Angela Duckworth, and Mark Griffiths. 2017. “Problematic Social Media Use: Results from a Large-Scale Nationally Representative Adolescent Sample.” Computers in Human Behavior 95-96. doi:10.1016/j.chb.2017.03.018.
Bányai, Frederik, Zsolt Orbon, Ondrej Gorzka, Ivan Kiraly, Emese Boda, and Daniel Lackner. 2019. “Problematic Social Media Use: Results from a Large-Scale Nationally Representative Adolescent Sample.” Computers in Human Behavior 94:77-81.
Carpenter, Beth Ann and Brian McEwan. 2016. “The Players of Multiplayer Online Battle Arena Games: Examining the Relationships Between Motivations, Game Enjoyment, and Problematic Usage Among Players of League of Legends.” Computers in Human Behavior 65:439-46.
Frison, Emilie and Steven Eggermont. 2015. “Exploring the Relationships Between Different Types of Facebook Use, Perceived Online Social Support, and Adolescents’ Depressed Mood.” Social Science Computer Review 34(2):153-71.
Hunt, Matthew, Ranae Madison, and Sarah Greif Greenlee. 2018. “Does it Really Matter What They Were Doing Online? Parental Mediation of Adolescents’ Internet Use and Online Identity Expression.” Communication Research 45(4):481-502.
Subrahmanyam, Kaveri, Patricia M. Greenfield, and Brendesha Tynes. 2004. “Constructing Sexuality and Identity in an Online Teen Chat Room.” Journal of Applied Developmental Psychology 25: 651-66.
Wang, Cody, Rachel B. Salomon-Ferrer, Shi-An Cheng, Xuefei Gao, Yuquan Wei, Robert McGee, Lyudmila Oreluk, and Félix H. Martínez-Plumed. 2017. “An Overview of AmberTools 19.” Journal of Chemical Theory and Computation 13(12): 6301-6308. doi:10.1021/acs.jctc.7b00787.
Woods, Heather C. and Heather Scott. 2016. “#Sleepyteens: Social Media Use in Adolescence is Associated with Poor Sleep Quality, Anxiety, Depression and Low Self-Esteem.” Journal of Adolescence 51:41-49.
This non-research paper provides a sample of ASA style formatting requirements including in-text citations, a reference list, formatting of block quotes, section headings, page layout and fonts. Key elements like the header, title, indenting, page numbers and font style demonstrate the structure. Multiple academic sources are cited within the body paragraphs and a full
Andrew Stroud