Mechanical & Aerospace Engineering: ASME Citation Guide

A. Citing within the text

The citation is a short code (within the body of the document) that identifies an idea or fact that the writer has borrowed from elsewhere. The list of references provides a complete and detailed list (at the end of the document) of all the sources the writer used. Consider citations as equations in words; be precise - it reflects your attention to detail. ASME style characteristics:

• Within the text, references should be cited in numerical order according to their order of appearance.
• The numbered reference citation should be enclosed in brackets [1] rather than as superscripts1 or in bracketed () form.
  • For example: It was shown by Platten [1] that there is no universal technique that works for measuring the Soret coefficient in any binary mixture. You must name all authors. Use n.d. if no dates are available.

B. Reference List

At the end of your paper:

• List the references in the order they were cited (numerical order).
• The references should provide enough information for your reader to find the source.
• Below are formats and examples for common types of sources.
• If no date is available, use n.d. (“no date”).  Be consistent with any abbreviations - all or none.

Characteristics of ASME style:

• References are arranged by the order of citation, not by alphabetical order;
• The bracketed number should be on the line, and the lines of each entry indented;
• Name all authors and use only initials for first names, and use the spelled-out word "and" before the last name of multiple authors;
• Every (important) word of all titles is capitalized;
• Book and conference titles (as opposed to conference paper titles) are in italics;
• Journal and conference paper titles are in “quotes”;
• Journal volume numbers are in bold and do not use the abbreviation “Vol.”;
• To indicate a page range, use pp. but only p. for one page;
• If items are online, add the statement, “from url” (without quotes).