Clear, real-world examples of ASA format footnotes and endnotes

Before we talk rules, let’s look at the kind of examples of ASA format footnotes and endnotes you’re likely to use in a real sociology paper. Imagine you’re writing about social media and mental health in college students.

You might write:

Recent research suggests that heavy social media use is associated with increased depressive symptoms among college students.¹

Then, at the bottom of the page, your ASA-style footnote would appear as:

¹ For a recent overview of mental health trends among U.S. college students, see the American College Health Association’s National College Health Assessment (ACHA 2024).

That’s a classic example of an ASA footnote used as a content or explanatory note. It doesn’t repeat a citation from your reference list; instead, it adds a short, useful side comment.

Now let’s expand this into different types of notes you might actually need.

Common examples of ASA format footnotes and endnotes in student papers

When instructors ask for examples of ASA format footnotes and endnotes, they’re usually thinking about three situations: quick clarifications, acknowledgments, and extra detail that would clutter the main text.

Here are several realistic examples, woven into typical sociology topics.

Example 1: Short clarification note

In-text:

The survey questions were adapted from a national study of adolescent health.²

Footnote at the bottom of the page:

² Items were adapted from the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent to Adult Health (Add Health), a nationally representative U.S. survey.

This is one of the best examples of how ASA footnotes keep your text clean while still giving readers useful background.

Example 2: Defining a specialized term

In-text:

We use the term “food insecurity” rather than “hunger” to align with current U.S. policy language.³

Footnote:

³ The USDA defines food insecurity as a lack of consistent access to enough food for an active, healthy life (U.S. Department of Agriculture 2024).

Here, the note lets you give an official definition without interrupting the flow of your paragraph. For more on this kind of terminology, you might look at the USDA’s current definitions: https://www.ers.usda.gov.

Example 3: Acknowledging funding or assistance

ASA style often puts acknowledgments in a footnote on the first page.

Footnote on title page or first page:

This research was supported by a grant from the National Science Foundation (Award #123456). The author thanks Dr. Maria Lopez for feedback on earlier drafts. Any errors remain the author’s responsibility.

This is a real example of how professional sociologists credit funding and intellectual support while keeping the main text focused on the research.

Example 4: Methodological detail that’s too long for the sentence

In-text:

We used a stratified random sample of public high schools in three states.⁴

Footnote:

⁴ Schools were stratified by urbanicity (urban, suburban, rural) using classifications from the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES 2023). Within each stratum, schools were selected with probability proportional to enrollment size.

This kind of detail matters to methods-oriented readers, but it doesn’t need to sit in the middle of your paragraph. The note keeps the main text readable.

You can see similar language in real research descriptions on sites like NCES: https://nces.ed.gov.

Example 5: Endnote in a longer paper or thesis

Some instructors prefer endnotes instead of footnotes, especially for long projects. In ASA format, endnotes appear in a numbered list before the reference list.

In-text:

This pattern is consistent with prior research on racial disparities in health care access.⁵

Then, in an Endnotes section near the end of your paper:

5. For a recent review of racial and ethnic disparities in U.S. health care, see the findings summarized by the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ 2022).

This is a clean example of an ASA endnote: numbered, concise, and placed before the references.

Example 6: Quotation permissions note

If you use a long copyrighted questionnaire, scale, or figure, ASA style expects a note acknowledging permissions.

In-text:

We measured perceived stress using the 10-item Perceived Stress Scale (PSS).⁶

Endnote or footnote:

⁶ The Perceived Stress Scale (PSS) is reproduced with permission from Sheldon Cohen. All rights reserved.

This type of note is common when you reproduce copyrighted instruments, especially in theses or articles.

Example 7: Distinguishing between similar data sources

In-text:

We combine data from the Current Population Survey and the American Community Survey to estimate employment trends.⁷

Footnote:

⁷ The Current Population Survey (CPS) is used primarily for monthly labor force statistics, while the American Community Survey (ACS) provides annual estimates of social and economic characteristics. For technical comparisons, see U.S. Census Bureau (2024).

Again, this is one of the best examples of how ASA notes let you tuck in nuance without overwhelming a paragraph.

How ASA format handles numbers and placement in notes

Now that you’ve seen several examples of ASA format footnotes and endnotes, let’s talk about how they’re actually placed and numbered.

In ASA style:

• Footnote numbers appear in the text as superscripts, usually after punctuation.
• Numbers run in a single sequence throughout the paper (1, 2, 3…), even if you also use endnotes.
• Notes are single-spaced with a blank line between notes.

For instance, you might write:

Prior research has documented a widening gap in life expectancy by income.⁸ This pattern has intensified since the early 2000s.⁹

Then at the bottom of the page:

⁸ For an overview of life expectancy trends by income, see Chetty et al. (2016).

⁹ The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC 2024) provides updated life expectancy tables by demographic group.

If your instructor asks for endnotes instead of footnotes, those same notes would appear together in an Endnotes section before your reference list.

Citation style inside ASA footnotes: real examples

One confusing point: in ASA, you still use author-date citations inside notes, not full reference entries.

Here are two clear examples of ASA format footnotes and endnotes showing this.

Example A: Footnote with author-date citation

In-text:

These findings align with research on social determinants of health.¹⁰

Footnote:

¹⁰ For a thorough overview of social determinants of health, see Braveman and Gottlieb (2014) and recent updates from the World Health Organization (WHO 2023).

Example B: Endnote with multiple sources

In-text:

Similar patterns have been observed in European welfare states.¹¹

Endnote:

11. Comparative analyses of welfare regimes and health outcomes include Bambra (2011) and more recent work summarized by the OECD (2023).

In both cases, the note uses the same author-date format you use in your main text. The full details still belong in your reference list.

For authoritative examples of author-date citation in social science writing, the ASA itself points to conventions similar to those used in Chicago author-date style, and you can see comparable academic practices in guides from universities like Harvard: https://guides.library.harvard.edu.

When to use ASA footnotes vs. endnotes (with examples)

Students often ask not just for examples of examples of ASA format footnotes and endnotes, but also for advice on when to pick one or the other.

Here’s a simple way to think about it, with real examples.

Use footnotes when:

You’re writing a short paper (say, under 20 pages) and want readers to see the note right away.

Example in a 10-page research paper:

Our measure of “neighborhood” is based on census tracts.¹²

Footnote:

¹² Census tracts are small, relatively permanent subdivisions of a county designed to be homogeneous with respect to population characteristics, economic status, and living conditions (U.S. Census Bureau 2024).

Use endnotes when:

You’re writing something longer—like a senior thesis or master’s paper—and you have lots of notes that might clutter the pages.

Example in a 70-page thesis:

We interpret these findings cautiously, given limitations in the sampling frame.¹³

Endnote:

13. The sampling frame excludes undocumented immigrants and people experiencing homelessness, which likely leads to underestimates of economic hardship.

Both are valid in ASA style; your instructor or journal will usually tell you which they prefer. The format of the note itself doesn’t change much—only the location.

2024–2025 trends: how sociologists are using notes now

If you skim recent sociology articles or graduate theses, you’ll notice some patterns in how notes are used today. These observations can give you even more examples of ASA format footnotes and endnotes in practice.

• Researchers are using notes to clarify data sources and limitations, especially in work using large administrative datasets or linked survey–administrative data.
• Many papers include notes pointing readers to public data repositories or technical documentation, such as:
  • The Inter-university Consortium for Political and Social Research (ICPSR): https://www.icpsr.umich.edu
  • The General Social Survey (GSS): https://gss.norc.org
• Notes often highlight ethical considerations—like how informed consent was handled or how sensitive data were protected—without turning the main text into a methods manual.

For instance, a 2024 paper on pandemic-related learning loss might include a note like:

¹⁴ All student achievement data were de-identified prior to analysis and accessed under a data use agreement with the school district. The study protocol was approved by the university’s Institutional Review Board (IRB #2024-117).

This is a timely example of how ASA-style notes can address ethical and procedural details that matter in 2024–2025 research.

Quick checklist for writing your own ASA footnotes and endnotes

At this point you’ve seen many examples of examples of ASA format footnotes and endnotes. To turn those into your own practice, keep this short checklist in mind as you write:

• Use notes sparingly. If a detail belongs in the main argument, keep it in the text.
• Place the superscript number after punctuation, like this.¹⁵
• Number notes consecutively throughout your paper.
• Use author-date citations inside notes, just like in the main text.
• Put endnotes on a separate page titled Endnotes, before your Reference list, if your instructor requests them.
• Avoid turning notes into mini-essays; keep them focused and concise.

If you’re ever unsure, look at real examples from recent sociology journals or your department’s thesis repository. Those will show you how working sociologists are applying ASA rules right now.

FAQ: Short answers and more examples

Do I have to use footnotes in ASA style, or can I skip them?

You can absolutely write an ASA-style paper with zero footnotes or endnotes. Many student papers do this. Notes are optional tools for clarification, not a requirement. If your instructor wants them, they’ll usually say so in the assignment instructions.

Can I put full citations in ASA footnotes instead of author-date?

ASA style prefers author-date citations in notes, with full details in the reference list. For example of correct usage, you’d write:

¹⁶ See Smith (2022) for a detailed discussion.

Not:

¹⁶ Smith, John. 2022. Title of the Book. New York: Publisher.

Save the full version for your references.

Where do endnotes go in an ASA paper?

Endnotes appear on their own page, after the main text and before the reference list. The heading is usually Endnotes, and each note is numbered to match the superscripts in your text. If you’re looking for examples of placement, check your department’s ASA-style thesis or capstone samples.

Can I use the same number for more than one note?

No. Each footnote or endnote gets its own number, and numbers are not reused. If you need to refer back to an earlier note, you can say something like “as noted above” and cite the author again in author-date format.

Are ASA footnotes the same as Chicago footnotes?

Not quite. ASA uses author-date citations, even in notes, while Chicago’s notes-and-bibliography system often uses full citations in footnotes. The examples of ASA format footnotes and endnotes in this guide follow the author-date approach that ASA expects.

If you keep a few of these examples of ASA format footnotes and endnotes nearby while you draft, you’ll find that notes stop feeling mysterious and start feeling like what they really are: a flexible, low-stress way to add just a bit more clarity for your reader without weighing down your main argument.