Meta Description: Master ASCE citation style for civil engineering papers with examples for journals, reports, and standards. Complete guide to American Society of Civil Engineers formatting.

ASCE style is the citation format required for publications by the American Society of Civil Engineers, covering structural engineering, transportation, environmental engineering, geotechnical work, and all civil engineering disciplines. Understanding ASCE style is essential for publishing in journals like the Journal of Structural Engineering, Journal of Geotechnical and Geoenvironmental Engineering, and ASCE conference proceedings.

The Publishing in ASCE Journals: A Guide for Authors provides comprehensive formatting requirements.

Quick Overview: ASCE Citation Format

ASCE uses the author-date method for in-text citations, similar to APA style but with specific formatting differences. Key characteristics:

• In-text citations show author surname(s) and year

• References are listed alphabetically by first author's surname

• Journal titles are abbreviated (title case)

• Only journal and conference titles use abbreviations

• ASCE journals no longer use page numbers—they use content identifiers (CIDs)

In-Text Citations in ASCE

Single Author

The analysis confirmed previous findings (Morrison 2024).

Two Authors

Use "and" between surnames:

Bridge load factors were established (Smith and Jones 2023).

Three or More Authors

Use the first author followed by "et al.":

The methodology has been validated (Patel et al. 2024).

Multiple Citations

List chronologically, separated by commas:

Several studies support this approach (Chen 2021, Morrison 2023, Patel et al. 2024).

Author Name in Sentence

Don't repeat the name in the citation:

According to Morrison (2024), the structural capacity exceeded expectations.

Direct Quotes

Include page numbers for direct quotes:

"The load distribution was significantly affected" (Smith 2023, p. 45).

Reference List Format

Journal Articles

ASCE journals (new format with content identifiers):

Other journals (with page numbers):

Key formatting notes:

• First author: Last name, First initial. Middle initial.

• Subsequent authors: First initial. Middle initial. Last name

• Article titles in quotation marks, sentence case

• Journal titles abbreviated, title case, italicized

• Include DOI when available

Books

With specific pages:

Edited Books and Chapters

Conference Proceedings

Note: Include the publisher of the proceedings and location. If no publisher, use the conference sponsor's name and location.

Technical Reports

Standards

Websites

Dissertations and Theses

Maps

ASCE Journal Title Abbreviations

Use the CASSI database or the University of British Columbia's Woodward Library list for standard abbreviations:

Common ASCE Mistakes to Avoid

Including unpublished material: ASCE does not permit unpublished material in the References list, except for forthcoming journal articles with DOIs. Cite unpublished work in-text only: "(B. Smith, unpublished data, 2024)."

Wrong author order formatting: Remember—first author is Last, F. M., but subsequent authors are F. M. Last.

Missing DOIs: ASCE strongly encourages including DOIs for all sources that have them.

Forgetting content identifiers: ASCE journals no longer use page numbers. Use the content identifier format: 04013001.

Using "and" incorrectly: In the reference list, use "and" between the last two authors. In citations, use "and" for two authors only.

ASCE Citation Tools

Reference managers like Zotero and Mendeley include ASCE style templates. ASCE also provides LaTeX templates for journal submissions.

When researching civil engineering literature, Wonders AI can help you discover relevant sources and maintain organized reference lists.

References

• American Society of Civil Engineers. Publishing in ASCE Journals: A Guide for Authors [Internet]. Reston (VA): ASCE; [cited 2025 Jan 2]. Available from: https://ascelibrary.org/page/informationforeditors/authorsguide

• Texas Tech University Libraries. ASCE Citation Style [Internet]. Lubbock (TX): Texas Tech University; [cited 2025 Jan 2]. Available from: https://guides.library.ttu.edu/engineeringcitations/asce

• Cal Poly Humboldt Library. ASCE Style Guide Citing Sources [Internet]. Arcata (CA): Cal Poly Humboldt; [cited 2025 Jan 2]. Available from: https://libguides.humboldt.edu/ere/asce