Publishing in mechanical engineering? You'll likely need ASME style. The American Society of Mechanical Engineers uses a numbered citation system based on the Chicago Manual of Style, but with some key differences—particularly where the date goes. This guide will help you meets the necessary standards for your academic work in mechanical engineering.
Jan 3, 2026
By
Joe Pacal, MSc
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TL;DR
ASME style uses bracketed numbers [1] with references in citation order. This guide covers formats for journals, books, conference papers, and standards, based on Chicago with engineering adaptations. Author names appear as First Last (not inverted), and dates follow immediately after. Perfect for mechanical engineering and ASME publications.
What Is ASME Style?
ASME style is the required format for all ASME journals, conferences, and publications. It uses bracketed numbers [1] in order of appearance—not alphabetical, not superscript—with a numbered reference list at the end.
The style follows Chicago conventions but places the year immediately after author names rather than at the end. Wikipedia is explicitly not allowed as a source.
In-Text Citations
Cite sources numerically in square brackets, in the order they first appear:
Single source:
It was shown by Prusa [1] that the width of the plume decreases.
Two sources:
Previous studies [1,2] have demonstrated this effect.
Range of sources:
Multiple researchers [5-7] have confirmed these findings.
Numbers are assigned sequentially—the first source you cite is [1], the second is [2], regardless of author name or publication date.
Reference List Format
List references at the end of your paper in numerical order (not alphabetical). Each entry includes author surnames followed by initials, then the year, then title and publication details.
Journal Articles
[1] Smith, A. B., and Jones, C. D., 2019, "Thermal Analysis of Heat Exchangers," ASME J. Heat Transfer, 141(5), p. 051001.
Format: Author(s), Year, "Article Title," Journal Name, Volume(Issue), p. Page or pp. Pages.
Note: ASME has standardized abbreviations for its own journal titles. Use "ASME J. Heat Transfer" not the full title.
Books
[2] Incropera, F. P., DeWitt, D. P., Bergman, T. L., and Lavine, A. S., 2017, Fundamentals of Heat and Mass Transfer, 8th ed., Wiley, Hoboken, NJ.
Format: Author(s), Year, Book Title, Edition, Publisher, Location.
Book Chapters
[3] Williams, R. T., 2015, "Computational Methods," Handbook of Thermal Engineering, F. Kulacki, ed., Springer, New York, pp. 245-298.
Conference Papers
[4] Lee, Y., Korpela, S. A., and Horne, R. N., 1982, "Structure of Multi-Cellular Natural Convection in a Tall Vertical Annulus," Proc. 7th International Heat Transfer Conference, U. Grigul et al., eds., Hemisphere, Washington, DC, 2, pp. 221-226.
ASME conference papers:
[5] Watson, D. W., 1997, "Thermodynamic Analysis," ASME Paper No. 97-GT-288.
Technical Reports
[6] Oligaria, T. T., Fredy, C. W., Popullo, A. Z., and Tucker, M. A., 2011, "Characterization of PKM Dynamics," SAE Technical Paper No. 2011-02-8345.
Theses and Dissertations
[7] Tung, C. Y., 1982, "Evaporative Heat Transfer in the Contact Line of a Mixture," Ph.D. thesis, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, Troy, NY.
Patents
[8] Iizuka, M., and Tanaka, H., Cement Admixture, U.S. Patent 4,586,960, filed June 26, 1984, issued May 6, 1986.
Standards
[9] ASTM International, 2019, "Standard Test Methods for Tension Testing of Metallic Materials," ASTM E8/E8M-19, West Conshohocken, PA.
Websites
[10] National Renewable Energy Laboratory, 2023, "Wind Energy Basics," NREL [Online]. Available: https://www.nrel.gov/wind/basics.html [Accessed: Jan. 15, 2024].
Key ASME Conventions
List all authors. Unlike some styles that use "et al." after three authors, ASME requires naming everyone.
Year placement. The year comes immediately after author names, before the title. This is the main difference from standard Chicago.
Journal abbreviations. Use ASME's official abbreviations for ASME journals. For other journals, spell out the full title or use standard abbreviations.
No footnotes for citations. All references go in the numbered list at the end, not in footnotes.
No Wikipedia. ASME explicitly prohibits citing Wikipedia.
Formatting the Reference List
Font: Times New Roman, 12pt
Single-space within entries
Double-space between entries
Hanging indent
Numerical order (order of appearance)
Common Mistakes
Alphabetizing references. ASME uses order of appearance, not alphabetical order.
Using superscripts. Write [1] not ¹.
Putting year at the end. In ASME, year follows author names: "Smith, A., 2020" not "Smith, A. ... 2020."
Spelling out ASME journal titles. Use the standardized abbreviations.
ASME vs IEEE
Feature | ASME | IEEE |
|---|---|---|
Field | Mechanical engineering | Electrical/computer engineering |
Citation format | [1] brackets | [1] brackets |
Year position | After authors | After title |
Author format | Surname, Initials | Initials. Surname |
Journal titles | ASME abbreviations | IEEE abbreviations |
Who Uses ASME?
ASME style is required for ASME publications and commonly used across mechanical engineering, thermal sciences, manufacturing, and related fields. Some universities accept it for theses in mechanical engineering programs.
Managing engineering citations across multiple papers? Wonders helps you organize research and format references correctly.
