General ASA Formatting Rules
General ASA Formatting Rules
Apart from ASA in-text citation and references, there are also some general formatting rules. Let’s regard them all.
- Title page should be the first whole page of an essay. Include title, your name and institution, and word count there (counting footnotes and references list, though it’s always better to clarify with instructor). Running head should be present: mention your title in it, but shorten it so it would be no longer than 60 characters.
- Abstract should be written only if professor asks for it. It should also have a separate page, so situate it between title page and essay text. Use your title as abstract heading and describe what research is about without exceeding 200 words.
- Keywords must be on the same page as abstract. Pick from three to five and make them relevant.
- Text formatting is usually specified by professor, but if there is no manual, use Arial, 12-point font. Make all text double spaced, with proper 1.25 inches margins from all sides.
- Footnotes/Endnotes citation are needed for instances where you’d like to elaborate on something. With footnotes, number them with superscript Arabic numerals. For endnotes, create a final list after references and type these notes in numerical sequence.
- Appendixes, tables and figures should be presented at the very end, after all lists. Number them like this: Table 1, Figure 1, etc. Don’t forget to title them so your readers would understand what they’re about.
- There are three levels of subheadings. MAKE ALL LETTERS IN CAPS for the first one. Italicize and Capitalize First Letters of level 2. Finally, Italicize but don’t capitalize other words of level 3. Include the period here. All subheadings should be flushed lef
