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ASA Style and Format

American Sociological Association Style and Format Guide

Manuscript Sections

Text must be in 12-point Times or Times New Roman font. All text should be double-spaced except for block quotes.

Structure your paper using the following sections:

  • Title page: Includes full title followed by an asterisk, name(s) and institution(s) of author(s), a complete word count, running head, and a title footnote with name and address of author(s), acknowledgments, credits, and grant information (if any).
  • Abstract: Begin on a new page headed by the title. Brief, jargon-free paragraph (less than 200 words) summarizing the work, followed by three to five key words.
  • Body: Begin on a new page headed by the title. Use headings and subheadings after the introduction.
  • Notes: Footnotes and endnotes should be indicated in the text with superscripted numbers. The notes can be typed at the bottom of the page (footnotes) or in a separate section labeled Notes or Endnotes. Do only one or the other; not both. Begin each note with its superscript number.
  • References: List alphabetically in a new section labeled References.
  • Appendices: If more than one, label Appendix A, Appendix B, etc. Appendices should be labeled with a title.

Headings & Subheadings

FIRST-LEVEL HEAD

First-level headings are all in caps and left-justified. Start using headings after the introduction.

 

Second-Level Head

Second-level headings are italicized, left-justified, and all words except prepositions and conjunctions are capitalized.

 

            Third-level head.

Third-level headings are italicized, indented, end with a period, and only the first word and any proper nouns are capitalized.

Examples

See PDF for a visual layout and feel free to use the Word document as a template.