ASA Style

Papers written using ASA should have the following page elements: 

• Title Page
• Running Head & Page Numbers
• Abstract & Key Words
• Text
• References

ASA style does not have clearly defined lines between what is required for a student paper and what is required for a professional paper. If you are writing for a class, follow the directions of your instructor. 

Check out the ASA Example paper. You can even use it as an outline. 

The title page includes: ​

• Running head
• The full title of the article
• Name(s) and institution(s) of the author(s)
• Word count including footnote and references
• An asterisk (*) at the end of the title and before the title footnote that includes name, address, and email author that can be contacted; acknowledgements; credits; grant numbers; and keywords. (See instructor for guidance on whether to include this or not)

The running head in an ASA style paper is a shortened version of the title written in all capital letters on the left. Running heads should be 60 words or less. 

Example: 

Title: Student Success During Global Pandemic: Finding Ways to Help Them Succeed

Running Head: STUDENT SUCCESS

If your instructor requires an abstract, it should begin on a new page after the title page. The title of the paper should be written as a first level header followed by the abstract. An abstracts is a short (up to 200 words) summary of the most important aspects of your paper. 

After the abstract, list three to five keywords that can point to the main themes of the paper. 

After the title page, you will begin your actual paper on a new page. The title of your paper should be a header before your text. 

Within your paper, there is a defined structure for headings and subheadings: 

THIS IS A FIRST LEVEL HEADING

First level headings should have all capital letters and align to the left edge of the paper. 

This Is a Second Level Heading

Second level headings are italicized and also align to the left edge of the paper. All words should be capitalized except for prepositions (of, into, between, through, across), articles (a, an, the), and coordinating conjunctions (and, but, or). 

This is a third level heading.

Third level headings are italicized, indented from the left, and end with a period. Only the first letter and proper nouns are capitalized in third level headings. 

Check out the example ASA style paper for more information on using headings. 

The References list begin in a new section with the word References as a first level heading. Your references will follow in alphabetical order. See the portion of this guide on the Reference list for further details.