ASA formatting style originates from the American Sociological Association and was initially developed for the authors, working on manuscripts for the Association. Later on, it was adapted and widely used by various academic and scientific institutions and proved to be very convenient and efficient in the way it guides the writer in his/her academic work.
Perhaps, one of the major peculiarities of this academic formatting style is the specific way of bibliography reference that is aimed at assisting writers in organizing the review and discussion process in their essays and research papers.
You are welcome to look through the main peculiarities of ASA format:
- One of the major concerns that developers of the style were concerning is the growing level of plagiarism and, consequently, a lot of attention was paid to the way writers refer to and cite their literature and scientific sources in writing.
- In order to make the data collection and review process more transparent and coherent, all writers, while using the ASA style, are required to provide specific publication dates, including year and month of the publication.
- In regards to the grammar and style, the ASA formatting guide follows standard and widely accepted double-spacing and the Times New Roman font that is easy to read and follow by readers.
- Headings are distinguished by first, second and third levels with the main intention to highlight and define the logical thinking of the author.
- ASA formatting style is used in many academic institutions and, therefore, understanding of the basics and specific requirements of this format is essential for academic writing.
As it was already mentioned before, major peculiarity of the ASA among other styles is the accent on the bibliography, references and citations. The main reasons for that is the initial function of the style, used for journal publications, where copyright protection and reference to other authors played crucial role in moral and legal aspects.
It is better to use correct formatting from the stage of writing drafts. It is also recommended to write down all the information considering sources you take as a basis at the stage of literature research so as not to forget some important details.
