Formatting guidelines

1. Structure

Title
(lowercase, centered, Times New Roman 16 pt, bold, single spacing)

Blank line

Author(s)
(centered, Times New Roman 14 pt, italic, not bold, single spacing)

A superscript number is added to the author’s name, referring to a footnote with a short biographical note (e.g., X is … at the University of … . Their research interests include … . Email address: …).

Blank line

Abstract
A short abstract follows in the language of the article and in English (approximately 200 words each, single spacing, Times New Roman 11 pt).

Keywords:
In the language of the article and in English, up to 5 words, single spacing, Times New Roman 11 pt, no capitalization at the beginning of words.

Main Text
Two blank lines precede the beginning of the main text. Section headings are written in 12 pt bold, while subsection headings (if necessary) are in 12 pt (not bold). Underlining should be avoided throughout. The length of the main text should not exceed 5,500–6,500 words (excluding footnotes and references).

2. Technical Specifications

  • Font: Times New Roman
  • Font size:
    • 12 pt for main text and section headings
    • 10 pt for footnotes
    • 11 pt for quotations and references
  • Justified alignment for main text, quotations, footnotes, and references
  • Line spacing:
    • 1.5 for main text
    • single for footnotes and quotations
  • Margins: 2.5 cm on all sides
  • Paragraphs: no first-line indentation
  • Technical terms are indicated with single quotation marks
  • Abbreviations must be defined at first use and used consistently thereafter
  • Footnotes should be used sparingly and placed at the bottom of each page (10 pt, single spacing, justified)
  • Tables and figures must be clearly legible and include a source
  • Written permission is required for copyrighted third-party material if rights are not held
  • Inclusive language regarding gender is recommended
  • The use of AI tools (e.g., ChatGPT) does not exempt authors from responsibility for originality, academic quality, accuracy, and proper referencing; such use must be disclosed and documented3. Quotations and References

Follow the APA Style (7th edition) guidelines: https://apastyle.apa.org/

  • Quotations longer than three lines should appear as a separate paragraph with 1 cm indentation on both sides.
  • Quotations from other languages should be translated into the article’s language in the main text; the original appears in a footnote
  • After the original quotation, include (trans. by the author)

Reference list:

  • Alphabetical order by the surname of the first author
  • Multiple works by the same author are listed chronologically
  • Works from the same year are distinguished by letters (e.g., 2020a, 2020b)
  1. Tables and Figures

Tables and figures are numbered consistently:

  • Table 1, Table 2
  • Figure 1, Figure 2

         A. Table/Figure created by the author

Table 1
Age distribution of respondents

        B. Table/Figure reproduced without modification

Table 1
Career development of German Studies students in Germany (2010–2020)
Reproduced from Bildung und Kultur: Studienbereiche, Federal Statistical Office, 2021, https://www.destatis.de © 2021 Statistisches Bundesamt

        C. Table/Figure from a book

Table 1
Categorization of language proficiency
From Bachman & Palmer (1982, p. 15)

        D. Table/Figure created by the author based on third-party data

Table 1
Career development of German Studies students in Germany (2010–2020)
Based on Bildung und Kultur: Studienbereiche, Federal Statistical Office, 2021, https://www.destatis.de © 2021 Statistisches Bundesamt, own elaboration