APA 7th Edition Style Guide: Headings in APA
- About In-text Citations
- In-Text Examples
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- Formatting Your Paper
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- Headings in APA
- APA Quick Guide
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What are headings?
Headings, sections, subsections, or levels of subordination are a style of dividing your research paper into major parts, then minor subsections. Most college papers do not need headings, especially if you are only producing two to five pages. However, if your professor requests you use headings or your are writing an especially long or detailed paper, then use headings to help readers navigate your text. Follow the APA style rules for creating the correct level of heading. Always start with a level one heading and drill down to the last subsection possible (five) in order as seen below. Instructions and examples for headings are available on p. 47- 49 of the new APA 7th Edition manual.
Levels of Headings
Additional headings resources.
- APA Style: Headings This page of the APA Style Blog provides more details about styling paper section headings in APA style.
- Heading Levels Template: Student Paper APA Style 7th Edition This example student paper clearly illustrates how to style section headings including the paper title and the Introduction section (which should not be labeled Introduction as APA assumes all papers begin with an introduction section).
Proper Title Case vs. lowercase paragraph heading
Proper title case is using both uppercase and lowercase letters in a title. It calls for the major words to be capitalized while any small conjunctions are made smaller, i.e.,
The Title of this Paper is Lengthy
Lowercase paragraph heading calls for the first word to be capitalized along with any proper nouns contained within the heading, i.e.,
The title of this heading is much shorter and all lowercase except for the first word.
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APA Style 7th Edition: Citing Your Sources
- Basics of APA Formatting
- In Text Quick View
- Block Quotes
- Books & eBooks
- Thesis/Dissertation
- Audiovisual
- Conference Presentations
- Social Media
- Legal References
- Reports and Gray Literature
What are headings?
Levels of headings.
- Academic Integrity and Plagiarism
- Additional Resources
- Reference Page
Headings are used to effectively organize ideas within a study or manuscript. It can also highlight important items, themes or topics within sections. By creating concise headings, the reader can anticipate key points and track the development of your argument. The heading levels establish the hierarchy of each section and are designated by their formatting.
Adapted from American Psychological Association. (2009). Format for Five Levels of Heading in APA Journals. Publication manual of the American psychological association (6th ed., p. 62) Washington, D.C.: American Psychological Association.
- If you need to use subsections in any given section, use a least two, otherwise omit their use.
- Do not label headings with numbers or letters
- Use of title case : Use of both upper and lower case letters, all major words are capitalized
- Paragraph headings are immediately followed by text for that subsection, rather than starting on a new line. The heading sits at the start of the first paragraph for that section.
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- Last Updated: Oct 25, 2024 9:38 AM
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IMAGES
VIDEO
COMMENTS
Headings are used to help guide the reader through a document. The levels are organized by levels of subordination, and each section of the paper should start with the highest level of heading. There are 5 heading levels in APA. Regardless of the number of levels, always use the headings in order, beginning with level 1.
There are five levels of heading in APA Style. Level 1 is the highest or main level of heading, Level 2 is a subheading of Level 1, Level 3 is a subheading of Level 2, and so on through Levels 4 and 5. The number of headings to use in a paper depends on the length and complexity of the work.
Indent the first line of every paragraph of text 0.5 in. using the tab key or the paragraph-formatting function of your word-processing program. Page numbers: Put a page number in the top right corner of every page, including the title page or cover page, which is page 1. Student papers do not require a running head on any page.
Media Files: APA Sample Student Paper , APA Sample Professional Paper This resource is enhanced by Acrobat PDF files. Download the free Acrobat Reader. Note: The APA Publication Manual, 7 th Edition specifies different formatting conventions for student and professional papers (i.e., papers written for credit in a course and papers intended for scholarly publication).
to format each level of heading, Figure 2.4 demonstrates the use of headings in the introduction, and Figure 2.5 lists all the headings used in a sample paper in the correct format. In the Concise Guide to APA Style (7th ed.), this content is found in Table 1.3, Figure 1.3, and Figure 1.4, respectively. Level 5 Heading.
Headings and subheadings provide structure to a document. They signal what each section. is about and allow for easy navigation of the document. APA headings have five possible levels. Each heading level is formatted differently. Note: Title case simply means that you should capitalize the first word, words with four or more letters, and all ...
Commented [AF16]: Common paper sections (literature review, methods, results, discussion) typically use Level 1 headings, like this one does. Level 1 headings are centered, bolded, and use title case. Text begins after them as a new paragraph. Commented [AF17]: This is a Level 2 heading: left aligned, bolded, title case. Text begins as a new ...
Headings format. For detailed guidance on formatting headings, including headings in the introduction of a paper, see the headings page and the headings in sample papers. Alignment: Center Level 1 headings. Left-align Level 2 and Level 3 headings. Indent Level 4 and Level 5 headings like a regular paragraph. Font: Boldface all headings. Also ...
2. Flush Left, Bold, Upper and Lowercase Heading. Text begins as new paragraph. 3. Flush Left, Bold, Italics, Upper and Lowercase Heading. Text begins as new paragraph. 4. Indent, Bold, Uppercase and Lowercase Heading with a Period at the End. Text begins on the same line.
Format: 1: Center, Bold, Title Case Heading. Text begins as a new paragraph. 2: Flush Left, Bold, Title Case Heading Text beings as a new paragraph. 3: Flush Left, Bold Italic, Title Case Heading Text begins as a new paragraph. 4 Indented, Bold, Title Case Heading, Ending With a Period. Text begins on the same line and continues as a regular ...