Headings in your paper help organize your argument and signal to your reader what type of information is in each section.
APA provides 5 levels of headings and sub-headings. Most student papers are not long enough to use all five levels.
Use the chart and image below to understand how to format headings.
Level | Format |
---|---|
1 |
Centered, Bold, Title Case Heading Text begins as a new paragraph. Indent the first line of the new paragraph. |
2 |
Flush Left, Bold, Title Case Heading Text begins as a new paragraph. Indent the first line of the new paragraph. |
3 |
Flush Left, Bold & Italic, Title Case Heading Text begins as a new paragraph. Indent the first line of the new paragraph. |
4 | Indented, Bold, Title Case Heading, Ending With a Period. Text begins on the same line and continues as a regular paragraph. |
5 | Indented, Bold & Italic, Title Case Heading, Ending With a Period. Text begins on the same line and continues as a regular paragraph. |
Headings, section labels, and titles in APA Style follow Title Casing.
See Mechanics of Style for more information.
Labels separate the different parts of a paper. They are formatted the same as level-1 headings but are not headings. Each section of a paper begins on a new page. Start each new section with a label at the top of a new page. Common sections include:
See Additional Resources for more.