Formatting Headings In Apa (Instructions And Samples) printable pdf download

Formatting Headings In Apa (Instructions And Samples)

FORMATTING HEADINGS IN APA

An APA paper doesn’t always have to have sections, but if it does then each heading has to

follow a specific pattern. APA headings work like an outline, so an experienced reader can see

how your points relate to each other just by looking at your headings. There are five kinds of

headings: if you have only one level of heading in your paper, then you’ll use Level One

headings only. If you have sections and sub-sections but no sub-sub-sections, then you’ll use

Level One and Two headings only. Here’s how to format whatever headings you want to use:

Title of Paper

The first main page of your paper begins with your introductory paragraph. It does

not have an “Introduction” heading: the 6

edition American Psychological Association

(APA) manual says explicitly that “the first part of a manuscript is assumed to be the

introduction” (p. 63). However, some teachers do expect an “Introduction” heading, so

check your teacher’s preference! The title of the paper is centered at the top of the first real

page of your paper (even though it’s already on the title page), and it is not bolded (p. 42).

Level One Heading

If you have only one kind of heading in your paper (e.g. sections on Methods,

Results, and Conclusions), then you should use the centered Level One headings only (pp.

62-63). Yes, some people prefer to use left-justified Level Two headings for this purpose.

Yes, some teachers are fine with that. We’re just telling you what the manual says.

Level Two Heading

When one of your Level One sections has two or more subsections, you’ll use a

Level Two heading for each of them. Like Level One headings, they’ll be bolded and all

major words will be capitalized. The only words that won’t be capitalized, in fact, are

“conjunctions, articles, and prepositions” of three letters or less (APA, 2010, p. 101). The

manual doesn’t require that you put at least a single paragraph between any two different

levels of heading (see the sample paper on p. 44), but some teachers may want one.

Formatting Headings In Apa (Instructions And Samples)