APA 7 headings and subheadings: levels, format, and examples

What headings and subheadings do in an APA paper

Headings and subheadings divide the content into sections and show how ideas relate to one another. APA Style organizes them into heading levels: Level 1 identifies main sections, Level 2 divides a Level 1 section, and each following level creates a more specific subdivision.

The paper title serves a different purpose. It names the entire document and appears on the title page and at the top of the first page of text. Headings guide readers through the content itself.

Topics of equal importance use the same level. For example, if Method and Results are main sections, both use Level 1.

How to choose the heading levels your paper needs

Organize the content as an outline before choosing bold, italics, or alignment:

1. Identify the paper's main sections and assign them Level 1.
2. Divide a main section with Level 2 headings only when it has two or more useful subsections.
3. Use Level 3 to divide a Level 2 subsection and continue in order if the paper needs more detail.
4. Keep the same level for sections that serve equivalent purposes.

A simple outline might look like this:

• Method: Level 1.
  • Participants: Level 2.
  • Measures: Level 2.
    • Study Habits Questionnaire: Level 3.
• Results: Level 1.
• Discussion: Level 1.

You do not have to use all five levels. A short paper may need only Level 1 or no headings at all. If you need two levels, use Levels 1 and 2; if you need three, use Levels 1, 2, and 3. Do not jump from Level 1 to Level 3 because you prefer the appearance of Level 3.

APA headings are not labeled with numbers or letters. Do not write 1. Method or A. Participants unless your institution specifically requires a numbered structure.

Format for the five heading levels

Level	Format	Where the text begins
1	Centered, bold, and in title case	In a new paragraph
2	Flush left, bold, and in title case	In a new paragraph
3	Flush left, bold italic, and in title case	In a new paragraph
4	Indented, bold, in title case, and ending with a period	On the same line after the heading
5	Indented, bold italic, in title case, and ending with a period	On the same line after the heading

Headings keep the font and size selected for the paper and remain double-spaced. Do not add blank lines before or after them. At Levels 4 and 5, only the heading is bold or bold italic; the rest of the paragraph continues in regular type.

The examples in this guide use 12-point Times New Roman, one of the fonts permitted by APA Style. It is not the only valid choice. If you select another permitted font, use it consistently throughout the paper.

Write every heading in title case. Capitalize major words and the first word of the heading or subtitle, while keeping short articles, conjunctions, and prepositions lowercase unless they begin the heading. The style mechanics guide explains where APA Style uses title case and sentence case.

Visual example of all five levels

The following sample is for demonstration. It compares the alignment and type style of each level on a page; it does not mean that every paper should place all five levels together.

Notice that Method and Results share Level 1 because they have equal importance. Participants belongs within Method and uses Level 2. Levels 4 and 5 end with a period, and the paragraph continues on the same line.

The paper title replaces an Introduction heading

On the first page of text, repeat the paper title in bold and center it. The title acts as a Level 1 heading, so do not add a separate heading called Introduction.

The opening paragraphs begin directly below the title. If the introduction needs a subsection, its first subheading uses Level 2. After the introduction, the next main section, such as Method, returns to Level 1.

This sequence prevents two common errors: repeating Introduction below the title or treating the first subheading within the introduction as Level 1.

Section labels are not heading levels

Some parts of a paper have their own label even though the label looks similar to a Level 1 heading. These include Author Note, Abstract, References, Footnotes, and Appendix A, as well as the paper title at the top of the first page of text.

Place these labels on a separate line, centered and bold, at the top of the page where the section begins. They are not part of the five-level hierarchy. See how to format the reference list and appendices when your paper includes those sections.

How to set up headings in Word

Word's heading styles help you keep formatting consistent across the document:

1. Select a main heading and apply Heading 1.
2. Modify that style so it is centered and bold and uses the paper's font and line spacing.
3. Set up Heading 2 and Heading 3 with the alignment, bold, and italics shown in the table.
4. For Levels 4 and 5, apply the indentation, add the final period, and continue the paragraph on the same line. Make sure the following text does not remain bold or italic.
5. Check that Word has not added extra space before or after headings.

The style name does not guarantee that its default format follows APA Style. Review its settings before applying it throughout the paper.

Heading checklist

• Main sections use Level 1.
• Each level follows the previous level without gaps in the hierarchy.
• Sections of equal importance use the same level.
• A section has at least two subsections or is not divided.
• Headings do not use numbers or letters unless an institution requires them.
• Levels 1, 2, and 3 do not end with a period.
• Levels 4 and 5 end with a period and continue on the same line.
• No blank lines were added before or after headings.
• The first page of text begins with the paper title and does not include an Introduction heading.