APA Headings
Dr. Gustafson
What is a heading?
• APA Manual 6th Edition – 3.02 and 3.03
• Headings signal the reader to paper sections
• Headings signal hierarchy of paper sections
Levels of Headings
• APA Manual 6th Edition – Table 3.1
• 5 levels of headings
• Top-Down Progression
(regardless of the number of headings used)
Headings: Level 1
• Centered, Boldface, Uppercase and Lowercase Heading
Example
Method
Chapter three will include the details of the methodology that
was used for this study. First, this chapter will articulate the
problem statement . . .
Headings: Level 2
• Flush Left, Boldface, Uppercase and
Lowercase Headings
Example
Problem Statement
The purpose of this study was to explore the…
Headings: Level 3
• Indented, boldface, lowercase paragraph
heading ending with a period.
Example
Data collection and instrumentation. A variety of data
collection tools, or sources of evidence, were selected . . .
Headings: Level 4
• Indented, boldface, italicized, lowercase
paragraph heading ending with a period.
Example
Important. All seven research participants indicated that
they believed that the mission was important . . .
Headings: Level 5
• Indented, italicized, lowercase paragraph
heading ending with a period.
Example
Obstacles and challenges. In addition to the four possible
responses to . . .
Headings Misc.
• Use only the number of headings needed
▫ If only one level is needed use Level 1, if two levels
are needed use Level 1 and Level 2, etc.
• Do not label the “Introduction” as a heading
(unless instructions specify that you do – like with a dissertation)
• Do not use letters, numbers or bullets in heading
formatting