APA 7 Headings
In APA format there are five levels of headings that create degrees of importance in relation to each other. Basically, they just function like a bulleted list, with each new level meaning you’re writing about a new subtopic of the previous level. So:
- Level 1
- Level 2
- Level 3
- Level 4
- Level 5
- Level 4
- Level 3
- Level 2
Their purpose is to create a sense of organization and flow within paper, and indicate how information connects throughout. For the average APA paper, you probably won’t use past level 2 headers in your paper, maybe level 3, but they become really helpful as you move into bigger papers with large amounts of information to cover. Note that topics equaling importance should maintain the same level of heading.
Level 1 header
Centered, bolded, capitalized like a book title
Level 1 Header
Text begins as a new paragraph.
Level 2 header
Left aligned, bolded, capitalized like a book title
Level 2 Header
Text begins as a new paragraph.
Level 3 header
Left aligned, bolded, italicized, capitalized like a book title
Level 3 header
Text begins as a new paragraph.
Level 4 header
Indented once, bolded, capitalized like book title, ending with a period
Level 4 header. Text begins on the same line and continues as a e regular paragraph.
Level 5 header
Indented once, bolded Italic, capitalized like book title, ending with a period
Level 5 header. Text beings on the same line and continues as a regular paragraph.
These headings can be used multiple times before moving forwards or backwards in the hierarchy. An example essay might look something like this:
Results (Level 1)
Text...
Nutrition Results (Level 2)
Text...
Nutrition in Infants (Level 3)
Text...
Nutrition in Adults. (Level 3)
Text...
Effect on Aging Process. (Level 4) Text...
Cell Deterioration Over Time. (Level 5) Text...