uw-madison writing center writer's handbook

All APA formatted documents use headings that show your readers how your paper is organized by labeling the parts and by indicating which parts are equally important and which are subordinate to others.

For a complete treatment of the politics of headings, take a look at the Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association, sixth edition (2010), pages 62-63.

Example: Level 1 Headings	Most undergraduate papers often use only Level 1 headings, which are: centered boldface uppercase and lowercase top

Example: Level 1 & 3 Headings	Slightly more complex undergraduate papers often use Level 1 and Level 3 headings. Level 3 headings are: indented boldface sentence case (only 1st letter capitalized), ends with a period top

Example: Level 1, 3, & 4 Headings	Papers that are long or that have many subsections often use Level 1, Level 3, and Level 4 headings. Level 4 headings are: indented boldface italicized sentence case (only 1st letter capitalized) followed by a period, and then immediately by text top

Example: Level 1, 3, 4 & 2 Headings	Multiexperiment studies, monographs, and lengthy literature reviews often require Level 1, Level 3, Level 4, and Level 2 headings. Level 2 headings are: flush left boldface uppercase and lowercase

Example: Level 1, 3, 4, 2 & 5 Headings	Books often use Level 1, Level 3, Level 4, Level 2, and Level 5 headings. Level 5 headings are: indented italicized sentence case (only 1st letter capitalized) followed by a period, and then immediately by text top