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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

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...