USING SUBTITLES IN APA MANUAL

Additional cases and examples are provided in the Publication Manual users’ most common questions are addressed here.

USING SUBTITLES IN APA HOW TO

The first time you use APA Style, you need to update the default heading styles to reflect the APA heading guidelines. Note: This page reflects the latest version of the APA Publication Manual (i.e., APA 7), which released in October 2019. Italics (APA 7th) Italics (APA 7th) This page addresses when to use italics, when to avoid italics, how to use italics for emphasis, and when to use reverse italics. This allows you to save the styling and apply it with just a click. Instead of formatting every heading individually, you can use the “Styles” feature in Word or Google Docs. Using heading styles in Word or Google Docs Use section labels for the following sections in an APA formatted paper: Section labels are placed on a separate line at the top of a new page in bold and centered. They’re similar to headings but are formatted differently. In addition to regular headings, APA works with “section labels” for specific parts of the paper. All major words in periodical titles should be capitalized (for example, Psychology Today, Journal of. Do not capitalize the rest (see examples below). Each main section starts with the highest level of heading, even if one section has fewer levels of subheading. Capitalization: For all sources other than periodical titles (that is, newspapers, magazines, and scholarly journals), capitalize the first word of the title and subtitle and proper nouns only.

If there is just one subheading, the top-level heading is sufficient. APA Style headings have five possible levels. This continues all the way down to heading level 5.Īlways use at least two subheadings or none at all. For example, under “Methods” (level 1) you may have subsections for “Sampling Method” and “Data Analysis” (level 2). Heading level 2 is used for subsections under level 1. There is no “ Introduction” heading at the beginning of your paper because the first paragraphs are understood to be introductory. Heading level 1 is used for main sections like “ Methods”, “ Results”, and “ Discussion”. It’s also perfectly fine for some sections in your paper to go as deep as five levels, where others use only heading level 1. In fact, shorter student papers may have no headings at all. How many heading levels should you use?ĭepending on the length and complexity of your paper, you may not use all five heading levels. Instructions from your supervisor or university always overrule the APA guidelines. Note: In longer documents, such as dissertations, you might be required to number your headings.

Don’t add extra “enters” above or below headings.

Cite this American Psychological Association.

Don’t label headings with numbers or letters. Current APA Style guidelines advise writers to use title case, boldface, and double-space for all headings.

Use the same font for headings and body text (e.g., Times New Roman 12pt.).

Double-space all text, including the headings.

Using heading styles in Word or Google DocsĪs well as the heading styles, there are some other guidelines to keep in mind:.

How many heading levels should you use?.

Using subtitles in apa