LEVELS OF HEADINGS

Karl Wuensch's APA-Style Headings Page

The sixth edition of the APA Publication Manual (see section 3.03) includes a radical (and long overdue) change in the style of headings to be used in APA style manuscripts. There are still five levels of headings:

Level	Style
1	Centered, Boldface, Uppercase and Lowercase
2	Flush Left, Boldface, Uppercase and Lowercase
3	Indented, boldface, lowercase paragraph heading ending with a period.
4	Indented, boldface, italicized, lowercase paragraph heading ending with a period.
5	Indented, italicized, lowercase paragraph heading ending with a period.

Each section starts with a Level 1 heading (excepting the Introduction, where the Level 1 heading is invisible) and then proceeds to Level 2, 3, 4, and 5 as needed, in that order. To see an examples using two or three levels of headings, go here.

Here is the awful way headings were formatted in previous editions of the APA Publication Manual. Good riddance to this.

Before you can determine which levels of headings are appropriate, you need to know how many levels of headings you have employed. Carefully read pages 113 through 115 in the 5^th edition of the APA Publication Manual. Most theses in Psychology will employ two or three levels of headings

If your thesis uses two levels, they must be Levels 1 and 3.

If it employs three levels, it must be Levels 1, 3, and 4.

Level 2 is used only if you need four levels (rarely) and

Level 5 is used only if you need 5 levels (very rarely).

Here is an explanation of the characteristics of the different levels of headings, and an example of each:

Level 5 headings: rarely used, when used is the top level (followed by 1, 2, 3, & 4), is centered and ALL UPPERCASE.

THE LIBIDINAL PRIMACY OF SCATOS

Level 1 headings: always used, centered upper- and lower-case heading, but frequently set in all uppercase in theses, despite the APA style manual.

Uses and Misuses of EGA

Level 2: rarely used (only if you need 4 or 5 levels), centered, italicized, upper- and lower-case heading.

Acoustic Characteristics of the Succubus

Level 3: Usually used (unless you need only one level), flush left, italicized, upper- and lower-case heading on a line of its own without a period at the end.

Social Variables and Subjective Well-Being

Level 4: Indented, italicized, lowercase heading with a period at the end. A paragraph starts after a blank space or two on the same line.

Social relationships. It is commonly accepted that social support, social contact, and social involvement are
significant contributors to ............................................