East Carolina University
Department of Psychology
The seventh edition of the APA Publication Manual (see section 2.27) uses headings that differ from those in the sixth edition.
Each section starts with a Level 1 heading (The title of the article, not the word "Introduction," serves as the Level 1 heading for the introduction) and then proceeds to Level 2, 3, 4, and 5 as needed, in that order. To see a examples using two or three levels of headings, go here.
Level | Style |
1 |
Centered, Boldface, Uppercase and Lowercase (aka Title Case) Text begins as a new paragraph. |
2 | Flush Left, Boldface, Title Case Text begins as a new paragraph. |
3 |
Flush Left, Boldface,
Italicized, Title Case Text begins as a new paragraph. |
4 | Indented, Boldface, Title Case Paragraph Heading Ending With a Period. Text begins on the same line. |
5 | Indented, Boldface, Italicized, Title Case Paragraph Heading Ending With a Period. Text begins on the same line. |
Also see the OWL page on this.
Here is an illustration of these headings should look like:
Below, for historical purposes, are the headings prescribed by earlier versions of the publication manual.
The sixth edition of the APA Publication Manual (see section 3.03) included 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. |
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 5th edition of the APA Publication Manual. Most theses in Psychology will employ two or three levels of headings
Here is an explanation of the characteristics of the different levels of headings, and an example of each:
THE LIBIDINAL PRIMACY OF
SCATOS
Uses and Misuses of EGA
Acoustic Characteristics
of the Succubus
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.
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Dr. Karl L. Wuensch
This page most recently revised on
23-April-2022.