Headings identify content within sections of a paper. They should be descriptive and concise.

Shorter student papers typically do not need headings. If you are writing a longer paper, you may want to consider including headings.

Read the sections below to get started with formatting your APA headings. More information about APA headings can be found on the APA Style Website.

General Rules for APA Style Heading:

• Because the first paragraphs of a paper are understood to be introductory, the heading "introduction" is not required. Do not begin a paper with an "Introduction" heading. Instead, you will place the paper title in the first line of the second page (after the title page.) This acts as a Level 1 heading.
• Headings are double-spaced and bolded. They maintain the same font type and font size as the body text.
• Avoid having only having one subheading within a section.
• Do not label headings with numbers or letters. 
• Do not add blank lines above or below headings.

There are five levels of heading in APA Style. To know which styles you need to use for your paper, you will first need to identify how many levels of headings you would like to use. For example, if you need three levels of heading for your paper, you will use Levels 1, 2, and 3.