apa 6th essay headings

APA Style 6th Edition: Citing Your Sources

• Basics of APA Formatting
• In Text Quick View
• Block Quotes
• Books & eBooks
• Thesis/Dissertation
• Conference Presentations
• Course Documents
• Social Media
• Government Documents

What are headings?

Levels of headings.

• Academic Integrity and Plagiarism
• Additional Resources
• Sample Reference Page

Headings are used to effectively organize ideas within a study or manuscript.  It can also highlight important items, themes or topics within sections.  By creating concise headings, the reader can anticipate key points and track the development of your argument.  The heading levels establish the hierarchy of each section and are designated by their formatting.

Adapted from American Psychological Association. (2009). Format for Five Levels of Heading in APA Journals. Publication manual of the American psychological association (6th ed., p. 62) Washington, D.C.: American Psychological Association.

• If you need to use subsections in any given section, use a least two, otherwise omit their use.
• Do not label headings with numbers or letters
• Use of title case: Use of both upper and lower case letters, all major words are capitalized
• Lowercase paragraph heading: The first letter of the first word is capitalized, all remaining words are lowercase (unless proper name or noun).  Ex.  Living standards in the United States
• Paragraph headings are immediately followed by text for that subsection, rather than starting on a new line.  The heading sits at the start of the first paragraph for that section.
• << Previous: Formatting Details
• Next: Academic Integrity and Plagiarism >>
• Last Updated: Sep 22, 2022 11:20 AM
• URL: https://libguides.usc.edu/APA-citation-style

The Plagiarism Checker Online For Your Academic Work

Start Plagiarism Check

Editing & Proofreading for Your Research Paper

Get it proofread now

Online Printing & Binding with Free Express Delivery

Configure binding now

• Academic essay overview
• The writing process
• Structuring academic essays
• Types of academic essays
• Academic writing overview
• Sentence structure
• Academic writing process
• Improving your academic writing
• Titles and headings
• APA style overview
• APA citation & referencing
• APA structure & sections
• Citation & referencing
• Structure and sections
• APA examples overview
• Commonly used citations
• Other examples
• British English vs. American English
• Chicago style overview
• Chicago citation & referencing
• Chicago structure & sections
• Chicago style examples
• Citing sources overview
• Citation format
• Citation examples
• College essay overview
• Application
• How to write a college essay
• Types of college essays
• Commonly confused words
• Definitions
• Dissertation overview
• Dissertation structure & sections
• Dissertation writing process
• Graduate school overview
• Application & admission
• Study abroad
• Master degree
• Harvard referencing overview
• Language rules overview
• Grammatical rules & structures
• Parts of speech
• Punctuation
• Methodology overview
• Analyzing data
• Experiments
• Observations
• Inductive vs. Deductive
• Qualitative vs. Quantitative
• Types of validity
• Types of reliability
• Sampling methods
• Theories & Concepts
• Types of research studies
• Types of variables
• MLA style overview
• MLA examples
• MLA citation & referencing
• MLA structure & sections
• Plagiarism overview
• Plagiarism checker
• Types of plagiarism
• Printing production overview
• Research bias overview
• Types of research bias
• Example sections
• Types of research papers
• Research process overview
• Problem statement
• Research proposal
• Research topic
• Statistics overview
• Levels of measurment
• Frequency distribution
• Measures of central tendency
• Measures of variability
• Hypothesis testing
• Parameters & test statistics
• Types of distributions
• Correlation
• Effect size
• Hypothesis testing assumptions
• Types of ANOVAs
• Types of chi-square
• Statistical data
• Statistical models
• Spelling mistakes
• Tips overview
• Academic writing tips
• Dissertation tips
• Sources tips
• Working with sources overview
• Evaluating sources
• Finding sources
• Including sources
• Types of sources

Your Step to Success

Plagiarism Check within 10min

Printing & Binding with 3D Live Preview

APA 6th Edition Headings – Format & Settings

How do you like this article cancel reply.

Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment.

Learning how to format and structure academic work is of high importance for all students in order to maintain academic integrity and avoid plagiarism . In the social and behavioral sciences, the APA style guide provides all the guidelines needed to create work and format citations to academic standards properly. In this article, we explain how you can produce concise and well-structured headings for academic essays and research papers in the 6th edition of the APA style manual.

Inhaltsverzeichnis

• 1 APA 6th Edition Headings – In a Nutshell
• 2 Definition: APA 6th edition headings
• 3 APA 6th edition headings: Format
• 4 APA 6th edition headings: Example
• 5 APA 6th Edition Headings: Levels
• 6 APA 6th edition headings: Settings in Word
• 7 APA 6th edition headings: Settings in Google Docs

APA 6th Edition Headings – In a Nutshell

In this article, you will learn:

• Why following APA 6th edition headings guidelines is important.
• How to format your work using APA 6th edition headings guidelines.
• The different levels of APA 6th edition headings.
• How to adjust Word and Google Docs settings so they display APA 6th edition headings.

Definition: APA 6th edition headings

APA writing guidelines were developed to help make scientific and academic writing easier to read and understand. The guidelines cover all aspects of written academic or scholarly work, and that includes headings. In academic writing , headings are important as they help structure your work. They also work like signposts, which help the reader (your teacher or instructor) follow the flow and content of your work.

College or university papers and essays feature different sections or chapters, which must be formatted consistently throughout the whole paper according to one Style Guide. The APA 6th edition headings guidelines are described below.

APA 6th edition headings: Format

Generally speaking, APA 6th edition headings guidelines require that all text be formatted in 12-point Times New Roman font.

You must also follow APA 6th edition headings guidelines regarding capitalization, alignment, font weight, etc.

There are 5 headings in the APA style 6th edition manual. The following visualizes the different formats of each type of heading.

Must be Centered, Bold, and Title Case Capitalized (Words With 4+ Letters)

Must be Left-Aligned, Bold, and Title Case Capitalized (Words With 4+ Letters)

Must be indented, bold, and sentence case capitalized (Beginning of sentences), period at the end.

Must be indented, bold, italics, and sentence case capitalized (Beginning of sentences), period at the end.

Must be indented, italics, and sentence case capitalized (Beginning of sentences), period at the end.

APA 6th edition headings: Example

Here’s an example of how a research piece should be structured as per APA 6th edition headings.

[Paper Title]

• Method (Heading 1) → [Introductory text]
• Research Methodology (Heading 2) → [Text describing research method used]
• Procedure (Heading 3) → [Text describing the study’s procedure]
• Participant selection (Heading 4) → [Text describing how participants were recruited]
• Duration of the study (Heading 5) → [Text describing how long the study took]

APA 6th Edition Headings: Levels

APA 6th edition headings have five levels.

Each level provides information about the structure and importance of the text under that heading. There are two main benefits to using APA 6th edition headings levels:

• The paper is easier to navigate.
• You can automatically create a table of contents in Word.

You don’t need to use all five levels in every paper you write. The APA 6th edition headings are meant to make an essay easier to read, so use the heading levels that best suit every piece of academic work.

These are the general rules for using levels in APA 6th edition headings:

APA 6th edition headings: Settings in Word

If you use Word to write your essays, you should know that by default, Word doesn’t follow APA 6th edition headings guidelines. However, you can change Word settings to accommodate APA requirements so you don’t have to change each heading manually.

These are the steps to follow:

• Open your document in Word and ensure you’re in the Home tab.
• Highlight your Heading 1 .
• Right above your document, you’ll see the Styles section with different Heading, Title, and Subtitle samples. Right-click on Heading 1 and then on Modify .
• This opens a new menu, where you can set the desired font, alignment, spacing, capitalization, etc. When you’re done, click on Ok .
• Repeat the process to set other heading levels.
• Once you’ve adjusted the settings, simply highlight a heading and click on the respective style ( Heading 1, 2, etc.), and Word will automatically apply the APA 6th edition headings you chose.

APA 6th edition headings: Settings in Google Docs

If you’d rather use Google Docs, follow the steps below to simplify the process of using different heading levels.

• Open your document in Google Docs.
• Highlight your Heading 1 and format it as per APA 6th edition headings guidelines (bold, centered, title case capitalization). Do this using the menu options located right above the document.
• With heading 1 still highlighted, click on Normal Text > Heading 1 > Update heading 1 to match.
• Once you’ve adjusted the settings, simply highlight a heading and click on the respective style ( Heading 1, 2 , etc.), and Google Docs will automatically apply the APA settings you chose.

How is the first heading formatted?

Heading 1 is always centered, in bold font, and uses title case capitalization.

Can I add numbered headings?

APA 6th edition headings rules don’t allow using numbers or letters as labels. The formatting guidelines provide enough structure, so you don’t need to use numbers.

Do I need to add a heading called “Introduction”?

No, according to APA 6th edition headings guidelines, you don’t need to specifically label your essay’s introduction.

Does the essay title count as a heading?

No. To format the title, follow the relevant title page guidelines.

We use cookies on our website. Some of them are essential, while others help us to improve this website and your experience.

• External Media

Individual Privacy Preferences

Cookie Details Privacy Policy Imprint

Here you will find an overview of all cookies used. You can give your consent to whole categories or display further information and select certain cookies.

Accept all Save

Essential cookies enable basic functions and are necessary for the proper function of the website.

Show Cookie Information Hide Cookie Information

Statistics cookies collect information anonymously. This information helps us to understand how our visitors use our website.

Content from video platforms and social media platforms is blocked by default. If External Media cookies are accepted, access to those contents no longer requires manual consent.

Privacy Policy Imprint

ZSR Library

Apa 6th ed. style guide: formatting an apa paper.

• Getting Started
• Scholarly Journal Articles
• Books & Reports
• Newspapers & Magazines
• Web Sources & Multimedia
• Legal Sources
• Citing Sources in Text
• Formatting an APA Paper
• APA Sample Paper This link opens in a new window

Formatting FAQs

More detailed information about how to format an APA style paper can be found in the APA style manual (available at the ZSR Reference Desk) or on the Purdue OWL APA Style guide . 

Q: How do I format my APA style paper in Word? How do I create a running head?

A:  The short video below will walk you through how to format your paper using Microsoft Word. If you don't have Microsoft Word, contact The Bridge (WFU students get a version of Microsoft Office for free). If you still need help, stop by the ZSR Reference Desk and someone will be happy to help you!

Q: How do I format headings in an APA style paper? 

A:  Formatting and style information is provided in the APA style manual. Specific information about levels of headings is found in Section 3.03 of the manual. Section 4 of the manual covers mechanics of style, such as spacing, punctuation, numerals, abbrevations, and more.  

Q: How do I format the References page? 

A:  General information about the Reference list can be found in Section 6.22 of the manual. A sample paper is provided in Figure 2.1. Purdue OWL also provides a sample paper .

Your Reference list should include all of the sources you cite in your paper (with a few exceptions, such as personal communications). Provide the information that would allow someone reading your paper to locate the original source. List sources alphabetically by the last name of the first author, and use a hanging indent to indent the second line. (See video below for how to create a hanging indent in Word.)

• << Previous: Citing Sources in Text
• Next: APA Sample Paper >>
• Last Updated: Jul 12, 2022 12:05 PM
• URL: https://guides.zsr.wfu.edu/apa6

Purdue Online Writing Lab Purdue OWL® College of Liberal Arts

APA Sample Paper

Welcome to the Purdue OWL

This page is brought to you by the OWL at Purdue University. When printing this page, you must include the entire legal notice.

Copyright ©1995-2018 by The Writing Lab & The OWL at Purdue and Purdue University. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, reproduced, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed without permission. Use of this site constitutes acceptance of our terms and conditions of fair use.

Note:  This page reflects the latest version of the APA Publication Manual (i.e., APA 7), which released in October 2019. The equivalent resource for the older APA 6 style  can be found here .

Media Files: APA Sample Student Paper  ,  APA Sample Professional Paper

This resource is enhanced by Acrobat PDF files. Download the free Acrobat Reader

Note: The APA Publication Manual, 7 th Edition specifies different formatting conventions for student  and  professional  papers (i.e., papers written for credit in a course and papers intended for scholarly publication). These differences mostly extend to the title page and running head. Crucially, citation practices do not differ between the two styles of paper.

However, for your convenience, we have provided two versions of our APA 7 sample paper below: one in  student style and one in  professional  style.

Note: For accessibility purposes, we have used "Track Changes" to make comments along the margins of these samples. Those authored by [AF] denote explanations of formatting and [AWC] denote directions for writing and citing in APA 7. 

APA 7 Student Paper:

Apa 7 professional paper:.

Generate accurate APA citations for free

• Knowledge Base
• APA Style 6th edition
• APA title page (6th edition)

APA Title Page (6th edition) | Guidelines, Example, Template

Published on November 6, 2020 by Raimo Streefkerk .

An APA title page must include:

• A running head (including page number)
• The title of your paper (one or two lines long)
• The full name of the author(s)
• Your university or institution

Additional information, such as a course number or an author’s note, should be placed on a separate line below the institution.

APA title page template

Table of contents

Apa title page example, general formatting guidelines, running head, paper title, author name(s), setting up the title page.

Prevent plagiarism. Run a free check.

The APA cover page adheres to the  general APA formatting guidelines :

• 12 pt Times New Roman
• Double line spacing
• 1 inch (2.54 cm) margins

The formatting requirements for each element on the APA title page are listed below.

Write “Running head:” followed by a (shortened) version of your paper’s title. It must be:

• Left aligned
• Capitalized
• Maximum 50 characters (not including the words “running head:”)

Read more on how to  insert and format a running head .

Use an informative, striking title that summarizes the main idea of your paper.

• Apply title case ( capitalize the first letter of each word, except small words such as articles and short prepositions )
• Keep it shorter than 12 words
• Don’t use abbreviations or contractions
• Place the title in the center of the page

The names of the authors are written in full (first name, initial of middle name(s), last name). Include the names of all authors in order of contribution. Don’t include titles (Dr., Prof.) or degrees (PhD, MSc).

APA title page with multiple authors

There are specific guidelines for multiple authors. The formatting guidelines depend on whether the authors have the same affiliation.

This video will demonstrate how to set up the title page in Google Docs.

Cite this Scribbr article

If you want to cite this source, you can copy and paste the citation or click the “Cite this Scribbr article” button to automatically add the citation to our free Citation Generator.

Streefkerk, R. (2020, November 06). APA Title Page (6th edition) | Guidelines, Example, Template. Scribbr. Retrieved April 2, 2024, from https://www.scribbr.com/apa-style/6th-edition/archived-title-page/

Is this article helpful?

Raimo Streefkerk

Scribbr apa citation checker.

An innovative new tool that checks your APA citations with AI software. Say goodbye to inaccurate citations!