If you are including a subheading to a section, APA formatted papers require you to have two subheadings on the same level. Think of your subheadings as a reference for readers to skim through your papers to get a quick understanding of what information you will be sharing with them and how you will transition from your Abstract through to your Conclusion. Subheadings are often a little longer than headings because they are more descriptive and expand upon the heading. The same holds true for headers in your APA Formatted Papers.

Think of it this way, you wouldnΓÇÖt create a bulleted list of one item. Only use a heading if you have more than one heading for the level. Most are one to five words that provide a strong indication of the information in the section. Here are some general rules for creating effecting headings and subheadings.

The APA style will require you to format these in a specific way to clearly illustrate their increasing levels of specificity for your readers. Many APA Formatted Papers contain only one or two levels, while other more in-depth papers will need all five. You can create up to five levels of headings and subheadings. The second page of an APA paper will be the one to contain the “Abstract.” Since the Abstract is a summary, you should limit it to just one paragraph of about 150 to 250 words without any subheadings, whereas other sections of your paper will require them. The title of your paper does not count as a level. The Title Page of an APA formatted paper is normally considered the first page.

Your professor will inform you which of these categories you need to include in your paper. In simplistic terms, think of your headings and subheadings as a visual roadmap helping you to organize your paper for your readers while giving them a succinct understanding of what information you will be sharing in each section.

What headings are necessary? When should you use subheadings? How do you properly format them so you donΓÇÖt lose points on your paper? The proper usage of headings and subheadings in APA Formatted Papers can seem mysterious to most college writers. Why APA Formatted Papers Have Different Levels of Headings and Subheadings

Apa format paper with headings