APA Heading Generator
Type your headings as an outline and get them in APA 7 format — Level 1 centered and bold through Level 5 indented, bold italic and run in with a period — in APA title case, checked for skipped levels and lone subsections, and ready to paste into Word or Google Docs. Free, no sign-up.
One heading per line. Give the level with # signs (# Level 1, ## Level 2 …), an outline number such as 2.1, or indentation.
Type or paste your headings to see them in APA format.
How to Use the APA Heading Generator
- Type or paste your headings. One per line. Mark the level with # signs (## for Level 2), with an outline number such as 2.1, or with indentation.
- Leave title case on. It capitalizes the words APA capitalizes and lowercases the short minor ones; turn it off if your headings are already cased the way you want.
- Read the warnings. A skipped level, a lone subsection or an Introduction heading is flagged with what to do instead.
- Copy for Word or Google Docs. Paste each heading where it goes. Levels 4 and 5 end with a space, so you can type the paragraph straight after them.
The Five APA Heading Levels
| Level | Format | The paragraph begins |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Centered, bold, title case | on the next line |
| 2 | Flush left, bold, title case | on the next line |
| 3 | Flush left, bold italic, title case | on the next line |
| 4 | Indented 0.5 in., bold, title case, ending with a period | on the same line, after the period |
| 5 | Indented 0.5 in., bold italic, title case, ending with a period | on the same line, after the period |
Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association, 7th ed., Section 2.27, as reproduced by university writing-center and library guides. Student and professional papers use the same levels.
Use the levels in order. A paper with one level of heading uses Level 1; a paper with two uses Levels 1 and 2; a Level 3 heading never sits directly under a Level 1. The paper’s title, centered and bold at the top of the first page of text, works as the Level 1 heading of the introduction, so the introduction gets no heading of its own. And as in an outline, a section that is divided at all has at least two subsections. Headings are the same size as the body text and are never numbered or lettered.
APA Title Case in Headings
Capitalize the first word, the first word after a colon or an em dash, every word of four letters or more (With, From, Between), and all major words — nouns, verbs including Is and Be, adjectives, adverbs and pronouns. Lowercase only the short minor words: the articles a, an and the; the conjunctions and, as, but, for, if, nor, or, so and yet; and the prepositions as, at, by, for, in, of, off, on, per, to, up and via. Both parts of a hyphenated major word are capitalized: Self-Report, Long-Term. Unlike Chicago, APA has no rule that the last word is always capitalized.
Words you typed with capitals inside them — DNA, iPhone, COVID-19 — keep them. A heading typed entirely in capitals is lowercased before it is cased, so restore any acronyms in it by hand.
Worked Example
Try a sample loads eleven headings from a typical empirical paper. Title case turns Materials and procedure into Materials and Procedure and Associations with grades into Associations With Grades, because with has four letters. Three warnings appear:
- Introduction is not needed: the paper’s title does that job.
- Sleep Quality Index. jumps from Level 2 to Level 4; it should be Level 3.
- Missing Data is the only Level 3 heading under Descriptive Statistics for the Sample — add a second subsection or fold it into the section.
Sleep Quality Index. also shows the Level 4 form: indented, bold, with its period added and the paragraph running on after it.
Common Heading Mistakes
- Numbering headings. APA headings carry no numbers or letters (1. Method, A. Participants). The generator leaves outline numbers out unless you ask to keep them for a template that requires them.
- Making headings bigger. APA headings are the same font and size as the text; the levels differ only by alignment, bold, italics and indentation.
- Labeling the opening section. Begin with the paper’s title, not Introduction. If the introduction needs subsections, give them Level 2 headings.
- Trusting Word’s default heading styles. Word’s built-in Heading 1 and Heading 2 have their own fonts, sizes and colors. Modify the styles to match APA, or paste formatted headings from here.
Frequently Asked Questions
- How many heading levels does APA 7 have?
- Five. Level 1 is centered and bold; Level 2 is flush left and bold; Level 3 is flush left, bold and italic; Level 4 is indented, bold and ends with a period, with the paragraph continuing on the same line; Level 5 is the same as Level 4 in bold italic. All five use title case.
- Do I need an Introduction heading in an APA paper?
- No. The paper’s title at the top of the first page of text acts as the Level 1 heading for the introduction, so do not add an Introduction heading. If the introduction has subsections, give them Level 2 headings.
- Can I skip heading levels in APA?
- No. Use the levels in order: a subsection of a Level 1 section takes a Level 2 heading, not Level 3. If your paper needs only two levels, use Levels 1 and 2.
- Are APA headings bold?
- Yes, all five levels are bold, and Levels 3 and 5 are italic as well. Headings are the same size as the body text and are not underlined.
- Can a section have only one subsection in APA?
- No. As in an outline, a section that is divided has at least two subsections at the next level. If there is only one, merge it into its parent section or add a second.
- Are APA headings numbered?
- No — APA headings have no numbers or letters. Some thesis templates number chapters and sections; follow your institution’s template if it requires numbering.