Headings & Subheadings

Note: Always read your assignments carefully and defer to your instructors’ guidelines. A printable version of this information is available here.

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Headings and subheadings are words or short phrases throughout a paper that divide the text into multiple sections.

Headings and subheadings serve several purposes:

• They help your reader know what to expect in a specific section.
• They break up long texts to make them more readable.
• They help your reader locate the information they are most interested in.

Headings and subheadings will vary depending on the documentation style (e.g., APA, MLA, Chicago) and your instructor’s guidelines.

Common headings and subheadings in scientific writing:

•  Introduction
• Literature Review
• Methods or Methodology (or a variation of the term)
• Procedure
• Results
• Discussion
• Conclusion

Common headings and subheadings in non-scientific writing: 

• Introduction
• Background
• Heading for each argumentative point
• Conclusion

If you do not have specific guidelines from your instructor and if it is appropriate to your paper’s topic, consider creating headings and subheadings that are helpful to your reader. Make sure the headings and subheadings match the overall tone and intent of your paper.

Capitalization

Most headings will use title case, meaning all words will be capitalized except

• conjunctions (e.g., for, and, nor, but, or, yet, so, if, while)    
• articles (a, an, the)
• short prepositions (e.g., in, to, of, at, by, up, for, off, on)      

Parallelism

Consistently parallel headings will help make your paper’s organization clear to your reader. Notice the consistency in capitalization and phrasing of parallel headings:

• Executive Summary, Justification of Study, Background Information, Feasibility of Study
• What Is the Function of a Browser? How Do You Choose a Browser? How Do You Navigate a Browser?
• History of Cryptocurrencies, Use of Cryptocurrencies, Risks of Cryptocurrencies, Future of Cryptocurrencies

Here are some examples of headings that are NOT parallel: 

• Executive Summary of My Report, Study’s Justification, Background, Why is this Feasible? 
• What is the function of A Browser? Choosing A Browser, Browser Navigation

Remember, if you don’t have specific guidelines from your instructor, think about how headings and subheadings could help your reader navigate your paper and anticipate what the next section is about.