Headings

Numbered and non-numbered headings are both acceptable styles, though they cannot be used together--you must choose one style and apply it to all the headings in your disquisition.

The most common issues with headings are inconsistent line spacing. Headings, like the paragraph text, should be double-spaced with no additional line spacing above or below the heading.

Guidelines: Headings

Headings identify new sections of your disquisition and should be visually distinct from your paragraph text. If you use several levels of headings, each level should be easily identifiable from its unique formatting. Levels can be established by their alignment, their font style (bold, underline, italics), or their number. Examples are provided in this section.

  • Consistency – All headings of the same level should share the same formatting throughout the disquisition, including in appendices. For example, if a first-level subheading in your first chapter is bold, center aligned, and in title case, then first-level subheadings in all other chapters and any appendices should use the same formatting.
  • Running headers – Do not use running headers in the margins at the top of each page in the disquisition. Headings should appear only at the beginning of each section.

Major headings identify the major sections or chapters of your disquisition, such as the Abstract or Appendix.

Major headings should meet the following criteria:

  • Major headings should always be included in the Table of Contents, including prefatory sections, chapter headings, and each appendix. The Table of Contents should not include an entry for the Table of Contents.
  • Location – At the top of the first page of a major section (prefatory section, chapter, or appendix).
  • Alignment – Fully centered on the page.
  • Case – ALL CAPS.
  • Font – Bold, in the same font as your paragraph text, with the following optional exception.
  • Font size – Major headings may optionally be in a larger font, up to 4 pts larger than your paragraph text. For example, if your paragraph text is Verdana size 10, then major headings may be no larger than size 14.

Subheadings divide chapter content into subsections. If you use more than one subheading level, each level subheadings should be easily identifiable (either through numbering or formatting).

You can differentiate subheading levels using italics, bold, underlines, or alignment (centered or left). Subheadings of the same level should share the same formatting method throughout the entire disquisition, including chapters and appendices. For example, if a first-level subheading in Chapter 1 is bold and centered, then first-level subheadings everywhere else in the disquisition should be bold and centered.

Subheadings should meet the following criteria:

  • Subheadings should be in either title case (capitalize all major words) or sentence case (capitalize only the first word and proper nouns), but not both. You should use the same case for all subheadings of the same level, and we recommend using the same case for all subheadings of all levels. Do not use ALL CAPS for subheadings; only major headings may be in ALL CAPS.
  • Subheadings should not be forced to begin on a new page, such as with a page break.
  • Subheadings should not be orphaned from the start of their content. If a subheading appears on the bottom of a page and the first paragraph in the section appears on the next page, the subheading should be moved to the next page with the paragraph.
  • Subheading levels should be be visually distinct, e.g. first-level subheadings should use different formatting from second level subheadings.

Numbered headings vs. non-numbered headings

Using numbered headings is optional. When using numbered headings, the following apply:

  • All subheadings in the disquisition should be numbered.
  • You should number major headings for chapters, but do not number major headings outside the chapters, such as the prefatory pages or appendices. Unlike subheadings, the chapter numbers of major headings may be preceded with a label; for example, both "CHAPTER 1. INTRODUCTION" and "1. INTRODUCTION" are acceptable styles for a major heading.
  • The heading number should be punctuated with a period or a colon. For example, the first subheading in the second chapter would be numbered “2.1. Title of Subheading”.

The first number in the section number must correspond to the chapter in which it appears. Subsequent numbers correspond to the heading level and order of appearance of the heading.

Numbered subheadings do not need to use visually distinct formatting between different levels of subheadings because heading numbers identify the heading level, though we recommend doing so anyway to improve the readability of your document. Non-numbered headings should always use visually distinct formatting between different subheading levels.

Relevant Requirements:

  1. When viewing the Tags Pane, tags are visible.
  2. Content is tagged correctly.
  3. The document is bookmarked in a logical reading order.
  4. Non-English text has a corresponding language attribute.

Major headings should be tagged H1, first-level headings should be tagged H2, and so on. If you have any headings with non-English words or phrases, not including Latin or scientific names, that text should have a corresponding language tag.

See our digital accessibility page for more information on these requirements.

Page Contents
  1. Format Guidelines
  2. Frequently Asked Questions
  3. Troubleshooting
    1. Line Spacing
    2. Major Headings
    3. Alignment
    4. Chapter Labels
  4. Resources
Related Pages
  1. Section Order
  2. Fonts
  3. Page Numbers
  4. Digital Accessibility

Quick Answers

No. You can have chapter headings like "Chapter 1. Introduction" or "Chapter One: Introduction" and use non-numbered subheadings. However, if you place a section number at the beginning of the major heading, such as "1. Introduction", then you should use numbered subheadings.

You may also write out the chapter number ("Chapter One") in the chapter title and use numbered subheadings, however we strongly discourage you from doing so. First, having both major headings and subheadings numbered similarly maintains consistency in style, and second, it can prove extremely difficult to maintain the correct section numbers on subheadings in Word without having an auto-numbered major heading.

You're welcome to use bold and italics to draw attention to paragraph text. Italics are frequently used in Latin names, and like bold text, can be used to emphasize a phrase or passage. However, it must be clear that the text is part of the paragraph text and not a heading. Some style manuals, such as APA, use bold text at the start of paragraphs to signify a new section heading. While these types of headings are not considered headings under the NDSU Graduate School Format Guidelines, they do not conflict with our guidelines either.

When using bold and italics in your paragraph text, we encourage you to think about what your intent is for your reader's experience, and whether they might be able to confuse your bold or italicized text for something else, such as a heading.

Examples of numbered and non-numbered headings

Note the differences in the examples below. For numbered headings, it is acceptable for the second and third level subheadings to both be bolded and left-aligned with no other distinguishing features because numbered subheadings are employed. If you elect to use non-numbered headings, all heading levels must be visually distinct.

Issue: Line Spacing

Requirements:

  1. Headings should be double-spaced, with no extra line spacing or blank lines above or below them.

Resolution:

  1. Remove all extraneous line breaks and carriage returns.
  2. Set the heading's paragraph settings to be double-spaced, with no additional line spacing before or after.
  3. Enable page break before in the paragraph settings for headings that should always appear at the top of a new page, such as all major headings.

Commonly, line breaks and carriage returns are used to space content onto new pages, which creates new problems when revisions cause content to shift around. We recommend removing all carriage returns that were created to space out content, and instead use paragraph settings to space content or force it onto a new page when necessary. To remove carriage returns, enable formatting marks by clicking the pilcrow icon (¶) from the Home tab -> Paragraph menu, or using the hotkey CTRL+SHIFT+8. Once enabled, remove any extraneous carriage returns and line breaks throughout the document. To force content onto a new page, enable page break before in the paragraph settings; we recommend using this setting for major headings in your document to avoid future issues.

Additionally, check the paragraph settings of your headings: they should be double-spaced, with no additional line spacing before or after. If you are using styles, check the style's paragraph settings by right-clicking the style, selecting Modify from the context menu, and selecting Paragraph from the dropdown menu in the bottom-left of the style settings dialog box. If you changed any style settings, the style should automatically update all your headings with that style, but you should check all headings to ensure it applied correctly; reapply the style to a heading if necessary.

You can modify the line spacing of a heading directly in its paragraph settings. The paragraph settings dialog box can be accessed by right-clicking the heading and selecting Paragraph from the context menu or by clicking the dialog box launcher arrow in the bottom-right corner of the Paragraph section of the Home tab on the ribbon.

We recommend using styles to apply consistent formatting across similar elements in your document. Each heading level should have its own style, and styles can be changed by right-clicking the appropriate style in the style pane on the Home tab then selecting Modify... from the context menu. In the modify style dialog box, click the Format button in the bottom left, then choose Paragraph... from the context menu. Change the line spacing options to be double-spaced with 0 pts before and after. See our template guide on the Formatting Guidelines, Templates, and Forms page for more information on using styles.

Issue: Headings at the Top of New Pages Are Not Flush with Page Margin

Requirements:

  1. All content should begin flush with the top 1" page margin.

Resolution:

  1. Remove all extraneous line breaks and carriage returns and enable page break before in the paragraph settings for headings that must appear at the top of a new page, such as all major headings.
  2. Set the heading's paragraph settings to be double-spaced, with no additional line spacing before or after.
  3. Enable suppress extra line spacing at top of page in Word's advanced options.

Commonly, line breaks and carriage returns are used to space content onto new pages, which creates new problems when revisions cause content to shift around. We recommend removing all carriage returns that were created to space out content, and instead use paragraph settings to space content or force it onto a new page when necessary. To remove carriage returns, enable formatting marks by clicking the pilcrow icon (¶) from the Home tab -> Paragraph menu, or using the hotkey CTRL+SHIFT+8. Once enabled, remove any extraneous carriage returns and line breaks throughout the document. To force content onto a new page, enable page break before in the paragraph settings; we recommend using this setting for major headings in your document to avoid future issues.

Another common issue is that line spacing has been added to the paragraph settings for headings. Open the paragraph settings for your heading and ensure it's set to be double-spaced with 0 pts of line spacing before or after. See the section on line spacing issues (above) for examples of these settings.

Additionally, you may need to enable "suppress extra line spacing at top of page" if you are using an old template from before July 2025. This is unlikely to affect headings, however it may resolve other issues.

  1. Go to File on the ribbon.
  2. Click Options, near the bottom left.
  3. Click Advanced.
  4. Scroll down to the bottom and enable suppress extra line spacing at top of page.
Suppress line spacing at the top of pages
Access this feature from File tab -> Options -> Advanced, then scroll down to the bottom.

Issue: Major Heading Appears in the Middle of Page

Requirements:

  1. Major headings should be in bold font, aligned center to the page, use ALL CAPS, and appear at the top of a new page.

Resolution:

  1. Enable page break before in paragraph settings.

You can force major headings to always appear at the top of new pages by selecting the major heading and enabling the page break before option on the Line and Page Breaks tab of the paragraph settings dialog box. If your major heading uses a style, this setting can be enabled within the style by right-clicking the style within the style pane, then navigating to the setting from Modify -> Format (bottom left) -> Paragraph -> Line and Page Break tab.

We recommend setting page break before because adding blank lines or forcing page breaks to space out content often results in blank lines or blank pages appearing when content shifts due to formatting changes. The page break before setting ensures your major headings stay pinned to the top of whatever page it appears on, even if content above it shifts.

Enable the "page break before" setting
Enable the "page break before" setting to force major headings to appear at the top of a new page.

Issue: Heading Alignment

Requirements:

  1. Centered headings should be fully centered. Do not add spaces or tab spaces before these headings, which causes them to appear off-center.
  2. Left-aligned headings should be flush with the left 1" page margin. Do not add spaces or tab spaces before these headings, which causes them to be indented.

Resolution:

  1. Remove indents from the paragraph settings of headings.
  2. Remove tab spaces and tab stops from headings.

Notes:

If your centered headings are off-center, check for tab stops or tab spaces in the heading. Tab stops can be edited from the document ruler (enabled from the View tab) or the tabs settings found in the bottom-left of paragraph settings. Tab stops on the ruler appear as black marks, shaped to indicate what alignment the tab stop has. If tab stops are present on the line with the heading, Word may attempt to align the heading around that tab mark rather than centering it on the page. In this case, remove the tab stops.

If a tab space is causing the heading to be out of alignment, remove it. You can view formatting marks by clicking the pilcrow icon (¶) on the Home tab -> Paragraph group, or using hotkey CTRL+SHIFT+8. Tab spaces appear as arrows: "->". If there are tab spaces within headings, such as between a section number and the heading title, remove these as well.

Issue: Chapter Label Formatted Incorrectly for Numbered Headings

Requirements:

  1. When using numbered headings, major headings for chapters should be numbered.
  2. Major headings for prefatory material, references/works cited sections, and appendices should not be numbered. (If you have more than one appendix, it should be lettered, regardless of whether your chapter headings are numbered.)
  3. The chapter numbers of major headings may be preceded with an optional label; for example, both "CHAPTER 1. INTRODUCTION" and "1. INTRODUCTION" are acceptable styles for a major heading. Subheadings should not be labeled.

Resolution:

  1. Adjust the list settings for numbered headings to format the major heading label.
  2. Remove section numbers from major headings outside the chapters.

Notes:

Our templates default to using unlabeled major headings, such as "1. INTRODUCTION". A label can easily be added by right-clicking any section number and selecting adjust list indents from the context menu. To add or remove a label, select the heading level it should apply to, then edit the field under "Enter formatting for number:". For example, if you would like to add chapter labels to your major headings, you can use these settings:

Right-click any section number and click "Adjust List Indents" to edit the formatting for section numbers.
Right-click any section number and click "Adjust List Indents" to edit the formatting for section numbers, such as adding a label to major headings, as shown in this image.

Center for Writers

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