General

Headings

Example: Headings

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All theses/dissertations should have multiple levels (orders) of headings to organize the manuscript’s chapters. Headings help the reader navigate through the manuscript. As the orders progress, the content described within the section typically becomes more specific. Most style guides suggest a maximum of six orders, but most theses/dissertations have no more than four.

The style and position of each order of heading must be consistent across chapters to avoid confusion.

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How are the headings formatted?

Different capitalization schemes are used to differentiate between orders: ALL CAPS, Title Case, and Sentence case specifically.

Each ordered heading must be styled differently - be it through the capitalization scheme, style changes like centered, indented or left-aligned, boldface, italic, underlined, or (most commonly) a combination of the two.
The font size must remain the same as the body text.

It is also required that the text used in each order of heading is listed (and matches word-for-word) in the Table of Contents (TOC).

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1st-Order Headings (Chapter and Major Section Headings)

All 1st-order headings (also called chapter headings or major headings) must begin on a new page and be positioned 2" from the top edge of the page (1" below the 1" top margin).

Use the Enter key to space down 1" from the top margin. 

TIP: If using Word, turn on the ruler function under "View". Then, with both the ruler and the formatting button on, line up the Level 1 heading with the 1" mark on the left, below the 1" margin. Having the spacing above the heading set to single-spaced does give you more control.

2nd- to 6th-Order Headings (Sub-Headings)

All other headings should follow continuously and should not begin on a new page (unless the heading is orphaned at the bottom of the previous page - then you would push it to the top of the following page - 1" below the top edge of the page). The text will automatically wrap to the correct position when typing.

Numbering

Some students choose to number their headings. If numbering the heading, you must still style each heading distinctly to differentiate it from other heading levels. It must be different in at least 1 way. Numbering must be consistent throughout all style levels and used consistently throughout the manuscript.