4.4 Highlighting Techniques: Headings
A report’s readability is enhanced when highlighting techniques are applied. Below are some examples.
Heading Titles
Report writers can use two different types of headings: functional or descriptive. Sometimes report writers use a combination of functional and descriptive headings. The type of headings that are used are determined by company policy or by context. When we examined the component parts of formal and semi-formal reports, we noticed that the reports included functional headings such as Introduction, Discussion, Conclusions, and Recommendations. Business report writers that have lots of material to cover often use functional as major headings and include descriptive headings as subheadings. Scientific writers who complete lab reports, on the other hand, often use only functional headings.
In the table below are examples of headings that may be found in reports.
| Only Functional Headings | Only Descriptive Headings | Combination Headings |
|---|---|---|
| Introduction | Remote Work at Company ABC | Introduction
Company Overview |
| Discussion of Findings | Demographic Profile | Discussion of Findings
Demographic Profile Benefits of Remote Work Challenges of Remote Work |
| Conclusions | Benefits of Remote Work
Challenges of Remote Work |
Conclusions
Summary of Benefits and Challenges |
| Recommendations | Possible Solutions | Recommendations
Possible Solutions |
Additional Information About Headings
Keep the following in mind when creating headings:
- Differentiate heading and sub-heading levels by using different fonts and different font sizes. For specifics on APA-style headings, refer to the APA Style Guide 7th Edition.
- Write headings in the same grammatical form. In other words, keep them parallel. For example, if your first sub-heading is Benefits of Remote Work, the second heading should be Challenges of Remote Work, not Why Remote Work is Challenging.
- Use headings consistently. If you use headings, all sections must include headings.
Specific Information About APA Style Headings
APA 7th Edition prescribes five possible levels, each of which is formatted differently.
APA 7th Edition recommends the following font options because they are widely available and because the fonts include special characters such as math symbols that might be needed in reports.
Sans serif font options: 11-point Calibri, 11-point Arial, or 10-point Lucida Sans Unicode
Serif font options: 12-point Times New Roman, 11-point Georgia, or normal (10-point) Computer Modern (the default font for LaTeX)
| Level | Format |
|---|---|
| 1 | Centered, Bold, Title Case Heading |
| 2 | Left, Bold, Title Case Heading |
| 3 | Left, Bold, Italic Title Case Heading |
| 4 | Indented, Bold Title Case Heading Ending With a Period. |
| 5 | Indented, Bold, Italic, Title Case Heading Ending With a Period. |