When do I capitalize words in APA?

APA has specific guidelines for capitalization. Some examples include capitalizing the following:

• the first word of each sentence
• major words in titles using title case (such as journal titles in the reference list)
• the first word after a colon
• the first and major words in APA Heading Levels 1-5
• proper nouns
• specific names of tests

In title case, all major words are capitalized. In sentence case, the first word is capitalized but most other words are lowercased except proper nouns.

Additional Resources:

• There are many other specific capitalization rules, so see more APA capitalization tips on the Writing Center's website.

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