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APA Style uses a “down” style approach to capitalization, meaning that words are generally lowercase unless there is a specific reason to capitalize them. You can find capitalization rules in Sections 6.13-6.21 of the APA Publication Manual.

Words Beginning a Sentence

Always capitalize the first word of a sentence.

Examples

  • The floor caved in.
  • No one responded to the final question of the test.

Proper Nouns

Do Capitalize

  • Proper nouns (specific names of people, places, and things)
  • Names of racial and ethnic groups
  • Names of specific university departments or courses
  • Trade and brand names
  • Exact titles of tests and measures
  • Job titles and positions when they precede a name

Examples
  • Few psychologists were more influential than Freud.
  • I interviewed Latina women between the ages of 25 and 39.
  • The course Scholarly Writing 101 focuses on developing academic writing and research skills.
  • Glassner was the associate dean of the Department of Psychology at Iowa State University.
  • Students used Microsoft Word to format their papers.
  • The students needed to take the Texas Assessment of Knowledge and Skills test.
  • The seminar on cognitive psychology will be led by Professor Lisa Carter next week.

Do Not Capitalize

  • Generic references to university departments or courses
  • General names or generic brands
  • Generic references to tests or the general terminology of “test” or “scale”
  • Job titles or positions when used alone or after a name

Examples
  • I enjoyed my psychology course.
  • Students used a word processor to assist in the formatting of their papers.
  • The students needed to take a vocabulary test at the beginning of the school year.
  • I interviewed the chief executive officers of a dozen technology companies.

Additional Rules for Capitalization

Major Words in Titles Used in the Body of the Paper

This includes words with four or more letters, linking verbs like “Is” or “Are,” and the first word of a subtitle after a colon.

  • In the book The Power of Habit: Why We Do What We Do in Life and Business, Duhigg (2012) explores the science behind habit formation.

Level Headings

Capitalize all major words in level headings. To learn more and to review examples, see our page on level headings.

Names of Laws, Theories, Models, Hypotheses, and Disorders

Do not capitalize the names of laws, models, hypotheses, diseases, or disorders.

  • Floyd and Rivers (2003) were influenced by the hierarchy of needs.
  • Forty percent of participants have diabetes.

Exception: Do not capitalize a person's name that appears as part of these terms.

  • Floyd and Rivers (2003) were influenced by Maslow’s hierarchy of needs.
  • Forty percent of participants have Alzheimer's disease.

Nouns Followed by Numerals

Capitalize a noun when it precedes a numeral.

  • On Day 2, the rats became more aggressive.
  • I visited my mom on Floor 3.

Do not capitalize "page" or "paragraph" before a numeral

  • My teacher told me to reread page 5 of the textbook.

Learn More

You can find more information about capitalization rules in Sections 6.13-6.21 of the APA Publication Manual.

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