Headings

Format your WordÌýdocumentsÌýusing the built-in headingÌýstyles. Headings and subheadings help the reader understand the organization of the text and navigate to specificÌýcontent. To enable screen readers to conveyÌýorganizationalÌýinformationÌýto a blind,Ìývisually impaired, or otherÌýuser,Ìýit is essential to use the built-in headings rather than making text bolder or larger.

In Word, you can have multipleÌýH1,ÌýH2Ìýand H3Ìýheadings. Think of H1 as a page’s main title, H2 as chapters, and H3 as subtopics within a chapter. A page using the proper hierarchy will allow all users to jump to different headings to find the section they want.

Be sure to follow a logical hierarchalÌýstructure. For example,Ìý»å´Ç²Ô’tÌýstart with H2, thenÌýnestÌýH1Ìýwithin H2. This disrupts theÌýreading order.

The image below is an example of howÌýnotÌýto use headings.

A titleÌýisÌýnot part of the headingÌýhierarchy. A Word document title tells the user what document they are viewing.ÌýHeadings help the user navigate through the content.

You can apply a TitleÌýto a Word docÌýby going to File > Properties > Summary.

This is an example of how to use headings correctly.

This principleÌýalsoÌýapplies toÌýweb-basedÌýcourse content. SeeÌýAccessibility inÌýBrightspace for more information.

Resources

Ìý(for Word documents)ÌýSelect the tabs at the top of theÌýpageÌýto see instructions for the desired platform (Windows, macOS, Office for iOS, Office for Android, Web)Ìý

(4:44) (Lindsay O’Neill, MLIS, MEd, 2022)

Guidelines for other word processing platforms

• (Highline College, 2024)
• (London College of Communication, 2023)