What are the best practices for using headings and subheadings in a grant proposal?

3 Use parallel structure and appropriate capitalization

The third thing you need to do is to use parallel structure and appropriate capitalization for your headings and subheadings. Parallel structure means that you should use the same grammatical form, such as nouns, verbs, or phrases, for each heading at the same level. For example, if your main headings are "Introduction", "Literature Review", "Methodology", and "Conclusion", your subheadings should also be nouns. Parallel structure will make your proposal coherent and logical. Appropriate capitalization means that you should follow the rules of the style guide or the funding agency for capitalizing the first letter, the last letter, and any major words in your headings and subheadings. For example, if you use APA style, you should capitalize only the first word and any proper nouns in your headings and subheadings.

4 Use headings and subheadings strategically

The fourth thing you need to do is to use headings and subheadings strategically to highlight your main points and create a clear structure for your proposal. You should use headings and subheadings to divide your proposal into major sections, such as introduction, literature review, methodology, results, discussion, conclusion, and references. You should also use subheadings to break down each section into smaller topics, such as research questions, hypotheses, data collection, data analysis, findings, implications, limitations, and recommendations. You should use headings and subheadings to create a hierarchy of information, from the most general to the most specific. You should also use headings and subheadings to signal transitions, connections, and contrasts between different parts of your proposal.

6 Use a table of contents and a list of headings

The sixth thing you need to do is to use a table of contents and a list of headings to help your readers navigate your proposal. A table of contents is a page that lists the titles and page numbers of all the major sections and subheadings in your proposal. A list of headings is a page that lists only the titles of all the headings and subheadings in your proposal. You should include a table of contents and a list of headings at the beginning of your proposal, after the cover page and before the abstract. A table of contents and a list of headings will make your proposal more accessible and user-friendly.