Formatting Issue in Microsoft Word for APA 7th Edition Level 4 and 5 Headings
When formatting Level 4 and Level 5 headings in Ms Word according to the APA 7th Ed guidelines, you can find a common issue: the normal text following the heading does not retain its intended style.

According to APA guidelines, Level 4 and Level 5 headings should:
Fourth Level. A level 4 heading is indented, bold, with internal capitalization, and ends with a period that separates it from the paragraph text.Fifth Level. A level 5 heading is indented, bold, italicized, with internal capitalization, and ends with a period that separates it from the paragraph text.
https://apastyle.apa.org/instruction...etup-guide.pdf

However, in MsWord, applying the heading style often causes the subsequent text to inherit the same formatting (bold and italic), rather than maintaining the "Normal" style.


Note that the NORMAL style only accepts the "Paragraph" style type. Therefore, I created a new "Normal for APA" style and defined "linked (paragraph and character)" as the "Style Type." However, that doesn't work either.
This disrupts document consistency and requires manual adjustments, which can be inefficient and error-prone.

This issue poses challenges for users who need to ensure compliance with APA formatting while maintaining structured and professional documents. A systematic solution is needed to prevent Word from automatically applying the heading style to the following text.

Please your help. With king regards Omar Vega