underavsnitt

Underavsnitt is a term used in Swedish to describe a formal subdivision of an avsnitt (section) within a document. It serves to organize long passages of text by breaking them into smaller, thematically coherent units. An avsnitt may contain several underavsnitt, and each underavsnitt can itself be divided into further sublevels, depending on the document's complexity and the applicable style guide.

In practice, a document's hierarchy commonly follows kapitell (chapters) → avsnitt (sections) → underavsnitt (subsections) and sometimes deeper levels (underrubrik, underavsnitt 1.1.2). Numbering often appears as 1, 1.1, 1.1.1, etc., and helps readers navigate the structure. Formatting conventions vary, but consistency is key, with identical typographic treatment for headings at the same level and clear typographic separation from surrounding text.

Use cases include academic papers, manuals, standards, legislation, and website content. In legal and standards texts, underavsnitt are especially important for precise referencing and cross-linking.

Terminology: underavsnitt literally means "subsection" in Swedish. A related term is underrubrik, which refers to a heading that marks the start of an underavsnitt but is not by itself a content block. In English-language contexts, this unit is typically called a "subsection" or "subheading".

Overall, underavsnitt is a practical device for clarity and navigability in structured writing.