\paragraph command start below heading

Question

When using the \paragraph command, how do get the text that follows to start below the heading (and not in the same line)?

Answer 1

If you are using the memoir class then:

\documentclass[...]{memoir}
% ...
\setafterparskip{1.5ex plus .2ex}
% ...
\begin{document}
% ...

This will give you the same vertical space as between a \subsubsection and the text. See the manual (> texdoc memoir section Lower level headings) for details.

Answer 2

For a standard class, you can use use titlesec. Here is a possible code:

\documentclass[11pt]{report}
\usepackage[utf8]{inputenc}
\usepackage[T1]{fontenc}
\usepackage{lipsum}

\usepackage{titlesec}
\titleformat{\paragraph}[block]
{\normalsize\bfseries}{}{0pt}{\hspace*{1.38em}}

\titlespacing*{\paragraph}{0pt}{*1.5}{*0.5}

\begin{document}
\lipsum[10]
 \paragraph{Introduction}
 \lipsum[11]

\end{document} 

If you do not want the paragraph indent before the title, remove the \hspace*{1.38em} in \titleformat...

The star in \titlespacing*...  suppresses indent of the line that follows. The {*1.5} and {*0.5} are vertical spacings added to the normal line skip before and after the paragraph title, measured in ex, with some stretchability and some shrinkability. It saves you having to type the plus and minus parts.

Answer 3

If you are using a KOMA-Script class then set afterskip for paragraph section level to a positive value:

\documentclass{scrreprt}
\usepackage{lipsum}% only for dummy text

\RedeclareSectionCommand[
  afterskip=1.5ex plus .2ex
]{paragraph}

\begin{document}
\lipsum[10]
\paragraph{Introduction}
\lipsum[11]
\end{document}