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How do I set up an APA title page?

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Basics of formatting an APA title page in Word

Like the rest of the APA paper , the title page has 1-inch margins on all sides and should be double-spaced.​ 

An APA title page has six required elements, each placed on a separate line and centered:​

Title of the paper​:

All major words capitalized

Positioned in the upper-middle of the page (hit Enter 3-4 times)

Hit Enter twice so there is a blank line between the title and

Author name​

Affiliation, or name of the college ​

Course number: Course Name​

Name of the instructor​

Date the paper is due​

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FAQ: How do I make an APA cover sheet/title page?

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Last Updated: Aug 09, 2023 Views: 516900

In APA Style, the cover sheet is called a title page. Students should follow the guidelines of their instructor when determining the proper format for their title page. If not instructed otherwise, students should include the following elements:

• title of the paper;
• name of each author of the paper;
• affiliation for each author, typically the university attended;
• course number and name for which the paper is being submitted;
• instructor name;
• assignment due date; and
• page number (top right).

In the 7th edition of the APA style manual, running heads are only required for professional papers that are being submitted for publication. Please see Section 2.3 for more information or review the APA Style blog’s Student Title Page Guide This link opens in a new window . The video below by Academic Support walks you through how to format your paper. Here is an example of a student title page in APA style:

More Information

• APA Guide  (Shapiro Library)
• Title Page Setup This link opens in a new window (APA Style)

Further Help

This information is intended to be a guideline, not expert advice. Please be sure to speak to your professor about the appropriate way to format a title page in your class assignments and projects.

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How to Create a Title Page in APA Format, With Examples

An APA format title page is the first page of a paper that gives the title, author’s name, author’s affiliations (school or institution), and other information helpful for organizing and introducing the paper. When you’re writing papers in the APA format, a title page is required.

The APA format places particular emphasis on the title page and even includes different rules for students and professionals. In this guide, we explain how to write an APA format title page and what to include in it. We’ll also share an APA format title page example for both student and professional papers.

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What is an APA format title page?

An APA format title page is the first page of a paper that includes essential information like the title, name(s) of the paper’s author(s), and the affiliation of each author—typically their school or institution. The title page acts as an introduction to the paper and presents all the essential information in an easy-to-find location, making it easier for someone (like your professor) to organize multiple papers at once.

Papers written in the APA format require a title page, although what you need to include is different depending on whether you are a student or professional.

What are the 7 required items for an APA title page?

For students writing in the APA format, the title page needs to include seven parts, each in their required location:

1 Page number

The page number goes in the upper-right corner of the title page, as part of the running head. This should be flush right with the page margin (1 inch). Because the title page comes first, this page number is always 1 .

The first line of text on the title page is, appropriately, the title. It follows these formatting guidelines:

• The text is bold.
• The title is centered.
• The title follows standard rules for capitalization in titles .
• It’s written three or four lines down from the top-page margin.

There’s no need to change the font or even the text size for the title; you can use whatever size and font you use in the rest of your paper.

Next comes the author’s name, or byline. If there is more than one author, the formatting rules change slightly, so pay extra attention to these guidelines:

• Add one empty, double-spaced line between the title and the byline.
• Names are written in standard font (no bold or italics).
• Names are centered.
• If there are two authors, separate their names with the word and.
• If there are three or more authors, separate their names with commas and the word and before the final name.
• For multiple authors, organize their names by their contribution to the paper, not alphabetically.
• For names with suffixes, include a space before the suffix but not a comma (e.g., Robert Downey Jr. ).
• Place all names on the same line if possible.

4 Affiliation (school or institution)

After the byline comes the affiliation. This usually refers to the school the author attends, but it can also refer to a nonacademic institution like a hospital or an independent laboratory. If the author has no affiliation, write their location, including a city and country.

For one author, the affiliation goes on the line directly below their name. If the author has more than one affiliation, place the second affiliation on the line below the first.

For two or more authors with the same affiliation, simply place the affiliation on the line below the byline. You need to mention it only once.

For multiple authors with different affiliations, include superscript numbers (like you do with footnotes ) after each name. On the lines below the byline, place one affiliation per line, starting with the corresponding superscript number (again, just like footnotes).

Affiliations also include the name of any department or division, if applicable . Write the department or division first, followed by a comma, and then write the school or institution name. If multiple authors are affiliated with the same school but are associated with different departments, you still need to write different affiliation lines, one for each department.

5 Course name

The course name is placed on the line below the affiliation. Include the course code if available.

6 Instructor

On the line below the course name, write the name of the course instructor. Use their complete name, including honorific titles like “Dr.”

Last, the due date of the assignment goes on the line below the instructor. It’s best if the date is written out in full. For example, spell out the month’s name instead of using abbreviations or numbers (it’s OK to use numbers for the days though).

Student vs. professional APA format title page

The seven parts of a title page above apply to student papers, but what about professional papers?

The formatting for professional title pages is largely the same: The paper title, author name(s), and affiliations are all written following the rules above. However, there are some major differences:

• Professional papers do not require the course name, instructor, or due date on the title page.
• Professional papers use an advanced running head that includes a shortened form or summary of the title. This shortened title is written in all caps and oriented flush left at the margin (the page number is still flush right).
• The title page of professional papers includes an author note, which provides additional commentary about the authors that is relevant to the paper. Author notes typically entail an ORCID iD, disclosures, or acknowledgments, as well as a note mentioning any change in affiliation after the paper was written.

APA format title page examples

Student apa format title page example.

Milgrim Experiments Revisited: Authority’s Influence in Modern Times

Stanley Milgrim Jr. and Thomas Blass Jr.

Department of Psychology, Yale University

PSYC 140: Social Science Core

Dr. Steve Chang

May 10, 2023

Professional APA format title page example

SOCIAL MEDIA AND SOCIAL ANXIETY                                                                                       1

Antisocial Media: Social Media’s Link to Social Anxiety

Mike Kluckenberg 1 , Erin Mosk 2 , and Zhang Ming 3, 4

1 Department of Psychology, University of Silicon Valley

2 Department of Psychology, Texas Tech University

3 Center for Human Growth and Development, University of Michigan

4 Department of Psychology, Yale University

Author Note

Mike Kluckenberg: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-5689-3874

Erin Mosk is now at the Busines, Computing and Social Sciences Division, University of San Francisco.

We have no known conflict of interest to disclose.

Title page vs. cover page: What’s the difference?

The terms title page and cover page have different meanings in print media and the publishing industry. However, in the APA format, they mean the same thing: A cover page is just an alternative name for the title page.

APA format title page FAQs

What is a title page.

A title page is the first page of a paper that displays basic information like the author’s names, paper title, and the school or institution the authors are affiliated with.

For student papers written in APA format, the title page needs to include (1) the page number in the upper-right corner, as part of the running head, (2) the paper’s title, (3) the author’s name, (4) the author’s affiliation (school or institution), (5) the course name, (6) the course instructor, (7) the due date.

What is the difference between a title page and a cover page?

Title pages and cover pages have different meanings in print media and the publishing industry. However, when it comes to writing a paper in APA format, the title page and cover page are the same thing.

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• APA Title Page (7th edition) | Template for Students & Professionals

APA Title Page (7th edition) | Template for Students & Professionals

Published on November 6, 2020 by Raimo Streefkerk . Revised on June 7, 2022.

APA provides different guidelines for student and professional papers. The student version of the APA title page should include the following information (double spaced and centered):

Paper title

• Author name
• Department and university name
• Course number and name
• Instructor name
• Due date of the assignment

The professional title page also includes an author note (flushed left), but not a course name, instructor name, or due date.

Table of contents

Title page example (student and professional version), institutional affiliation, course information, author note, page header, including an image on the title page.

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Write an informative, striking title that summarizes the topic of your paper. Try to keep the title focused and use relevant keywords.

Place the title three or four lines down from the top of the paper. Center align and bold it. Don’t forget to use title case capitalization (capitalize the first letter of each word, except small words such as articles and short prepositions).

Write the author’s name under the paper title (leave a blank line in between). Give their full names (first name, middle initial(s) and last name), but don’t include titles (Dr., Prof.) or degrees (Ph.D., MSc).

Multiple authors on the title page

List the authors in order of their contribution. If there are two authors, separate their names with the word “and”, like this:

If there are more than two authors, separate their names with a comma. Only write “and” before the last author, like this:

Write the author’s affiliation on the next line under the author names. Students should specify the department and institution where they’re attending school. Professional researchers should specify the department and institution where they conducted their research.

Multiple authors with different affiliations

Use superscript numbers on the author line to indicate which institution they’re affiliated with. Don’t use superscript numbers if all authors are affiliated with the same institution (and department).

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On a student title page, provide information about the course. List the following information on separate (double spaced) lines under the author’s affiliation:

• Instructor(s)
• Assignment’s due date

For professional papers, you may include an author note. This note may contain the author’s ORCID iD, affiliation changes, disclosures of conflicts of interest, brief acknowledgments, and contact information (in that specific order). Present this information in separate paragraphs.

Place the author note on the bottom half of the page. Center the label “Author note” and apply bold styling. The paragraphs in the author note are left-aligned. The first line of each new paragraph is indented.

For more information about formatting the author note, see section 2.7 of the APA Publication Manual.

For a student title page, the page header consists of just a page number in the top-right corner. There is no need for a running head (as was the case in APA 6th edition).

A professional title page does have a running head. The running head is an abbreviated version of the paper title in all capital letters. The maximum length is 50 characters (counting spaces).

Images are not usually included on an APA title page, and APA does not provide any guidelines for doing so. It’s usually viewed as unprofessional to include an image, since the title page is there to provide information, not for decoration.

If you do decide to include an image on your title page, make sure to check whether you need permission from the creator of the image. Include a note directly underneath the image acknowledging where it comes from, beginning with the word “ Note .” (italicized and followed by a period):

• If you found the image online or in another source, include a citation and copyright attribution .
• If it’s an image you created yourself (e.g., a photograph you took, an infographic you designed), explain this (e.g., “Photograph taken by the author.”).

Don’t give the image a label, title, or number. Only images within the text itself are labeled as figures .

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If you want to cite this source, you can copy and paste the citation or click the “Cite this Scribbr article” button to automatically add the citation to our free Citation Generator.

Streefkerk, R. (2022, June 07). APA Title Page (7th edition) | Template for Students & Professionals. Scribbr. Retrieved November 7, 2023, from https://www.scribbr.com/apa-style/apa-title-page/

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• Formatting Your Title Page and Paper in Word

APA Formatting for Word 2016

Apa formatting for word online.

Use the following directions to format your Microsoft Word document in APA format. You can also check out our APA sample paper for more guidance.

In the 7th edition of APA, they have separate format for "student papers" that doesn't require a full header. Instead, it only requires the page number to appear in the top-right corner of each page.

A common characteristic of APA style papers is to include a title page. Check with your instructor to confirm if you should include a title page for your assignment.

• On the "Home" tab, select your font and size from the dropdown menu. Acceptable fonts for your title page include size 12 Times New Roman or size 11 Calibri.

• On the "Home" tab, click the arrow that expands "Paragraph Settings." Under "Line Spacing," choose "Double" and make sure "Before" and "After" are set to 0 pt.

• On the "Page Layout" tab, click "Margins," and select "Normal" (1" on all sides). This is usually the standard setting in Microsoft Word.

• Click on the "Insert" tab, then click on "Page Number." Choose "Top of Page," then "Plain Number 3."

• Highlight the page number to adjust the font to match the font of your paper. Click out of your header to move your cursor back to the main body of your paper.
• Under the "Home" tab, click the "Justify Center" icon to center your cursor. 

• Hit the "Enter" key on your keyboard 3-4 times.  
• Type in the title of your paper. Your title should have all the major words capitalized and should be in bold. 
• Hit "Enter" twice on your keyboard to start a new line and to give space between your title and the next line. Turn off bold. Type in your name.
• Hit "Enter" on your keyboard to start a new line. Type in the name of the department you are in and the name of your college.
• Hit "Enter" on your keyboard to start a new line. Type in the name of the course you are taking. Include both the course code and the full name of the course (example: NUR 120: Basic Nursing Concepts).
• Hit "Enter" on your keyboard to start a new line. Type in your instructor's name and their academic credentials (if you know them).
• Hit "Enter" on your keyboard to start a new line. Type in the due date of your assignment.

Body of Paper

• After completing your title page, click the "Insert" tab and choose "Blank Page" to add a new page to your document. Your header with your page number should appear in the top right corner of your page.

• Type the title of your paper at the top of your page. Your title should be justified center (like your title page) and bolded.
• Hit "Enter" on your keyboard to start a new line.
• Change the text alignment over to left.

• Hit "Tab" your keyboard to start a new paragraph.
• If you have multiple section titles, each section title should be centered and bolded.

To learn about formatting a References Page, check out the library's Formatting Your Reference Page in Word guide .

Use the following directions to format your Word Online document in APA format. You can also check out our APA sample paper for more guidance.

• On the "Home" tab, select your font and size from the dropdown menu. Acceptable fonts for your title page include size 12 Times New Roman or size 11 Calibri.

• On the "Home" tab, click on the three dots (found next to "Designer") to expand the menu. Select "Paragraph Options." 

• Under "Paragraph," look under "Spacing" and change the "Line Spacing" to "Double." 

• Under "Layout," click "Margins" and confirm that "Normal" (1"  margins on all sides) is selected. This should be the default option in Word Online.

• Click on the "Insert" tab, then click on "Page Numbers." Choose the option that has the page number in the top right corner of your page.

• Note: Once you click out of the header with your page numbers, it will disappear from your page. Click the "Header" tab at the top of the page to see your page numbers again or to edit your header.

• Under the "Home" tab, click the "Text Alignment" icon. On the dropdown menu, click "Align Center" to center your cursor.

• Hit the "Enter" key on your keyboard 3-4 times.
• Type in the title of your paper. Your title should have all the major words capitalized and should be in bold.
• Hit "Enter" on your keyboard to start a new line. Type in your instructor's name.

• Note:  When using "Page Break" Word Online will seemingly remove all of the blank space on the previous page and start the next page. If you print out or upload your document to D2L, the blank space will remain on the page as normal. Word Online is trying to save space for your view by removing the blank space.

• Under "Home," click "Text Alignment" and change to "Align Left."

• Hit "Tab" on your keyboard to start a new paragraph.
• If you have multiple section titles, each section should be centered and bolded.

To learn about formatting a references page, check out the library's Formatting Your Reference Page in Word Online guide .

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Formatting an APA title page

The title page is a requirement for all APA papers. The primary role of the title page is to present just that: the title. But that’s only the beginning of what is actually required for a properly formatted APA title page. This is the first chance a writer has to truly engage with the reader.

For students, the title page also lets people know which class, professor, and institution the text was written for. For professional authors, the title page is an opportunity to share any affiliations or conflicts of interest that might be present.

APA Style recognizes two different ways to format a title page. One is for student papers and the other is for professional papers. This guide will examine the difference and provide real-life examples of both.

The information provided below comes from the 7 th edition of the APA’s Publication Manual . You can read more about title page elements in Sections 2.1 – 2.8.

Here’s a run-through of everything this page includes:

The difference between a professional title page and a student title page in APA

Elements of an apa style title page, apa formatting title page example, conclusion: formatting a title page in apa 7.

Both student and professional title pages require a title, author, and an affiliation. Both types of title page also require the same basic formatting, including 1-inch indentations on all sides and a page number in the top right corner.

The primary difference is that professional title pages also require an author note and a running head. However, some professors do ask that you provide some of these elements in student papers. It’s a good idea to know how to format them just in case.

Student title page APA

An APA title page for any paper being submitted for a class, degree, or thesis is all about the basics. Here are the elements that should be included in a student title page :

• Title of your paper
• Byline (author or authors)
• Affiliation (department and university)
• Course name and course number
• Instructor name

Page number

Your professor or institution might have their own formatting requirements. When writing a paper for a class, the first rule is to always pay attention to the instructions.

Professional title page APA

A professional title page skips the class info and due date, but it includes:

• Affiliation (division and/or organization)
• Author note
• Running head

The author note and running head are generally only required for professional papers. However, some professors might ask that you include one or both of them. Be sure to check the assignment instructions before submitting.

The title of your paper is really important. This is where the author needs to simultaneously inform and engage the reader without being overly wordy.

An effective title will:

• Engage the reader
• Concisely explain the main topic of research
• Concisely explain any relevant variables or theoretical issues

The paper title should be placed three or four lines down from the top margin of the page. It should be presented in bold, title case, and centered on the page.

Author/Byline

The correct way to display the author’s name is first name, middle initial, and last name. The most important thing is to prevent the possibility of mistaken identity. After all, there are a lot of papers published every year, and it’s possible that someone else has the same name as you do.

For all author bylines in APA, all licenses and degrees are omitted (e.g., Dr., Professor, PhD, RN, etc.).

If your paper has multiple authors, then they should all be listed in the same way, in order of their contributions. All authors should be on the same line, unless more lines are required.

Here’s an example of a properly formatted byline for a paper with two authors:

Cassandra M. Berkman and Wilhelm K. Jackson

Affiliation

The affiliation element is where you identify the place where the work was conducted or who it was conducted for. This is almost always a university or institution. In some cases, there are multiple affiliations for one author, or multiple authors with different affiliations.

Academic affiliations

Academic affiliations include schools, universities, and teaching hospitals. The affiliation line should include the specific department followed by the name of the institution. There is no need to include a location for academic affiliations.

Here is an example of what a basic academic affiliation line should look like:

Department of Psychology, Colorado State University

Non-academic affiliations

Non-academic affiliations are anything that isn’t a school or university, which could be a hospital, laboratory, or just about any type of organization. The affiliation line for a non-academic organization should include the department or division, followed by the name and location of the organization. All elements should be separated by commas.

Here’s how it looks when put to use:

Vidant Health, Greenville, NC, United States

Course number and name (Student only)

Use the course number and course name as they appear on official university materials. Examples:

• ENG 204: Modern English Literature
• PSYC 2301: Research Methodology

Instructor name (Student papers only)

It’s important that you display your instructor’s name in their preferred way. With academics who have multiple degrees and positions, this isn’t something that you should guess at.

It is generally safe to use the course syllabus to see how they prefer to be listed. For example, some use the word “Professor” as their prefix, and many will have PhD, RN, or other type of professional designation.

Due date (Student papers only)

The due date should be presented in the day, month, and year format that is standard to your country.

The page number goes at the top right-hand side of the paper. This is one of the only elements that appears on every single page.

You can add running page numbers to your paper by double-clicking the header portion of the document or clicking the “Insert” tab. It will automatically insert page numbers into the rest of the document.

Author note (Professional papers only)

The author note is usually only required for professional papers. This is where additional data, disclaimers, conflicts of interest, and statements about funding are placed. In some cases, the author statement can be several pages long.

The author note is generally split into four paragraphs, including:

• ORCID iD (a scientific/academic author ID)
• Changes of Affiliation
• Disclosures and Acknowledgments
• Contact Information

Section 2.7 of the Publication Manual has even more information on how to structure these elements for a professional paper.

Running Head (Professional papers only)

While some student papers might require a running head, this is something that is typically only for papers being submitted for publication. This is an abbreviated version of your title that appears at the top of every page to help readers identify it. The running title is particularly useful especially in print versions of journals and publications.

The running head does not have to use the same words as they appear in your title. Instead, try to re-work your paper’s main idea into a shortened form.

For example, if your paper’s title is:

“A Mystery of Style: Exploring the Formatting Mechanics of the Running Head According  to APA Style 7th Edition”

Then your abbreviated title can be something like:

“RUNNING HEAD IN APA 7”

“FORMATTING THE RUNNING HEAD”

The idea is to convey only the most important aspects of your title. The running head should be entered in the page header, flush left against the margin, and presented in all-capital letters.

The APA suggests a maximum length of 50 characters (including spaces and punctuation) for a running head. If your title is already 50 characters and under, then you can use the whole thing as the running head.

Next, let’s have a look at an example of what a real APA title page looks like when it’s all put together.

Student title page formatting example

Professional title page formatting example

All papers written according to APA Style should have a properly formatted title page. Making sure that the title page elements are accurate and informative will help people access your work. It is also the first opportunity that you have as the author to establish credibility and engage the reader.

For more information on the basic elements of an APA paper, check out Chapter 2 of the Publication Manual or our guide on APA format .

Published October 28, 2020.

APA Formatting Guide

APA Formatting

• Annotated Bibliography
• Block Quotes
• et al Usage
• In-text Citations
• Multiple Authors
• Paraphrasing
• Page Numbers
• Parenthetical Citations
• Reference Page
• Sample Paper
• APA 7 Updates
• View APA Guide

Citation Examples

• Book Chapter
• Journal Article
• Magazine Article
• Newspaper Article
• Website (no author)
• View all APA Examples

An APA title page provides the details of the paper, such as the title of the paper, author name, and author affiliation. APA title pages have two formats—one for professional papers and one for student papers.

The elements to be added on the title page of a professional paper (in order of appearance) are:

• Page number and running head: These elements appear in the header section. The page number appears at the top-right corner, whereas the running head appears at the top-left corner. If the title is too long, the running head is shortened to less than 50 characters.
• Title of the paper: It provides information about the paper. It is aligned center and set in bold.
• Names of the authors: It gives the names of the contributors to the paper and is aligned center.
• Affiliations of the authors: It gives the department and university details of the authors.
• Author note: It gives extra information about the authors.

In a student paper, the following details are included on the title page:

• Page number: This appears in the top-right corner of the header section.
• Title of the paper: It gives the reader an idea of the information in the paper. It appears in title case and bold. It is center-aligned.
• Names of the authors: The names of the contributors are added here. This field is also called the by-line.
• Affiliations of the authors: It includes the names of the authors’ departments and universities.
• Name of the course: The name of the course for which the paper is written is included in this field.
• Name of the instructor: Unlike the professional paper, the instructor’s name is included in a student paper.
• Due date of the assignment: The due date of the assignment is added here. The format is “Month Day, Year” (e.g., August 22, 2017).

The title page information for APA is different for a professional paper and a student paper. As a student, you need to include the following details in the same order on the title page of your student paper.

• Page number: This appears in the header section. Set the page number in the top-right corner of the header.
• Title of the paper: Set it in title case and bold. Align it to the center.
• Names of the authors: Provide the names of the contributors. This field is also called the by-line.
• Affiliations of the authors: Include your department and university name.
• Name of the course: Provide the name of the course and course number for which the paper is written.
• Name of the instructor: Add the instructor’s name. There is no rigid rule on how to set the instructor’s name. You can set it according to the instructor’s preference.
• Due date of the assignment: Add the due date of the assignment. The format should be “Month Day, Year” (e.g., August 23, 2021).

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