What is an APA Title Page?
An APA Title Page refers to
- a Title Page for a longer document that is formatted according to the conventions prescribed by the American Psychological Association’s Publication Manual.
The title page is comprised of four elements and two optional elements:
Related Concepts: Archive; Scholarly Conversation; Organization
Placement
The Title Page appears at the top of the first page of an APA-styled paper.
Like the rest of the paper, the title page should be double-spaced and typed in Times New Roman, 12 pt. The margins are set at 1” on all sides.
Summary of Required & Optional Elements
- Page number
- Full title of paper
- Author byline (aka bio)
- Affiliated Institution(s) or Organization(s)
- Running head: The running head became optional in the 7th Edition of the Publication Manual.
- Author note
Required Components
- Page number
- Full title of the paper
- The full title of the paper is centered in the upper half of the page, and the first letter of each major word is capitalized. The paper’s title should be a maximum of 12 words and fill one or two lines; avoid using abbreviations and unnecessary words. Do not format the title with bold, italics, underlining, or quotation marks. The title should be centered in the upper portion of the page, centered, and written in boldface. Make sure to capitalize the major words of the title, such as The Silence of the Lambs. Keep your title as concise as possible! You’ll have plenty of time to be detailed in the body text.
- The full title of the paper is centered in the upper half of the page, and the first letter of each major word is capitalized. The paper’s title should be a maximum of 12 words and fill one or two lines; avoid using abbreviations and unnecessary words. Do not format the title with bold, italics, underlining, or quotation marks. The title should be centered in the upper portion of the page, centered, and written in boldface. Make sure to capitalize the major words of the title, such as The Silence of the Lambs. Keep your title as concise as possible! You’ll have plenty of time to be detailed in the body text.
- Author byline: (First Name, Middle Initial, Last Name).
- The author byline is comprised of the author(s)’ first name(s), middle initial(s), and last name(s); this line follows after the full title of the research paper.
Note that two authors are separated by the word and, but more than two authors’ names are separated by commas.
Do not include titles, degrees, or honorifics (Mr., Mrs., Mx., etc.).
- The author byline is comprised of the author(s)’ first name(s), middle initial(s), and last name(s); this line follows after the full title of the research paper.
- Affiliated institution(s) or organization(s)
- List the institutional affiliation of the author(s) involved with the research paper.
Include the name of the college or university you attend, or the name of the organization(s) that provided support for your research.
- List the institutional affiliation of the author(s) involved with the research paper.
Optional Components
- Running head (or shortened title) and label – Optional
In accordance with APA 7th Edition updates, student papers typically no longer include a running head. If you are unsure about the need for a running head, be sure to consult with your professor.
The running head and label is flush with the upper left-hand corner of the title page, while the page number is flush with the upper right-hand corner of the page. The label “Running head” should only appear on the title page; on all other pages, simply include the shortened title of the paper. All letters of the running head should be capitalized and should not exceed 50 characters, including punctuation, letters, and spaces.
Example: EFFECTS OF NUTRITION ON MEMORY - Author note (optional)
- If you are a student, check to see whether your professor asked you to add any additional information in the Author note slot. Some professors require further information, including the date of submission, course number or title, or name of the professor.
If your instructor requires you to include an author’s note, position it in the lower half of the title page. Follow your instructor’s directives regarding additional lines on the title page.
- If you are a student, check to see whether your professor asked you to add any additional information in the Author note slot. Some professors require further information, including the date of submission, course number or title, or name of the professor.
Example: APA Title Page of a Student Work
When creating the Title Page, professional and student papers have slightly different rules for APA. We’ll cover the rules that apply to both types first.
You’ll need to include the course number and name, the name of the professor, and the date your assignment is due. All of this should be done line by line beneath the name of your school.
Image courtesy of the APA style guide
Example: APA Title Page of a Professional Work
You’ll need to include an author’s note underneath your institution on the bottom half of the page. There will be a couple of brief paragraphs to write for this note.
- The first paragraph should have the author’s name and symbol and URL for the ORCID iD. The ORCID iD can be excluded if you don’t have one.
- The second paragraph should include any changes in the institution or deaths of the authors.
- The third paragraph should include any disclosures, acknowledgments, or relevant information related to either.
- The fourth/final paragraph is where you’ll include the contact information for the author.
If any of these paragraphs are irrelevant, there is no need to include them. Simply skip to the next relevant one.
