APA Title Page Elements and Format

It’s easy to get nervous when creating your APA title page. However, APA has everything laid out for you, so you don’t go astray in your essay. Rather than worry, follow this simple guide to creating your APA title page for students and professionals.

 

How To Set Up an APA Title Page 7th Edition

When it comes to setting up your APA style paper, you need a title page. It’s the first thing your teachers or colleagues encounter. Therefore, you need to make it flawless.

The road to flawlessness starts with following the basics.

• Page number
• Paper title
• Author
• Affiliation
• Course (students)
• Instructor (students)
• Date (students)
• Running head (professionals)
• Author notes (professionals)

APA has designated two different styles depending on if your paper is a professional or student paper. To be comprehensive, let’s look at both starting with students.

Student APA Title Page Formatting

In an attempt to make the title page formatting simple for APA students, APA format has removed the running head. One less thing you have to figure out. However, there are some specifications for the paper title, author names, course name/number, instructor, and due date.

APA Student Title Page Example

Ready to see a student title page in action? Check out this example of what an APA student title page looks like.

Page Number

Student APA format title pages include a page number at the top. It’s right-aligned and ½ inch down.

Title of Paper

To create the title of the paper, follow these steps.

• Hit return 3-4 times
• Center the title
• Use title capitalization
• Keep titles focused
• Place the subtitle on a separate line

Names of Authors

Now it’s time to create the authors.

• Hit return once
• Center authors

Under the author’s name(s), add the affiliation, which will be your school. The school name includes the department and official school name with a comma to separate.

Example: 

Course Number, Instructor, and Due Date

Directly under your affiliation, your instructor and course name each get a line. The instructor and course are centered and capitalized. The date comes next and is in the month, day, and year, or day, month, and year format.

Example: 

Creating a Professional APA Title Page

In a professional title page, your page number and title are formatted the same. However, the authors, running header, and author’s note are different. Explore what a professional APA title page looks like and the different elements.

APA Professional Title Page Example

Before diving into the formatting of your professional APA title page, get a clear idea of how it should look.

Running Head

Running heads are a standard of APA style. However, in 2019, the manual decided they were only needed for professional papers unless a teacher requests it. Creating a running head is simple.

• Place the running head ½ inch down
• Left-align
• Include the title in all caps (don’t include Running head: before it)

APA Title Page Formatting for Multiple Author Names

Formatting APA Authors can be a bit of a tricky subject in formatting. Why? Because each different style is different. To make sure you have a flawless flow to your title page, you must get the author’s names correct, especially if you have multiple authors.

Author Name in APA Style

When writing an author’s name in APA style, you need to include their full name, such as first, middle initial, and last name. However, unlike your instructor, don’t include any titles like Ph.D. or MEd.

Formatting Multiple Authors on the Title Page

When it comes to multiple writers, there is a specific way APA wants you to write them out. Please keep it simple by following this format.

• Two authors: separate with and
• Three authors: separate with commas along with and

Examples: 

Formatting Multiple Author’s Affiliations

In a professional title page, you might have multiple authors with multiple affiliations. In this case, you need a way to clarify what affiliation goes with which author.  To classify their affiliations, use superscript numbers after the author’s name, which corresponds with the superscript number placed in front of the affiliation.

Example: 

Author Note

Another critical feature of an APA professional title page is the author’s note. It discusses additional information for authors and even considerations in the writing of the paper.

Title Page, No Problem!

Remember, these are the APA recommended guidelines. Your teacher might request something a bit different for your title page. If so, be sure to follow what they require regardless of the APA recommendations. Now it’s on to the abstract of your paper.