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APA Style Title Page: A Complete Guide for Students and Professionals
The title page is the first thing a reader, instructor, or journal reviewer sees when they open your paper. A correctly formatted APA style title page signals that you understand academic writing conventions and sets a professional tone before your argument even begins. The American Psychological Association has specific formatting requirements for title pages, and those requirements differ depending on whether you are submitting a student paper or a professional paper for journal publication. This guide covers everything you need to know about formatting an APA style title page according to the 7th edition.
APA Style Title Page Requirements: 7th Edition
General Requirements for All APA Title Pages
Several formatting rules apply to both student and professional APA title pages. Understanding these general requirements is the starting point for formatting any APA title page correctly.
Page number. The number 1 should appear in the upper right corner of the title page. All subsequent pages should also be numbered consecutively.
Title. The title should be centered horizontally and positioned in the upper half of the page. It must be formatted in bold, and all text on the title page should be double spaced. APA recommends a title that is focused and concise, free of abbreviations and unnecessary filler words. Titles typically run one to two lines and should not exceed two lines.
Author name(s). Place the author's full name directly below the title, including first name, middle initial(s), and last name. Do not include titles or degrees such as PhD, MD, or MS on the APA title page. If a paper has multiple authors, list them in order of contribution. When all authors contributed equally, list them alphabetically by last name. When only some authors contributed equally, designate those authors with a symbol such as an asterisk and include a note beneath the author list explaining the shared contribution.
Institutional affiliation. Below the author names, list the department and institution where the research was conducted. When authors are affiliated with different institutions, use superscripts to indicate each author's affiliation clearly.
APA Style Title Page for Student Papers
Student papers written in APA format require all of the general components described above, plus several additional elements specific to academic assignments. Below the author name and institutional affiliation, student APA title pages must also include the name of the course, the name of the instructor, and the due date of the assignment. All information should be centered and double spaced.
To recap, a student APA style title page requires: a page number, the paper title in bold, the full name(s) of the author(s), the institutional affiliation, the course name, the instructor's name, and the assignment due date.
APA Style Title Page for Professional Papers
Professional papers submitted for publication in academic journals follow a different APA title page format than student papers. In addition to the general requirements, professional APA title pages include two additional components: a running head and an author note.
Running head. The running head is a shortened version of the paper's full title, placed flush left in the header of the title page. It captures the essence of the title in just a few words and functions as a brief label for the document. The running head cannot exceed 50 characters, including spaces and punctuation. The page number remains in the upper right corner of the same line.
Author note. The author note appears below the institutional affiliations and contains several important pieces of information. It typically includes the authors' ORCID iDs with corresponding URLs, current institutional affiliations, and a note if any author's status changed during the writing or publication process. The author note also includes disclosures such as conflicts of interest, acknowledgements of grant funding or other financial support, study registrations, data sharing practices, and open science declarations. Finally, it provides contact information for the corresponding author.
To recap, a professional APA style title page requires: a running head in the upper left header, a page number in the upper right header, the paper title in bold, the full name(s) of the author(s), the institutional affiliation(s), and a complete author note. The APA's author note guidelines provide detailed guidance on what to include.
APA Title Page: Student vs. Professional
The table below summarizes the key differences between student and professional APA style title pages in the 7th edition:
| Element | Student Paper | Professional Paper |
|---|---|---|
| Page number | Upper right | Upper right |
| Running head | Not required | Required (upper left, max 50 characters) |
| Bold centered title | Required | Required |
| Author name(s) | Required (no titles or degrees) | Required (no titles or degrees) |
| Institutional affiliation | Required | Required |
| Course name | Required | Not included |
| Instructor name | Required | Not included |
| Due date | Required | Not included |
| Author note | Not required | Required (ORCID iDs, disclosures, contact) |
Common APA Title Page Mistakes to Avoid
- Including academic titles or degrees after the author's name. Do not write PhD, MD, MS, or any other credential on an APA title page. Author names appear without titles or degrees in both student and professional formats.
- Forgetting the running head on a professional paper. The running head is required for professional papers but not for student papers. It must be in the header flush left and cannot exceed 50 characters including spaces.
- Using single spacing. All text on an APA title page should be double spaced, including the author name, affiliation, course details, and author note.
- Omitting the author note on a professional paper. The author note is a required element of the professional APA title page and must include ORCID iDs, conflict of interest disclosures, funding acknowledgements, and corresponding author contact details.
- Including the course and instructor on a professional paper. These elements are specific to student papers. A professional paper submitted to a journal should not include course name, instructor name, or assignment due date.
- Placing the title in the center of the page vertically. The title should be positioned in the upper half of the page, not vertically centered. A common mistake is centering the entire title page content in the middle of the page rather than starting in the upper half.
Resources for Formatting APA Style Title Pages
Several reliable resources are available to help with APA title page formatting. For student papers, Purdue OWL is one of the most comprehensive free references for APA style, covering title page formatting, in text citations, reference lists, and more. For professional papers, the best source is the specific journal to which you are submitting, as many journals have their own formatting requirements that may differ slightly from standard APA guidelines. The APA also provides official annotated examples of professional papers in APA format, which are particularly useful when preparing a manuscript for submission.
FAQs
What goes on an APA style title page?
A student APA title page includes the page number, bold centered title, author name(s) without degrees, institutional affiliation, course name, instructor name, and assignment due date. A professional APA title page includes the running head, page number, bold centered title, author name(s), institutional affiliation(s), and a full author note with ORCID iDs, disclosures, and corresponding author contact information.
Do student papers need a running head in APA 7th edition?
No. APA 7th edition removed the running head requirement for student papers. A running head is only required for professional papers submitted for publication. This is one of the most significant changes from APA 6th edition, which required a running head on all papers.
Should I include my degree or title on an APA title page?
No. APA style requires author names without academic titles or credentials. Do not write PhD, MD, MS, Professor, or Dr. before or after your name on an APA title page. The author's name appears as first name, middle initial(s), and last name only.
Where does the title go on an APA title page?
The title should be centered horizontally and positioned in the upper half of the page, not vertically centered. It must be formatted in bold and double spaced. APA recommends keeping the title concise and focused, typically one to two lines, and avoiding abbreviations and unnecessary filler words.
What is an author note on an APA professional title page?
The author note is a required element of the professional APA title page that appears below the institutional affiliations. It includes each author's ORCID iD and URL, any changes in affiliation that occurred during the project, conflict of interest disclosures, funding acknowledgements, study registrations, data sharing statements, and contact information for the corresponding author.
How Editor World Can Help
Formatting your APA title page correctly is an important first step, but it's just one part of producing a strong academic paper. Once your structure is in place, the quality of your writing becomes the priority. A professional editing service ensures your paper is not only formatted correctly but that every section is clear, well argued, and free of errors before it reaches an instructor or journal reviewer. Editor World offers professional editing and proofreading services specifically tailored to academic and professional writers working in APA style and other major style guides.
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