The title page is one of the most important elements of your APA research paper. It establishes the formal tone of your paper and provides key details about your research that the reader will need to understand your work. Ensuring you have a properly formatted title page is essential for meeting the standards set forth in the APA Publication Manual.
To construct a title page that will satisfy the requirements for an APA research paper, you need to include specific elements in a specific order and format. At a minimum, your title page needs to include the following components:
Running head: This text appears in the top left corner of the page. It should be written in capital letters and abbreviated to less than 50 characters including spaces. Directly to the right of the running head is the page number which should also be flush left.
Title of paper: The full title of your paper should appear centered halfway down the page. The title should capture the key topic or question addressed by your work. Keep it concise but descriptive, under 12 words if possible.
Your name: On the next line after the title and centered, type out your full name as you want it to appear.
Institutional affiliation: On the line below your name, type out your school or university where this research was conducted.
Instructor information: On the last line of the title page, list any instructor or professor the paper is being submitted to, such as a course name/number.
Page header: At the top of every subsequent page, repeat the running head.
A sample title page in APA format for a hypothetical research paper may look like:
Running head: IMPACTS OF CLIMATE CHANGE
1
Impacts of Climate Change on Agricultural Yields in the Midwestern United States
Your Full Name
University Name
Course: Environmental Science 456
This title page includes all the necessary elements arranged properly – the running head aligned flush left with the page number, the centered descriptive paper title on the next line, centered name, institution and course details below. Any instructor, course, or commissioning department information would go on the last line.
Here is a breakdown of best practices for constructing each element:
Running Head:
Written in capital letters
No more than 50 characters including spaces
Running head on every page header in subsequent pages
Aligned flush left on title page with page number aligned flush right
Title:
Descriptive yet concise (under 12 words)
Focused on research topic or question
Centered alignment on separate line below running head
Name:
Your full name as you want it published
Centered alignment on line below title
Institutional Affiliation:
Name of your academic institution
Centered on line below your name
Instructor/Course:
Relevant course name and/or number
Name of instructor if applicable
Centered on last line of title page
Font and formatting for all text on the title page should be consistent – 12-point Times New Roman is the standard. The running head should be in uppercase while the other text elements can be title case or lowercase depending on your preferences. Margins on the title page and all subsequent pages should be 1 inch on all sides.
A complete and correctly structured title page establishes your paper’s credibility from the first page. Take care in designing yours with all the necessary elements in the appropriate format. With practice, crafting title pages that satisfy APA specifications will become second nature. Consulting sample papers and the APA Publication Manual will help ensure you are meeting style conventions. A correctly formatted title page signals to your reader that your research paper adheres to academic standards of quality and integrity.