APA title page (cover page)
The required elements of an APA title page (or cover page) are:
- A running head, including page number
- Paper title
- Author name(s)
- Institutional affiliation
Additional information such as a course number or an author’s note should be placed on a separate line below the institutional affiliation.
APA title page example
Download APA title page template
General formatting guidelines
The APA cover page adheres to the general APA formatting guidelines. This means:
- 12 pt Times New Roman
- Double line spacing
- 1 inch (2.54 cm) margins
The formatting requirements for the elements on the APA title page itself are listed below.
Running head
Write “Running head:” followed by a (shortened) version of your paper’s title. It must be:
- Left aligned
- Capitalized
- Maximum 50 characters (not including the words “running head:”)
Read more on how to insert and format a running head.
Paper title
Use a title that summarizes the main idea of your paper and is informative and striking. The title should make the reader eager for more.
- Apply title case (first letter of each word is capitalized, except for small words such as articles and short prepositions)
- Keep it shorten than 12 words
- Don’t use abbreviations and contractions
- Center the title both vertically and horizontally on the page (in the middle)
Author name(s)
The names of the authors are written in full (first name, initial of middle name(s), last name). Include the names of all authors in the order of them by relative contribution. Omit all titles (Dr., Prof.) and degrees (PhD, MSc).
APA title page multiple authors
There are specific guidelines for multiple authors. The formatting guidelines depend on whether the authors have the same affiliation.
| Multiple author variations | Example |
|---|---|
| Two authors, one affiliation | John T. Taylor and George Kotler University of California, Berkeley |
| Three authors, one affiliation | John T. Taylor, George Kotler and Dennis G. Parker University of California, Berkeley |
| Two authors, two affiliations | John T. Taylor University of California, Berkeley Laura Johnson Harvard University |
| Three authors, two affiliations | John T. Taylor and George Kotler University of California, Berkeley Laura Johnson Harvard University |
