It is very easy to do and takes only a few minutes, so there is no excuse for getting it wrong. It is the very first part of your paper that anyone will see, so a glaring mistake or shoddy work will create a bad impression, long before anybody starts to judge the quality of your work.

It is a cliché, but people really do judge a book (or research paper!) by its cover.

There is an APA approved standard for title pages but, again, it is important to inquire about the specific requirements for your department and university. APA, or any other style for that matter, is only a guide, and most departments have developed their own requirements to suit their own needs.

Figure 1 shows an example of an APA title page. Please note that, for clarity, the font size is slightly larger than the recommended 12 pt Times New Roman.

Creating an APA Title Page

1) The Title

This is the most important part, and should be center aligned, about halfway down the page. This is the full title of the research paper, dissertation or thesis.

2) Personal Details

At the bottom of the page, center aligned, should be your name, your institution and the date of submission.

This is the most variable part of the title page, and you may need to include the name of your supervisor and also the level of paper - dissertation, thesis, and term paper. Check your departmental recommendations.

3) The Running Head

This is a shortened version of the title, no more than 50 characters long, and is the header that you will use at the top of each page. This needs to be left justified.

4) The Page Number

This needs to be made using the header function available in word processing papers. The running header should be separated from the page number by 5 or 7 spaces, and it will appear on every page throughout the document. It must be right aligned.

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APA Title Page Examples

Final Remarks

These simple instructions will give you a good title page that will reflect favorably upon all of the hard work that you have put into your paper. There is no need to add anything, simply follow the APA guidelines.