Quick answer: An APA cover page, which APA calls the title page, is the first page of your paper.

For a student paper in APA 7th edition it contains, centered and double-spaced: the paper title in bold, three to four lines down from the top margin; one blank double-spaced line; your name; your affiliation (department and university); the course number and name; the instructor’s name; and the assignment due date. The page number 1 sits in the top-right corner. Student papers do not need a running head unless your instructor asks for one. Professional papers, written for journal submission, add a running head and an author note instead of course details.

The title page is the first thing your marker sees, and it is also one of the easiest places to lose easy marks, because APA 6 habits and online templates often carry rules that APA 7 dropped. This guide shows exactly what goes on each version of the title page, in what order and with what formatting, explains the differences between student and professional papers, and covers how to adapt the page for a thesis or dissertation, where your university’s template usually takes priority.

APA cover page for students: element by element

The names, course and date in the example column are illustrative. Everything on the page is double-spaced, centered and in the same font as the rest of the paper, and only the title is bold.

Formatting the title well

APA asks for a title that is focused and succinct, without abbreviations or words that add nothing. In practice, a strong title names the topic, the variables or focus and, where useful, the population. “A Study of Social Media” is too vague; “Instagram Use and Body Image Among First-Year University Students” tells a reader what the paper does. Use title case, which capitalizes major words and all words of four letters or more, and keep it to one or two lines. If your title has a subtitle, separate it with a colon and capitalize the first word after the colon.

Avoid phrases such as “An Investigation of” or “A Paper About”, which lengthen the title without informing the reader. And do not put the title in quotation marks, underline it or increase the font size: bold is the only emphasis APA 7 uses on the title page.

The professional title page

If you are preparing a manuscript for a journal, or your instructor asks for professional format, the title page changes in four ways.

• Running head: a shortened version of the title in all capital letters, flush left in the page header, no more than 50 characters including spaces and punctuation, with the page number flush right.
• Affiliation: where the research was conducted, rather than a course.
• No course information: course number, instructor and due date are omitted.
• Author note: placed in the bottom half of the page, in up to four paragraphs, covering each author’s ORCID iD, any changes in affiliation, disclosures and acknowledgments such as funding, registration and conflicts of interest, and contact information for the corresponding author. Omit any paragraph that does not apply.

Student versus professional title page at a glance

Changes from APA 6 that still catch students out

Many templates and older guides still show the APA 6 title page. If yours has any of the following, it is out of date for APA 7 student papers:

1. “Running head:” written before a shortened title in the header. APA 7 dropped that label, and student papers no longer need a running head at all.
2. The title in regular weight. APA 7 makes the title bold.
3. No course information. APA 7 student papers include course, instructor and date.
4. An author note on a student paper. Author notes are for professional papers only.

For a wider summary of what changed in the 7th edition, see the guide to APA format 7th edition changes.

General page setup that applies to the title page

• Margins: 1 inch on all sides, on standard letter-size paper.
• Font: APA does not mandate one font but recommends legible options such as 11-point Calibri or Arial, 10-point Lucida Sans Unicode, 12-point Times New Roman, 11-point Georgia or 10-point Computer Modern. Use the same font on the title page as in the rest of the paper.
• Spacing: double-spaced throughout, including the title page.
• Alignment: all title page text centered; the page number right-aligned in the header.
• Page break: the abstract, if required, starts on page 2; otherwise the main text starts there, with the paper title repeated in bold at the top.

How to build the title page in Word or Google Docs

1. Insert a page number in the header, aligned right, starting at 1.
2. Set the whole document to double spacing and remove any extra space before or after paragraphs.
3. Press Enter three or four times from the top margin, then type the title, centered and bold.
4. Add one blank line, then type your name, affiliation, course, instructor and due date on separate centered lines, in regular weight.
5. Insert a page break so that the next section starts on page 2.

Avoid using a text box or a table to position the title page elements; they often misalign when the file is opened on another computer or converted to PDF.

APA cover pages for theses and dissertations

A thesis or dissertation title page is usually governed by your university, not by APA. Graduate schools publish their own templates that may require the degree name, the faculty or school, a statement such as “submitted in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of”, the month and year of submission, and sometimes the supervisor’s name or a copyright line. Where your institution’s template and APA conflict, follow the institution and apply APA to the rest of the document as instructed. If you are preparing an Australian honours thesis, the step-by-step guide to writing an honours thesis covers the front matter that typically follows the title page.

Illustrative title pages for three situations

The three sets of lines below show how the same template adapts to different assignments. Each is illustrative; replace every detail with your own. Read each set as separate centered lines, with the title in bold.

An undergraduate essay. Title: How Sleep Duration Relates to Exam Performance in First-Year Students. Then: Jordan K. Mensah; School of Psychology, University of Nottingham; PSYC1002: Introduction to Research Methods; Professor Alan Hughes; March 3, 2027.

A group project. List the authors on one line separated by commas, with “and” before the last name if there are three or more, or “and” between two names. The affiliation line follows once if all authors share it. Title: Designing a Peer Mentoring Scheme for Commuter Students. Then: Aisha Rahman, Tom Ellis, and Wei Chen; Department of Education, University of Glasgow; EDUC3010: Programme Evaluation; Dr. Fiona Grant; April 14, 2027.

A master’s assignment with a long title. Split a long title over two lines at a natural break, keeping both lines bold and centered. Title: Supervisor Support and Burnout Among Hospital Nurses: on one line and A Cross-Sectional Survey on the next. Then: Priya S. Nair; School of Health Sciences, University of Manchester; NURS7001: Advanced Research Methods; Dr. Kate Morris; May 20, 2027.

In each case the page number 1 sits at the top right, nothing else appears in the header, and every line is double-spaced. If your instructor provides a submission template with a student ID line or a word-count line, add those as instructed; APA does not forbid extra lines that your institution requires.

Common title page mistakes

• Placing the title in the vertical center of the page instead of three to four lines down.
• Bolding everything, or nothing, instead of only the title.
• Adding degrees or titles after your name.
• Using an APA 6 “Running head:” label on a student paper.
• Single-spacing the title page while the rest of the paper is double-spaced.
• Leaving out the course number or due date that your instructor uses to identify submissions.
• Using a decorative font or larger size for the title.

What comes after the title page

For a student paper, page 2 is either the abstract, if your instructor requires one, or the start of the main text. The abstract page has the label “Abstract” centered and bold at the top, followed by a single paragraph without first-line indentation. If you are unsure how the abstract differs from your opening section, the explainer on the thesis abstract shows what each part should contain. The main text then begins with the paper title repeated in bold and centered, followed by your introduction, and the paper ends with the reference list on a new page.

A final check before you submit

Print or preview the title page and check it against this list: page number 1 in the top-right corner; no running head unless requested; title bold, centered, in title case and in the upper half of the page; one blank line after the title; name, affiliation, course, instructor and due date each on its own centered line in regular weight; everything double-spaced in the same font as the paper; and the next section starting on a new page. If your instructor has provided a template or specific instructions, those take priority over general APA guidance.

For related guides, see formatting the APA reference page and in-text citations in APA 7.

Where Tesify fits

Front matter is easier to keep consistent when the structure of the whole document is set up from the start. Start structuring your thesis in Tesify. It helps you structure and organize your thesis from title page to final chapter, and 9,000+ students have written 15,000+ chapters with Tesify. Every word stays 100% written by you.

Frequently asked questions (FAQ)

Does an APA 7 student paper need a running head?

No. Student papers in APA 7 need only a page number in the top-right corner, unless your instructor or institution asks for a running head.

What goes on an APA cover page?

For a student paper: the bold title, your name, your department and university, the course number and name, the instructor’s name and the due date, all centered and double-spaced, with the page number at the top right.

Is the title bold on an APA title page?

Yes. In APA 7 the paper title is bold, centered and in title case. The other elements on the title page are in regular weight.

How far down the page does the title go?

Place the title three to four lines down from the top margin, in the upper half of the page, with one blank double-spaced line between it and your name.

Is a cover page the same as a title page in APA?

Yes. “Cover page” is the common name; APA calls it the title page. It is always page 1 of the paper.

Do I include an author note on a student title page?

No. Author notes appear only on professional title pages, for example in manuscripts submitted to journals.

Should my thesis use the APA title page format?

Usually your university’s thesis template takes priority for the title page, and APA formatting applies to the rest of the document. Check your graduate school’s formatting guide.

How do I list several authors on an APA student title page?

Put all names on the byline, separated by commas, with “and” before the final name when there are three or more authors and “and” between the names when there are two. If everyone shares one department and university, give the affiliation once on the line below the names. If authors come from different institutions, follow your instructor’s guidance, since group projects are usually within a single course.

What font should I use on the APA title page?

Use the same legible font as the rest of the paper, such as 12-point Times New Roman or 11-point Calibri or Arial, and do not enlarge the title.