▷ APA Title Page Format 2026: Student and Professional Paper Guide

The APA title page is the first thing your reader sees, and it has very specific formatting requirements that differ between student papers and professional papers. This guide covers every element of the APA title page following APA 7th edition (2020), with exact placement, formatting rules, and examples for both paper types.

APA Title Page: Student Paper vs. Professional Paper

APA 7th edition distinguishes between two title page formats. Most college and university assignments use the student paper format. The professional paper format is used for manuscripts submitted for publication in academic journals.

Element	Student Paper	Professional Paper
Paper title	✅ Bold, centered, upper half of page	✅ Bold, centered, upper half of page
Author name(s)	✅	✅
Affiliation	Department + University	Institutional affiliation only
Course name and number	✅ Required	❌ Not included
Instructor name	✅ Required	❌ Not included
Due date	✅ Required	❌ Not included
Running head	❌ Not required	✅ Required (abbreviated title)
Author note	❌ Optional	✅ Usually included

APA Student Title Page: All Elements Explained

Paper Title

The paper title appears in the upper half of the title page, centered, in bold, in title case (capitalize the first letter of major words). The title should be concise and descriptive — APA recommends no more than 12 words. Do not underline or italicize the title. Do not use a period after the title.

If the title is long enough to require more than one line, double-space the lines and center them. The title should appear approximately 3–4 lines (about 1.5–2 inches) below the top margin.

Author Name

Your full name appears on the line below the title, centered and not bold. Use the format: First Name Last Name. Do not include titles (Dr., Ms., Prof.) or credentials (PhD, RN). If multiple authors contributed equally, list them in alphabetical order by last name, on the same line separated by commas, or on separate centered lines.

Affiliation

For a student paper, the affiliation is your department and your university or institution, listed on two separate centered lines below your name. Example:

Department of Psychology
University of Michigan

Course Name and Number

On the next line below the affiliation, list the course name and course number exactly as they appear in your course catalog or syllabus. Example: PSYC 301: Research Methods in Psychology.

Instructor Name

On the next line, list your instructor’s name with the appropriate title. Use whatever title your instructor uses: Professor Smith, Dr. Smith, or simply the name if they have specified a preference.

Due Date

On the next line, list the assignment due date in the format: Month Day, Year (e.g., March 23, 2026). Write out the month fully — do not use numbers or abbreviations.

Page Number

The title page is page 1. The page number appears in the top right corner of the header. Student papers do not include a running head — just the page number. In Word, go to Insert → Header → Edit Header and add a right-aligned automatic page number. Make sure «Different First Page» is NOT checked, so the page number appears on the title page too.

APA Student Title Page Example

Here is how a complete APA student title page looks, top to bottom, all text centered:

[Page number: 1 in top right header]

[3–4 blank lines from top margin]

The Relationship Between Sleep Duration and Academic Performance in First-Year University Students

Jane R. Smith

Department of Psychology
University of Michigan

PSYC 301: Research Methods in Psychology

Professor David Johnson

March 23, 2026

APA Professional Title Page Format

Professional papers (manuscripts submitted for publication) have a different title page format:

Running head: The running head appears in the top left header on every page, in all capitals. It is an abbreviated title of no more than 50 characters (including spaces and punctuation). Format: Running head: ABBREVIATED TITLE (APA 6th ed.) or just ABBREVIATED TITLE (APA 7th ed. — the label «Running head:» was removed).
Title: Same as student paper — bold, centered, title case, upper half of page.
Author name: Same format.
Affiliation: Institutional affiliation only (no department unless specifying a different unit). For multiple authors at different institutions, list each name followed by a superscript number, then the affiliations with matching superscripts.
Author note: A paragraph at the bottom of the title page disclosing funding, conflicts of interest, ORCID IDs, and a correspondence contact.

APA Title Page in Microsoft Word: Step-by-Step

Set up the page: 1-inch margins all sides, Times New Roman 12pt, double spacing throughout.
Add the page number: Insert → Header → Edit Header. Right-align. Insert → Page Number → Current Position → Plain Number. Close the header.
Position the title: Press Enter 3–4 times from the top of the document body to move the title approximately 1.5–2 inches down. Then type your title in bold, centered, title case.
Add remaining elements: Press Enter once after the title (not double Enter — the text is already double-spaced). Type your name (centered, not bold). Continue with affiliation (two lines), course, instructor, date.
Check the spacing: All elements on the title page are double-spaced. There is no extra blank line between the title and your name, or between any elements — the double spacing throughout the document handles the visual separation.

The APA Format Template available on this site has the title page pre-formatted correctly. Download it and simply replace the placeholder text.

Common APA Title Page Mistakes

Using the 6th edition format for student papers — APA 6th edition required a running head on student papers. APA 7th edition removed this requirement. Student papers in APA 7th edition do not use a running head — only a page number in the header.
Including credentials after your name — Do not write Jane Smith, PhD or Jane Smith, RN on the title page. Author names do not include degrees or titles.
Using a larger font for the title — The title is the same 12pt font as the rest of the paper. Bold formatting makes it stand out; a larger font size is not used.
Not bolding the title — The paper title on the title page is bold. This is an APA 7th edition requirement (it was not required in the 6th edition).
Putting the title on a separate page from the body — The title page is page 1. The abstract (if required) is page 2. The body begins on page 3 (or page 2 if no abstract). There is no blank page between the title page and the abstract or body.

Frequently Asked Questions

Does a student paper need a running head in APA 7th edition?

No. APA 7th edition (2020) removed the running head requirement for student papers. Student papers only need a page number in the top right header. Professional papers submitted for publication still require a running head.

Is the title page counted as page 1?

Yes. The title page is page 1. The page number 1 appears in the top right header of the title page. The abstract (if included) is page 2. The body of the paper begins on page 3 (or page 2 if there is no abstract).

What goes on the title page if I have two authors?

List both names on the same line, separated by «and» (not an ampersand): Jane Smith and Michael Johnson. If both authors are from the same department and institution, list the affiliation once below both names. If they are from different institutions, list each name followed by a superscript number, then the two affiliations with matching superscripts on the lines below.

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