APA title page 7th edition: student format with example

How do you format an APA 7 title page?

Place six items, centered and double-spaced, in the upper half of page 1. The page number goes in the top right corner. Everything uses the same font as the rest of the paper.

What goes on a student title page?

1. Title, in bold, three to four lines below the top margin.
2. A blank line.
3. Author name.
4. Affiliation: department and university.
5. Course: number and name, such as "SOC 201: Sociology of Development."
6. Instructor, in the form they prefer.
7. Due date, written out: "November 12, 2026."

What does it look like?

                                                              1


        Rooftop Gardens and Neighborhood Life
                    (in bold)

                       Ana Rivera
        Department of Sociology, Example University
              SOC 201: Sociology of Development
                    Professor María Lopez
                      November 12, 2026

The name, university and course in the example are fictional.

What changes for a professional paper?

A professional title page adds a running head (short title in capitals) to the left of the page number, and an author note below the affiliation. Student papers skip both unless the instructor asks.

What if my school wants a different cover?

Use your school's. Many add a crest, city or advisor. They build on APA, so keep the top-right page number and double spacing.

What is the difference between student and professional title pages?

You will use the student version for nearly every class paper. The professional version is for manuscripts submitted to a journal. The differences are small, but mixing them is a common mistake.

How do I write each item?

The title. It should say what the paper is about in a few words and without abbreviations. "Rooftop Gardens and Neighborhood Life in Three Cities" tells the reader more than "My Sociology Paper." Use title case, which means capital letters on the main words, and bold the whole title.

The author name. Write your full name, without titles such as Mr. or Ms. For a group paper, list names in the order the group agreed on, one per line.

The affiliation. Give the department or school, then a comma, then the university. A campus name is only needed if your instructor asks.

The course. Use the code and name as they appear in the catalog: "SOC 201: Sociology of Development." The code helps your instructor find your paper later.

The instructor. Use the title they prefer, such as "Professor Maria Lopez" or "Dr. Maria Lopez." If you are unsure, check how they sign their emails.

The date. Write the full due date with the month spelled out. Avoid 11/12/26, because the order of day and month changes by country.

What does a group title page look like?

After the title, each member goes on a separate line. The affiliation is written once if everyone attends the same university. If members come from different schools, put the affiliation under each name.

        Rooftop Gardens and Neighborhood Life in Three Cities
                            (in bold)

                           Ana Rivera
                          Luis Mendoza
        Department of Sociology, Example University
              SOC 201: Sociology of Development
                    Professor María Lopez
                       November 12, 2026

Which mistakes show up most often?

• All-caps titles. APA does not ask for them, and they are harder to read.
• A logo or picture added without being asked. Leave it out unless your school requires it.
• Left-aligned text. Everything on the title page is centered.
• No page number. The title page is page 1 and carries the number at the top right.
• Word's built-in cover pages. They bring boxes, colors and font sizes that APA does not use.
• Extra phrases such as "Submitted by" or "In partial fulfillment of." APA does not use them. Add them only if your school requires them.
• A larger title font. The title uses the same size as the body text, only in bold.

What if my school requires a different cover?

Ask for the official template or the thesis handbook. Most universities have a model for theses, capstones and internships. In that case, follow the school's model for the cover and APA for everything else: margins, font, spacing, citations and references. If your school has no model, use the student title page in this guide and add any extra details they ask for, such as the advisor's name or the degree sought.

How do I keep the title page from shifting?

A cover that looks different on another computer usually has extra paragraph marks or spaces. Use paragraph spacing instead of pressing Enter many times: in Paragraph, enter a value under "Before" for the title and keep the rest double-spaced. Save the page as part of your template and export to PDF to check the layout before you submit.

Checklist

• Title in bold, centered, at the right height
• Author, affiliation, course, instructor and date, in that order
• Double spacing and 1-inch margins
• Page 1 number at top right
• No logo or border unless your school requires it

Last reviewed: 2026-10-29. Official source.