The APA style guide in the 6th edition offers specific rules regarding the formatting of academic work and sources. The title page is a vital part of any academic paper, as it serves as the first impression of your work. Among the title of your paper, the title page includes important information such as the author’s name, institutional affiliation, and a running head. Properly formatting your title page according to APA 6th edition guidelines gives your work a professional appearance and adheres to standards of academic writing.
APA 6th Edition Title Page – In a Nutshell
- Title pages must be formatted according to the APA 6th edition manual.
- The guidelines vary slightly depending on whether you’re a student or a professional
- This article will focus on how students should format the APA 6th edition title page.
Definition: APA 6th edition title page
The APA style guide was created by the American Psychological Association to standardize written work. This style guide has traditionally been used by educators, researchers, and psychologists.
The 6th edition of this style guide was developed, so it could be used by a wider audience, including students taking courses in the social and behavioural sciences.
According to the APA 6th edition title page guidelines, a paper’s title or cover page must include:
- The paper title.
- The author’s name.
- The affiliation (Department and College / University).
- The course number and name.
- The name of the instructor responsible for teaching the course.
- The paper’s due date.
- The page number.
APA 6th edition title page: General formatting
Make sure your title page meets the following requirements:
- Font: preferably Times New Roman
- Font size: 12-point
- Double spacing
- One-inch margins all around
APA 6th edition title page: Running head
The 6th edition of APA guidelines require a running head, a shortened version of the paper’s title. This must appear before the paper’s title in this format:
PAPER TITLE
The running head cannot have more than 50 characters, including spaces, and must be left-justified.
APA 6th edition title page: Paper title
As per the APA 6th edition guidelines, title requirements are:
- Center-aligned.
- Title case capitalization (only major words are capitalized).
- Preferably no longer than 12 words.
- No abbreviations.
APA 6th edition title page: Author names
In APA style, the author/s name should be formatted as follows:
- First name, Middle name initial (if applicable). Surname
- Example: Anna, M. Patricks
- Students don’t need to add titles or degrees they already hold.
Multiple authors
Papers written by multiple authors are referenced depending on the number of authors and their affiliation.
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Two authors, one affiliation: Charles Smith and Anna Warwick |
Oxford University |
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Three authors, one affiliation: Louise Anderson, Charles Smith, and Anna Warwick |
Oxford University |
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Two authors, two affiliations: Charles Smith1, Anna Warwick2 |
1 Department of Psychology, Harvard University 2 Department of Education, Purdue University |
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Three authors, two affiliations: Louise Anderson, Charles Smith, and Anna Warwick |
Harvard University Louise Anderson Purdue University |
FAQs
The paper’s title, the author’s name and affiliation, the course number and name, the instructor’s name, the paper’s due date, and the page number.
No. Title pages must be in the same font as the rest of the paper, preferably in Times New Roman.
You must include a running head before the paper’s title if you’re using the APA’s 6th edition guidelines.
