Title Page – Student Papers

Every paper in the APA format starts with a Title Page. No matter what kind of paper you’re writing – a simple essay or a full-on literature review – the Title Page is your starting point.

In the APA format, there are six things that go on the Title Page for Student Research Papers:

1. The title of your paper
   
2. Your name
   
3. Your school or institution
   
4. The course name
   
5. The instructor’s name
   
6. The due date
   

If your professor asks for something different – like adding a student ID or assignment number – definitely do that. Always follow their instructions first.

How to Format It

All six elements go in the top half of the page, center-aligned, and each on a separate line.

Let’s break it down:

• Paper Title:
  Use Title Case, which means you capitalize major words and the first word in the title and subtitle. Don’t capitalize short words like “in,” “of,” or “and” unless they’re the first word. Keep your title concise and relevant – about one line long is ideal. Also be sure to bold the Title text.
  
  
• Your Name:
  Include your first name, middle initial (if you use one), and last name. Skip any titles or degrees (like Dr., Ph.D., or RN), but if you use a suffix like Jr. or III, go ahead and include it.
  
  
• School / Institution:
  Use the full name of the school you’re attending or the institution where the research was done.
  
  
• Course Name:
  Include the course prefix and title, usually separated by a colon (e.g., “PSY 101: Introduction to Psychology”).
  
  
• Instructor Name:
  Write the name as your professor requests it – “Dr. Smith,” “Professor Jones,” or however they prefer.
  
  
• Due Date:
  Write out the full date in Month Day, Year format (e.g., April 5, 2025).
  

Header & Page Number

The only thing in the header is the page number, aligned to the top right, in the same font as the body of your paper (we’re using Times New Roman 12pt). Luckily, we covered this while setting up the document so there’s nothing else for us to do here.

Quick checklist

▢ Title is bold, concise, and in Title Case

▢ All six items are centered in the top half of the page

▢ Name uses initials; no degrees or titles

▢ Course line shows prefix and title

▢ Instructor format matches preference

▢ Due date is Month Day, Year

▢ Page number is top-right in the header

‍

‍

‍

Let PERRLA Handle your Formatting

PERRLA builds the title page automatically. A short form collects the six items, then the title page appears with correct order, bold title, spacing, and the page number in place.

‍