APA Title Page- How To | Clean Student Setup

Set your first page with title, name, school, course, instructor, due date, page number, and proper spacing.

A neat APA first page does one job: it tells the reader what the paper is, who wrote it, and which class receives it. If those details are placed well, your paper starts clean before the opening sentence.

Most student papers use the seventh edition student format. That means a centered title block, double spacing, a page number in the header, and no running head unless your instructor asks for one. This article gives you the order, spacing, and small checks that prevent the usual lost points.

What Belongs On The First Page?

A student title page needs seven parts. Put them in this order: paper title, author name, school name, course number and course name, instructor name, due date, and page number. The official APA title page setup rules list those same student paper parts and explain when a running head is not needed.

Your paper title should be bold, centered, and written in title case. Place it in the upper half of the page, usually three or four lines below the top margin. If the title takes two lines, keep both lines double-spaced and balanced, not squeezed into one long line.

Under the title, add your name. Use the name your class records use unless your instructor says otherwise. Next, add your department and school on one line if that fits neatly. Then add the course line, instructor line, and due date line.

Student Format Vs. Professional Format

Student papers and professional manuscripts do not use the same first-page setup. A class assignment usually does not need an author note, author affiliations for each institution, or a running head. A professional manuscript may need those items because it is prepared for journal review or publication.

That difference matters because many older web examples still show a running head on each title page. In seventh edition student papers, the page number is enough unless the assignment sheet asks for more. When your class directions and APA differ, follow the class directions because that is how the paper will be graded.

APA Title Page- How To With a Clean Student Layout

Start with the page itself before typing the title block. Use 1-inch margins, double spacing, and a readable font. APA allows several fonts, including 12-point Times New Roman, 11-point Calibri, 11-point Arial, 11-point Georgia, and 12-point Aptos. The student paper setup PDF gives the same page setup rules for margins, fonts, spacing, and page numbers.

Insert the page number through the header tool, not by typing the number into the page body. Place the number at the top right. The title page is page 1, and the next page continues as page 2. If you type the number by hand, it can shift when you edit the paper.

Keep the title block centered. Do not add bold to your name, school, course, instructor, or due date. Only the paper title is bold. Do not use extra blank lines between items; double spacing already gives the page enough room. That restraint keeps the first page tidy and close to APA student samples.

Part	Student Page Setup	Common Slip
Paper Title	Bold, centered, title case, upper half of page	All caps, underlined text, or a title placed too low
Author Name	Centered below the title	Adding degrees, job titles, or nicknames
School Line	Department and school name as the class uses them	Leaving out the department when required
Course Line	Course number, colon, course name	Using an informal course nickname
Instructor Line	Name as shown on the syllabus	Wrong title, misspelling, or first name only
Due Date	Date format used in your country or class	Mixing date styles across the paper
Page Number	Top right header, title page marked 1	Typing the number into the page body
Running Head	Not used for most student papers unless requested	Copying old APA 6 examples

Build The Page In Word Or Google Docs

In Microsoft Word, set the margins first. Go to Layout, choose Margins, then Normal. Select the full document and set line spacing to double. Next, insert the page number in the header at the top right. After that, click into the page body, center the text, and move down three or four double-spaced lines.

Type the title, apply bold, then press Enter once after each line. Remove bold before typing your name. Add the school line, course line, instructor line, and due date. When the page is done, insert a page break so the body of the paper starts on page 2.

In Google Docs, use File, Page setup, then set each margin to 1 inch. Use Format, Line and paragraph spacing, then Double. Insert the page number from Insert, Page numbers, and pick the top-right option. Center the title-page lines, add the title block, then use Insert, Break, Page break.

Need a model to compare against? APA keeps downloadable APA sample papers that show student and professional layouts in full paper form.

Title Case Rules That Trip People Up

Title case means you capitalize major words in the paper title. Capitalize the first word, the first word after a colon, nouns, verbs, adjectives, adverbs, and pronouns. Lowercase short articles, short prepositions, and coordinating conjunctions unless they are first or after a colon.

A title such as “Sleep Habits and Test Scores in First-Year College Students” works well. It is specific, plain, and easy to scan. A vague title like “My Research Paper” tells the reader nothing and looks unfinished.

Fix Common Title Page Mistakes Before You Submit

Most title page errors come from old templates, rushed spacing, or mixing student and professional rules. The fix is simple: compare your page to the assignment sheet, then compare it to the current student format. If both match, you are in good shape.

Do not crowd the first page with a subtitle, class section, email, or word count unless the instructor asks for it. Extra information can make a clean page look messy. It can also pull the title block lower than it should be.

Check	What To Do	Why It Helps
Spacing	Use double spacing across the whole page	The page matches the rest of the paper
Header	Use automatic page numbering	The numbering stays correct after edits
Title	Bold only the title	The title stands out without clutter
Order	Follow title, name, school, course, instructor, date	The reader finds each detail in the expected spot
Template	Remove running head text unless requested	The page stays in student format

When Your Instructor Wants Changes

Some classes ask for a section number, group name, or special date style. Add those items only when the assignment calls for them. Keep the same clean spacing and centered layout unless the instructor gives a different model.

Group papers need all author names. Put names on the same line only if they fit neatly. For several authors, place one name per line or follow the class sample. Match the order your group agrees on before submitting the paper.

Final Pass Before Uploading

Read the title page from top to bottom, then check the header. The page number should sit at the top right, and the page body should stay centered. Your title should be bold, but each detail beneath it should be plain text.

Last, open the file after saving it as a PDF if that is your submission format. Spacing can shift during export. A 30-second check can catch a stray header, a missing page number, or a title block that moved onto the wrong line.