The title page of a research paper is one page that provides a lot of information to readers of the paper. This explains why it is usually page number 1 in research papers. A glance through a research paper title page will provide you with vital details such as paper title, author name, affiliations, and more. In these digital times, search engines place a high value on the words that constitute a research paper title. It is those words that form the major search terms for those trying to read papers bothering on the subject matter of your paper.
Perhaps the best way to explain a research paper title page in greater detail is by using an example format from any of the popular citation styles out there. So this post will offer an in-depth explanation with the research paper template of the widely used APA style. All APA Style research papers require a title page. A title page in APA has both student and professional versions.
APA Student research paper title page
In an APA research paper, you’ll find the following information on the student title page:
- the paper title,
- author names (the byline),
- author affiliation,
- course number and name for which the paper is being submitted,
- instructor name,
- assignment due date, and
- page number.
Below is a sample APA research paper title page for students.
Guidelines for each element of the APA student research paper title page
| Student title page element | Format | Example |
| Paper title | The title should be located three to four lines below the top of the title page. It should be centered and in bold font while all of its major words should be in capital letters. You may place the main title and any subtitle on separate double-spaced lines. Though titles do not have a specific maximum word length, they should be focused and contain key terms. | Impact of Electric Power Generation on GDP |
| Author names | The paper title and the author names should be separated by one double-spaced blank line. Author names should be centered on their own line. If the paper has two authors, the word “and” should come between both authors’ names. For three authors or more, insert a comma between the names of the first two or more authors and the word “and” before the name of the last author. | Peter E. Jones |
| Author affiliation | A student’s affiliation is simply the institution he or she attends. It should include the name of the student’s department, the name of the college/faculty, and name of the university or any other higher institution, all separated by commas. The affiliation should be centered on the double-spaced line following the author name(s). | Department of Economics, Harvard University |
| Course number and name | Indicate the official course abbreviation (in uppercase letters) and number, followed by a colon and the full course name. The abbreviation, course number, and name should be centered on the double-spaced line following the author affiliation. | ECO 301: Introduction to Macroeconomics |
| Instructor name | Indicate the name of the course instructor using the format on the official instructional materials. The instructor’s name should be centered on the double-spaced line following the course abbreviation, number, and name. | Dr. Linda J. Katz |
| Assignment due date | Indicate the assignment’s due date. The due date should be centered on the double-spaced line following the instructor’s name. Use any date format that is popular in the country you are studying. | March 9, 2021 or 9 March 2021 |
| Page number | The title page should be denoted with page number 1 on the top right corner of the page header. Page numbers should be generated and inserted by the automatic page-numbering function of your word processor. | 1 |
APA professional research paper title page
The following details make up the professional title page in the APA style.
- paper title,
- author names (the byline),
- author affiliation(s),
- author note,
- running head, and
- page number.
An example is shown below.
Guidelines for each element of the APA professional research paper title page
| Professional title page element | Format | Example |
| Paper title | The title should be located three to four lines below the top of the title page. It should be centered and in bold font while all of its major words should be in capital letters. You may place the main title and any subtitle on separate double-spaced lines. Though titles do not have a specific maximum word length, they should be focused and contain key terms. | The Roles of Psychology in Teaching and Learning |
| Author names | The paper title and the author names should be separated by one double-spaced blank line. Author names should be centered on their own line. If the paper has two authors, the word “and” should come between both authors’ names. For three authors or more, insert a comma between the names of the first two or more authors and the word “and” before the name of the last author. | Alyssa Lukpat |
| If the paper’s authors have different affiliations, superscript numerals should be placed after author names to link the names to their respective affiliation(s). Superscript numerals will not be necessary if all the authors are affiliated with the same institution/organization. | Aisha Jibril1, Simon Johnson 2, and Dora Higginbottom1 | |
| Author affiliation | A professional paper’s affiliation is simply the institution where the research was carried out. It should include the name of the student’s department and/or college/faculty, and name of the university or any other institution, all separated by commas. The affiliation should be centered on the double-spaced line following the author name(s). In case there are multiple affiliations, each affiliation should be centered on its own line. | Department of Continuing Education, Cambridge University |
| If the paper’s authors have different affiliations, superscript numerals should be placed after author names to link the affiliations to their respective author(s). Superscript numerals will not be necessary if all the authors are affiliated with the same institution/organization. | 1 Department of Pedagogy, University of Reading 2 Department of Psychology, University of Edinburgh | |
| Author note | The author note should be located in the bottom half of the title page. The label “Author Note” should be centered in bold. The paragraphs of the author note should be aligned to the left. | n/a |
| Running head | The running head should be in uppercase letters in the page header of the title page and all other pages. It should be aligned to the left margin. The label “Running head:” should not be written before the running head. | PSYCHOLOGY IN TEACHING AND LEARNING |
| Page number | The title page should be denoted with page number 1 on the top right corner of the page header. Page numbers should be generated and inserted by the automatic page-numbering function of your word processor. |
Conclusion
The title page serves an important purpose in research papers. Anyone that goes through this page will immediately obtain vital information about all aspects of the paper. In these internet times, a research paper’s title has become essential for SEO. Being one the first areas an instructor or supervisor will look at, the student should endeavor to format his or her research paper title page efficiently to make a good first impression.