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APA Sample Paper
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Note: This page reflects the latest version of the APA Publication Manual (i.e., APA 7), which released in October 2019. The equivalent resource for the older APA 6 style can be found here .
Media Files: APA Sample Student Paper , APA Sample Professional Paper
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Note: The APA Publication Manual, 7 th Edition specifies different formatting conventions for student and professional papers (i.e., papers written for credit in a course and papers intended for scholarly publication). These differences mostly extend to the title page and running head. Crucially, citation practices do not differ between the two styles of paper.
However, for your convenience, we have provided two versions of our APA 7 sample paper below: one in student style and one in professional style.
Note: For accessibility purposes, we have used "Track Changes" to make comments along the margins of these samples. Those authored by [AF] denote explanations of formatting and [AWC] denote directions for writing and citing in APA 7.
APA 7 Student Paper:
Apa 7 professional paper:.
APA Title Page (Cover Page) Format, Example, & Templates
Saul McLeod, PhD
Editor-in-Chief for Simply Psychology
BSc (Hons) Psychology, MRes, PhD, University of Manchester
Saul McLeod, PhD., is a qualified psychology teacher with over 18 years of experience in further and higher education. He has been published in peer-reviewed journals, including the Journal of Clinical Psychology.
Learn about our Editorial Process
Olivia Guy-Evans, MSc
Associate Editor for Simply Psychology
BSc (Hons) Psychology, MSc Psychology of Education
Olivia Guy-Evans is a writer and associate editor for Simply Psychology. She has previously worked in healthcare and educational sectors.
On This Page:
In APA Style (7th edition), the cover page, or title page, should include:
- A running head (professional papers only) and page number
- The title of the paper
- The name of the author(s)
- The institutional affiliation
- An author note; optional (professional papers only)
- A student paper should also include course information
Note : APA 7 provides slightly different directions for formatting the title pages of professional papers (e.g., those intended for scholarly publication) and student papers (e.g., those turned in for credit in a high school or college course).
Professional paper APA title page
Student paper APA title page
Formatting an APA title page
Note : All text on the title page should be double-spaced and typed in either 12-point, Times New Roman font. In the 7th edition, APA increaded the flexibility regarding font options: which now include Calibri 11, Arial 11, Lucida Sans Unicode 10, Times New Roman 12, or Georgia 11. All words should be centered, and capitalize the first letter of important words.
Running Head
In the 7th edition of the APA style manual, running heads are only required for professional papers that are being submitted for publication (student papers do not require a running head, but still need a page number).
Your title page should contain a running head that is flush left at the top of the page and a page number that is flush right at the top of the page.
Place the running head in the page’s header:
- The running head is the abbreviated title of the paper (IN UPPERCASE LETTERS) aligned left on the page header of all pages, including the title page. APA (7th edition) guidelines require that running heads be a maximum of 50 characters (spaces count as characters).
- The “Running head:” label used in the APA sixth edition is no longer used.
- Place the page number in this same header, but align right, beginning with page number 1 on the title page.
- This header should be 1 inch from the top. Some instructors allow for 1/2 inch, too, but the default is 1 inch.
Paper Title
Position the title of the paper in the upper half of the page. The title should be centered and written in boldface, and important words should be capitalized.
The APA recommends that your title should be a maximum of 12 words and should not contain abbreviations or words that serve no purpose.
Author Name(s)
Institutional affiliation.
Position the school or university’s name below the author(s) name, centered.
A student paper should also include the course number and name, instructor name, and assignment due date.
Further Information
- APA Student Title Page Guide
- APA Referencing
- How to Write a Lab Report
- Essay Writing Guide for Psychology Students
- APA Style Citations & References
- Example of an APA Formatted Paper
BibGuru Blog
Be more productive in school
- Citation Styles
APA cover (title) page: format and templates
There are two types of title page required for APA style papers, a professional and a student version.
Student APA cover page
As long as students do not have any specific guidance from their instructors in regards to a cover page format, they should include the following elements on their cover page:
- Running head : only for APA 6th you write "Running head: TITLE" as a header. APA 7th does not require a running head.
- Title of the paper : three to four lines down from the top of the title page, centered and in bold for APA 7 (APA 6 does not have a title in bold).
- Name of author(s) : include a double-spaced blank line between the paper title and the author name(s).
- Affiliation for each author (the university attended, including department)
- Course number and name
- Name of instructor
- Due date of the assignment (date format used in your location)
- Page number (included on all pages), cover page is number 1.
- Times New Roman is the preferred font, 12-point .
- Double spacing
- 1 inch margins
We created a a student APA cover page template of both 6th & 7th edition, which you can download:
Professional APA cover page
A professional APA cover page should include the following elements:
- Name of each author : include a double-spaced blank line between the paper title and the author names.
- Affiliation for each author: give the name of the institution at which the research was carried out.
- Author note : see the specific instructions below.
- Running head (included on all pages): for APA 6th you write "Running head: TITLE" and for APA 7th only the title in caps is required (omitting the phrase running head).
- Page number (included on all pages): page 1 is the cover page.
- Times New Roman is the preferred font, 12 -point.
Since there are a few slight differences between the professional cover page in APA 6th and 7th edition, we created a template for each version, which you can download.
APA cover page: Author note format
An author note in a professional paper can be found at the bottom of the cover page. It is usually composed of four paragraphs.
- In the first paragraph : for APA 6, give the name of the author and their affiliation. For APA 7, give the authors' ORCID iDs. Omit this part if the authors don't have ORCID iDs.
- Second paragraph : Specify any changes of affiliation (for both APA 6 & 7). Use the following format: “[Author’s name] is now at [affiliation].” This paragraph may also clarify the death of an author.
- Third paragraph : give any confidentiality disclosures and/or acknowledgments.
- Fourth paragraph : give the contact information of the author(s).
Format : start this section in the bottom half of the title page, below the affiliations. Leave a minimum of one blank line between the affiliation and the author note title. Center the title “Author Note” in bold. The first line of each paragraph should be indented and all aligned to the left.
Further reading
For more details not covered in this guide, take a look at the following sources:
📝 Student and Professional APA cover page (7th ed.)
🌐 APA 6th cover page tutorial
Frequently Asked Questions about APA cover (title) page
The title page of a student paper serves as a representation of the author. It is a mere formality, as it makes your paper appear more academic. As a student, the title page helps your instructor identify on a glance who wrote the paper, what the topic is, and for what course. In sum, a student should add a title page when indicated.
The title page of a professional paper serves as a representation of the author. For professionals, the function of a title page is to introduce the reader to the main facts of the paper, such as the author, the topic, the year of publication, and contact information. In sum, a professional should add a title page to comply with academic standards.
No. According to APA style, the title's font of a title page should not include any type of Word Art or "fun" fonts of any kind. APA style indicates titles should be written in the same font as the rest of the text, it should centered and in bold (for APA 7).
Yes, APA style's title page should be formated as page 1 of the paper, followed by the abstract page as page 2.
If you learn better by watching than by reading, here are two YouTube tutorials that will help you create a title page: APA Style 7th Edition: Student Paper Formatting and APA Style 7th Edition: Professional Paper Formatting by Samuel Forlenza, PhD.
Make your life easier with our productivity and writing resources.
For students and teachers.
- The Complete Guide to APA Format in 2020
APA Title Page / Cover Page
- Headings and Subheadings
- Discussion Section
- Websites and Online Sources
- Journals and Periodicals
- Other Print Sources
- Other Non-Print Sources
- In-text Citations
- Footnotes and Endnotes
- Using MyBib Responsibly
- Miscellaneous Questions
Details to include
The title page (also known as the cover page) is the front page of your paper. It should contain:
- The running head , a header at the top of the page.
- The first page number .
- The title of the paper
- The institution for which you writing.
Running head
The running head should be in the top-left corner of the page in uppercase. It should include a shortened title of your paper. On the front page only, it should also be prepended with "Running head:".
First page number
The first page number -- generally page 1 -- should be in the top-right corner of the page. Both the page number and the running head should be a half inch from the top of the page.
The title of the paper can contain upper and lowercase letters, and ideally should be no more than 12 words in length. It should be direct, and should not contain abbreviations or other unnecessary words. It should not span longer than 2 lines. The first letter of each word should be uppercase, except for articles (a, an, the), and conjunctions (and, but, for, or, yet).
Underneath the title should be your name (or the author's name if you're not the author). It should be displayed as the first name , middle initial , and last name . Do not add titles (such as Dr.) to the beginning, or qualifications (such as PhD) to the end of an author's name.
Your institution
Finally, underneath the author's name, state the full name of the institution or school you're writing the paper for.
The font for all text on the title page should be Times New Roman, size 12pt, with double line-spacing.
A correct title page will look like the below image:
After completing your title page you will move on to writing an abstract of your paper.
IMAGES
VIDEO
COMMENTS
The professional title page includes the paper title, author names (the byline), author affiliation(s), author note, running head, and page number, as shown in the following example. Follow the guidelines described next to format each element of the professional title page.
APA Sample Paper. Note: This page reflects the latest version of the APA Publication Manual (i.e., APA 7), which released in October 2019. The equivalent resource for the older APA 6 style can be found here.
The APA title page starts with your paper title, followed by your name, university, course number, instructor, and due date.
This guide will help you set up an APA Style student paper. The basic setup directions apply to the entire paper. Annotated diagrams illustrate how to set up the major sections of a student paper: the title page or cover page, the text, tables and figures, and the reference list.
In APA Style (7th edition), the cover page, or title page, should include: A running head (professional papers only) and page number. The title of the paper. The name of the author (s) The institutional affiliation. An author note; optional (professional papers only)
Get your APA title page 100% correct for both 6th & 7th edition. Download a cover page template for your professional or student paper and start writing now!
The title page (also known as the cover page) is the front page of your paper. It should contain: The running head, a header at the top of the page. The first page number. The title of the paper. Your name.
An APA format title page is the first page of a paper that gives the title, author’s name, author’s affiliations (school or institution), and other… Learn the rules for creating a title page in APA format and the difference between a title page and a cover page, with examples.
TITLE PAGE: The title page needs to provide information about the paper’s topic and authors and the course to which it is being submitted. Title Page Content. A student title page includes the following elements: • title of the paper • author(s) ° include the full names of all authors of the paper; use the form first name, middle initial,
The APA title page is the first page of your academic paper that provides information on the title, author(s), professors, and institutions affiliated with your research paper. There are separate APA cover page formats for student and professional papers.