Student Resources APA Style and Writing How to Write a Title Page in APA Format for a Psychology Research Paper By Kendra Cherry, MSEd Kendra Cherry, MSEd Kendra Cherry, MS, is a psychosocial rehabilitation specialist, psychology educator, and author of the "Everything Psychology Book." Learn about our editorial process Updated on December 12, 2023 Fact checked Verywell Mind content is rigorously reviewed by a team of qualified and experienced fact checkers. Fact checkers review articles for factual accuracy, relevance, and timeliness. We rely on the most current and reputable sources, which are cited in the text and listed at the bottom of each article. Content is fact checked after it has been edited and before publication. Learn more. by James Lacy Fact checked by James Lacy James Lacy, MLS, is a fact-checker and researcher. Learn about our editorial process Print Kathleen Finlay / Image Source / Getty Images Table of Contents View All Table of Contents Important Elements Choosing a Title Author’s Byline Formatting Guidelines Professional Papers Title Page Checklist Trending Videos Close this video player The title page is the first page of a psychology paper. APA format is used when writing lab reports and other types of psychology papers. Therefore, it's important to have a title page in proper APA format when submitting these writings. Here we discuss how to write a title page for a psychology research paper. We also share the different guidelines based on whether the title page is for a student paper or if the paper is being prepared by a psychology professional. Important Psychology Title Page Elements A psychology paper's title page should contain certain key elements. Important elements to include are: Article titleAuthor’s nameAuthor's school or institutional affiliationRunning head (not required for student papers)Course nameInstructor's nameDue datePage number Choosing a Psychology Paper Title One of the most difficult tasks when writing a psychology paper is choosing a good title. Here are a few tips to help. Be Specific The paper's title should be as specific as possible. Work to craft a title that can stand alone and be fully explanatory without further elaboration. A reader browsing through paper titles in an online database should be able to quickly read the title and know exactly what the paper is about. Page Title Examples An example of a good, specific title: Second-Order Beliefs and the Use of Self-Presentational Explanations for BehaviorAn example of a title that is too general: Cognitive Abilities and Social Understanding Use Proper Structure The best way to structure the title of a psychology paper is to look at the hypothesis and experimental variables. For example, it might be titled "The Effects of [Independent Variable] on [Dependent Variable]." Be Brief The official APA publication manual notes that a title should be brief, yet communicate the main topic and variables of interest. Avoid words that serve no real purpose or that do not communicate essential information. Some examples of such words and phrases include “An Experiment on…,” “A Study of…”, “method,” or “results.” While there is no maximum length for titles, the APA recommends keeping the title concise while still including key terms. How to Write a Title Page Byline The next element of a psychology research paper title page is the byline, which lists the author’s name and institutional affiliation. Here's what to include for each. Author's Name The recommended format is first name, middle initial(s), and last name. Do not include titles or degrees, such as Dr. or PhD. Students should include the name of the department followed by the name of their school. This should be centered on the page and appear after the author's name. School Affiliation The institutional affiliation is the location where the research was conducted, most often a college or university. In some cases, research may have been supported by more than one institution. In these instances, only include two affiliations if both schools offered substantial support to the research, and only list two affiliations for every author. What should a person do if they are not affiliated with an academic institution where the research was conducted? In this instance, the APA suggests listing the author's city and state of residence in place of the academic affiliation. Name and Affiliation Example June CallawayDepartment of Psychology, University of OhioPSYCH 101: Introduction to General PsychologyDr. Ashana LeeSeptember 7, 2023*Note: This information should be centered on the title page, not aligned to the left as it appears here. Title Page Formatting Guidelines There are additional formatting concerns to observe when drafting an APA format title page for a psychology paper: A running head should be included in the upper left-hand corner on all pages, including the title page. This is not required if it's a student paper.The running head should be no more than 50 characters, including letters, spacing between words, and punctuation.The running head should be in all uppercase letters and only include the title; it should not include the label "running head."All pages, including the title page, should also have a page number in the upper right-hand corner.The author's title, name, and institution should be double-spaced and centered on the page. Student papers should also include the assignment due date directly below the institution's information. Formatting Professional Psychology Papers The APA's guidelines are slightly different for papers intended for publication in professional psychology journals. In addition to the basic elements included in a title page, a professional paper should also include: A running head: The running head is a shortened version of the paper's title. It should appear on every page of the paper, along with the page number.Author affiliation: In the second paragraph, list any changes in author affiliation. For example, if one of the authors is now affiliated with a different university from where the research was conducted, the author's note might state that "Dr. [Last Name] is now at the Department of Psychology, University of Georgia."An author's note: This note includes the author's name, the symbol for the ORCID iD, and the URL for the ORCID iD. An ORCID iD is an alphanumeric code used to identify scientific and academic authors. If an author does not have an ORCID iD, their name should be omitted. Disclosures and acknowledgments: In the third paragraph, list any acknowledgments and disclosures, including possible conflicts of interest and sources of financial support.Contact information: In the fourth paragraph of the author's note, include the author's contact information. Author's Note, Disclosure, and Contact Info For an author's note, include the author's name followed by a link to their ORCID iD. The disclosure might be a simple sentence stating that there are no known conflicts of interest to disclose. Next, state that correspondence concerning the article should be addressed to the individual listed, then provide the mailing address and email contact for that individual. Psychology Paper Title Page Checklist Before turning in a psychology paper, it's helpful to use these questions as a checklist to ensure that the title page is correct: Does the title page contain a title, the author's name and institutional affiliation, a running head (not required on a student paper), and a page number?Is the title clear and specific, and does it accurately describe what the research paper is about?Is the running head in uppercase format and no longer than 50 characters in length?Is the title, author's name, and institutional affiliation centered on the page and double-spaced? If all of these questions can be answered with a 'yes,' then the title page is properly formatted using APA format. How to Cite Sources in APA Citation Format 3 Sources Verywell Mind uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read our editorial process to learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy. American Psychological Association. Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association, Seventh Edition (2020). American Psychological Association. Title page setup. APA Style. American Psychological Association. Page header. APA Style. By Kendra Cherry, MSEd Kendra Cherry, MS, is a psychosocial rehabilitation specialist, psychology educator, and author of the "Everything Psychology Book." See Our Editorial Process Meet Our Review Board Share Feedback Was this page helpful? Thanks for your feedback! What is your feedback? Helpful Report an Error Other Submit