The University of Southern Mississippi Libraries

Section 2. Formatting Your Paper

The Title Page
The rules of APA require a paper to have a title page. The title page should include 4 things:

A page number (and abbreviated title or "Running Head") - Your page number will appear in the upper right hand corner of each page with an abbreviated version of your title known as a "Running Header."
A running header title - This is the abbreviated version of your title that will appear next to your page number in the upper right corner on each page. The running header title should be aligned "left," all caps and no more than 50 characters.
The title of your paper - You should have a simple title centered on the page that explains your paper in 10 to 12 words.
Your name and the name of your school - This should be double spaced and centered directly below your title.

Line Spacing, Margins and Font
Your paper must be double spaced and APA recommends using 1" margins and a 12pt Times Roman font.
Click here to view and print more detailed directions for formatting a title page (Microsoft Word) or continue below.

Title page of a sample paper

True or false: When you set up a paper in APA format, you must have a title page.

True

False