Running head: HOW TO SET UP A COVER PAGE
How to Set Up a Cover Page in APA Format
Your Name
School Name or Class
Author Note
This is generally not needed for a paper turned in for a class. This is used for
manuscripts being submitted to professional journals.
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HOW TO SET UP A COVER PAGE
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How to Set Up a Cover Page in APA Format
There are a few tools on your word processor that can make preparing your cover letter
very simple. These instructions are based on Microsoft Word 2003 or higher. Other word
processors may have different methods of producing these effects.
The Header
This first thing you need to have is the header. APA has a very strict format on how the
header should be. If you look at this sample here, you will notice that the header on the cover
page is different from the header on the second page. On the cover page the header should
always read “Running head: SHORT VERSION OF YOUR TITLE IN ALL CAPS” starting on
the left margin. The page number goes on the right margin.
The Running Head
In Word, open your header. This can be done either by double clicking in the topmost
part of the page or by going to the Insert tab, clicking Header, and choosing Blank. Once in the
header section the first thing you need to click is Different First Page.
HOW TO SET UP A COVER PAGE
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What this does is allow you to have one header on the first page, which will be your cover page,
and another header for the rest of the paper. Once that is clicked, you can put in your running
head on the left margin.
The Page Number
The second thing your header needs is the page number. Once you’ve typed in your
running head, tab over. It should take two or three tabs and Word will automatically send your
cursor to the right margin. There you will insert your page number. It is important to choose the
correct one, because several page numbers will delete anything in the header when they are
placed. What you want is the one labeled Current Position, then Plain Number. This will put the
page number where your cursor is with no lines or fancy markings.
You will have to repeat typing your header for the second page, as it will be blank. The
rest of the paper only receives “SHORT TILE IN ALL CAPS” on the left margin and the page
number on the right.
The Center
In the center of the cover page you will have three pieces of information on separate,
double-spaced lines. On the first line will be your full title. It should be written normally with
each word capped except for prepositions, articles, and conjunctions unless they begin the title.
HOW TO SET UP A COVER PAGE
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If you have a subheading you may place it on the next line or allow the title to continue on and
break normally. The next line should be your name. If it is a group project, it should have all the
names separated by commas with an “and” before the final name. The last line is the affiliation.
For a paper for class, this is generally the course name, though it can also simply be the school’s
full name.
Author Note
As it says in the sample above, for a class assignment an author’s note is not needed
unless specifically requested by the teacher. It is used for publications in academic journals. If
you need to know more about the author note for submission to an academic journal, please refer
to the Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association.