An APA style cover page is the first page of a paper or essay that follows the American Psychological Association (APA) formatting guidelines. It should be placed at the beginning of the document, before the main body of the text. The cover page should include a running head, the title of the paper, the name of the author(s), and the institutional affiliation of the author(s).
The running head is a shortened version of the title that appears at the top of every page of the document. It should be no more than 50 characters, including spaces, and should be typed in all capital letters.
The title of the paper should be centered on the page and typed in boldface. It should be no more than 12 words long and should accurately and concisely describe the main focus of the paper.
Below the title, the name of the author(s) should be listed. The author's name should be typed in capital and lowercase letters and should be followed by the institutional affiliation, which is the organization the author is affiliated with (e.g., a university, a research organization, etc.).
Here is an example of an APA style cover page:
Running head: EXAMPLE OF A RUNNING HEAD
Title of the Paper
Author's Name Institutional Affiliation
It is important to note that the cover page is not included in the page count of the paper and should not be given a page number.
In addition to the cover page, APA style also has specific guidelines for formatting the rest of the paper, including the font, margins, and headings. It is important to follow these guidelines to ensure that the paper is easy to read and visually appealing.
Overall, the APA style cover page serves as an introduction to the paper and sets the tone for the rest of the document. It should be professional and well-formatted to make a good impression on the reader.
