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Important Elements

Choosing a Title

Formatting Guidelines

Professional Papers

Title Page Checklist

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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 properAPA formatwhen submitting these writings.

Important Psychology Title Page Elements

A psychology paper’s title page should contain certain key elements. Important elements to include are:

Choosing a Psychology Paper Title

One of the most difficult tasks whenwriting a psychology paperis 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 ExamplesAn 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

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 andexperimental 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 recommended format is first name, middle initial(s), and last name. Do not include titles or degrees, such as Dr. or PhD.

School Affiliation

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.

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.

June Callaway

Department of Psychology, University of Ohio

PSYCH 101: Introduction to General Psychology

Dr. Ashana Lee

September 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:

Formatting Professional Psychology Papers

The APA’s guidelines are slightly different for papers intended for publication inprofessional psychology journals. In addition to the basic elements included in a title page, a professional paper should also include:

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:

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 SourcesVerywell Mind uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto 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.

3 Sources

Verywell Mind uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto 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.

Verywell Mind uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto 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.

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.

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