APA Style: 2.3 Title Page (p. 30). How to Format the Title Page in Professional Version (not student version).

First of all, here is a sample of the APA Style title page in professional version.

Components of the Title Page

Title
Byline (author’s name)
Institutional affiliation
Author note
Running head and page number

How to Format Each Component?

First of all, open MS Word and keep most of the default settings, including the font (Calibri (Body); No need to stick to Times New Roman 12).

1. Title

[Format]
1. Write in a standard font.
2. Title Case, bold, centered, and no period.
3. Positioned in the upper half of the page.
  1. Some related options:
    1. Locate the title three or four lines down from the top margin of the page.
      1. Move the title up if necessary for a long author note.
    2. If the title is longer than one line, the main title and the subtitle can be separated on double-spaced lines if desired.
4. Include one blank double-spaced line after the title and before the byline.
5. Note that the title of the manuscript also appears at the top of the first page of text (i.e., page 3).
[Contents of the Title]
- APA manual p. 31: It “should identify the variables or theoretical issues under investigation and the relationship between them.”
  - [Star Q] “What would be the key variables to be included in the title, especially when you conduct an experiment?”
  - [Star A] “The independent and dependent variables.”
- Avoid words that serve no purpose:
  - For example, Method, results, A study of, or An Experimental Investigation of.
    - [Star Q] “Why would these seemingly-fundamental words serve no purpose?”
    - [Star A] “Most research would have the above-mentioned components. Therefore they don’t provide unique information about the study.”
- No abbreviations: Spell out all terms.
- Length: There is no prescribed limit for title length. But keep titles focused and succinct.

2. Byline (the Line With Author’s Name)

[Format]
1. Placed after one blank double-spaced line below the title of the manuscript.
2. Write in standard font.
3. Centered.
4. First name without a comma, followed by middle name initial(s) with a period, followed by last name (without a period or any other titles).
5. Separate the suffix (e.g., Jr., if there is any) from the rest of the name with a space instead of a comma.
  1. (e.g. Roland J. Thrope Jr.)
[Content]
1. If the paper has multiple authors, order the names of the authors according to their contributions.
2. For two authors, separate the names with the word “and” but without a comma before the and.
  - For example, Michael Jackson and Paul Lima
3. For three or more authors, separate the names with commas and include “and” before the final author’s name.

3. Institutional Affiliation

[Format]
1. Begin the affiliation(s) on a new line right after the byline (the line with author names).
2. Do not add blank lines between the byline and the first affiliation.
3. For academic affiliations, include the name of any department or division and the name of the institution, separated by a comma (e.g., Department of Psychological Science, Kennesaw State University), and it is not necessary to include the location of the institution (unless the location is part of the institution’s name).
4. Place different affiliations on their own lines.
5. Do not add blank lines between affiliations.

How to Connect Author Names and Affiliations

When there are two or more authors with different affiliations (even if only the department is different within the same university)
- Use superscription Arabic numerals after each author’s surname (last name) without a space between the name and the numeral.
- When a paper has three or more authors and thus commas appear after author names, put the numeral after the surname and before the comma.
- Put a corresponding superscript numeral before the corresponding affiliation with a space between the numeral and the start of the affiliation.
- List authors’ affiliations in the order the authors appear in the byline.
When an author has multiple affiliations and therefore needs multiple superscripts
- Separate the superscripts using a comma and space.
When some authors share an affiliation
- List the affiliation once and reuse the superscript numeral in the byline.
If the paper has only one author, or if the multiple authors share the same affiliations
- Superscript numerals are not used.

4. Author Note

[Format]
- Overall Format: Place the author note in the bottom half of the title page, below the title, byline, and affiliation.
  - (In the above example, I placed the label Author Note at the 10th line from the bottom. No specific position is defined in APA manual)
- Format of the label “Author Note”
  - Leave at least one blank line between the affiliation and the label.
  - Center (but not the contents).
  - Bold (but not the contents).
  - Use the capital letter N for the Note (i.e., not note).
    - Do not italicize.
    - No punctuation mark at the end of the label
    - Do not place a blank line below the label, Author Note
- Format of the Contents
  - There are four components in Author Note.
    - Arrange the four components into separate paragraphs.
      - Even if each component is shorter than a line.
    - Start each of the paragraphs in a separate line.
    - Align the paragraphs to the left (Do not center any paragraphs).
    - Indent each paragraph (i.e., hit the tab key at the beginning for indentation).
[Contents]
1. 1st paragraph: Author’s name, ORCID iD icon (or symbol), the full URL for the ORCID iD (see the example above).
2. 2nd paragraph: Changes of Affiliation.
3. 3rd paragraph: Disclosures and Acknowledgments.
4. 4th paragraph: Contact Information.

1. First paragraph: ORCID iDs.
- Author’s name, the ORCID iD symbol, and the full URL for the ORCID iD.
  - Here’s the ORCID iD symbol:
    - For more information about this symbol, see How to copy and insert ORCID iD symbol in Word?
  - Include only the names of authors who have ORCID iDs.
  - If no authors have the iDs, then, omit this paragraph.

2. Second paragraph: Changes of Affiliation (if there are any).
- Use the following wording: “[Author’s name] is now at [affiliation].”

3. Third paragraph: Disclosures and Acknowledgments.
- [Format]
  - If the disclosures and acknowledgments are short, combine them into one paragraph; if they are long, separate them into multiple paragraphs.
    - APA manual did not define what is short or long.
- [Contents]
  1. Study Registration: If the study was registered, provide the registry name and document entry number.
    1. Clinical trials and meta-analyses are often registered.
      1. For example, write “this study was registered with webpage name (identifier ##).”
  2. Open Practices and Data Sharing: If the study data and/or materials are to be shared openly as part of the publication, acknowledge it. The cited dataset in the author note should be included in the reference list.
  3. Disclosure of Related Reports and Conflicts of Interest: If the article is based on data used in a previously published report, disclose this information and include an in-text citation. Then, include the cited studies in the reference list.
    - For example,
      - “This article is based on data published in Pulaski (2017)…”
      - “This article is based on the dissertation completed by Graham (2018)”
    - Also, acknowledge the publication of related reports (e.g., reports on the same data).
  4. In addition, indicate whether any author has a possible or perceived conflict of interest.
    - If not, state that no conflict of interest exists.
    - For example,
      - “We have no conflicts of interest to disclose.”
      - In many cases, this could be the only acknowledgment.
  5. Acknowledgments of Financial Support and other Assistance.
    1. Report the names of all funding organizations; all grant, fellowship, or award numbers and/or names; the names of the funding recipients; and the names of principal investigators (if any) for the funded research.
      1. Do not precede grant numbers by “No.” or “#.”
    2. Acknowledge colleagues who assisted in conducting the study or critiquing the manuscript.
    3. Other options that can be considered.
      1. Study participants may be acknowledged for exceptional contributions if desired.
      2. Provide any thanks for personal assistance, such as in manuscript preparation or copyediting.
      3. End this third paragraph by explaining any special agreements concerning authorship, such as an equal contribution of the authors to the study.
    4. Do not acknowledge the routinely-involved people in publication (e.g., editors, peer reviewers).
      - A specific idea raised by a reviewer or editor can be acknowledged in a footnote in the text where the idea is discussed.

4. Fourth paragraph: Contact Information.
- Full name of the corresponding author, comma, complete mailing address, period, followed by email address without a period after the email address.
  - Here is an example:
  - Correspondence concerning this article should be addressed to [corresponding author’s name as in the byline], [complete mailing address]. Email: author@institution.edu
  - More specific example is here:
  -  Correspondence concerning this article should be addressed to Bayley Enlow, Department of Psychological Science, Kennesaw State University, 1000 Chastain Rd NW, Kennesaw, GA 30144. E-mail: dinlow11@students.kennesaw.edu

Note that all the pages of a manuscript (including the title page) should have a running head and page number.

-The End-