Creating page titles isn't that difficult, but you'll need to follow specific guidelines, depending on the style guidelines your professor or professor asks for. The three main writing style guidelines are the American Psychological Association (APA) writing style, the Modern Language Association (MLA) writing style, and the Chicago writing style. Check with your professor or professor if you're not sure what style of writing you want, although generally, APA is used in scientific papers, MLA is used in humanitarian papers, and Chicago is used in religious papers.
Step
Method 1 of 3: Creating A WHAT Title Page
Step 1. Leave a line space for your title on the page
Use the Enter key to drop your title down. The title should be typed about 1/3 of the way from the top of the page.
- If your title is very long or has a colon in the middle, you can write it in two lines.
- Eliminate extra words and abbreviations. In the APA style of writing, you need to be as concise as possible.
- Use capital letters for titles. This means that you write down important words, such as nouns, verbs, adverbs, and adjectives in capital letters. However, you should not capitalize words that are not important, such as articles (a, an, and the), prepositions and conjunctions. Basically, you don't capitalize words that have three letters or less, unless they are at the beginning of the title or after a punctuation mark.
Step 2. Write your name under your title
Press the Enter key once. Type your name. You should use your first name, middle initial, and last name. Avoid titles like "Dr."
- If more than one person is responsible for this paper, include all the names of the authors.
- Separate the two names with the word and. Separate three or more names with a comma and place the word and between the last two names.
Step 3. Add your institution
Institution is your university or other organization with which you relate. Basically, you tell the reader where you do most of your research.
- If you have several authors who have the same institution, write the name of the institution after you have listed the names of the authors.
- If you have multiple authors at different institutions, separate the authors' names and write each author's university name under the author's name.
Step 4. Double-space your title page
Block your text. In the paragraph adjustment buttons, under the Home tab in the Word document, select the Line Spacing button. Under the line spacing drop-down menu, select “2”. Your text should now be double-spaced.
Step 5. Center your title horizontally
Block text on the page. At the top of the screen, click the button below the paragraph to center-align your text. This button will move all the text to the center of the screen.
Step 6. Add running headers
The running header is at the top of your paper and always at the top of your paper. On the first page, your header will be Running head: KEYWORDS TITLE. You capitalized the title here.
- Your header is not your full title, but two or three keywords. Generally, headers should be no more than 50 characters long.
- Use your document's running page number to add the page number in the top right corner. You just need to add the numbers, not the "p." or "pg".
- To add a header in the new word processing system, double-click on the header area at the top of the page. You won't be able to see the area until you click on it. However, just double-click near the top of the page, and the header section will appear.
- You should also click Different First Page at the top of the screen because your other header will remove Running head: and only use the title of your paper in capital letters.
Step 7. Use the correct format for your page
Use Times New Roman with size 12. Make sure all your margins are set to 1 inch (2.54 cm).
Method 2 of 3: Creating Page Titles with MLA
Step 1. There is no need to create a title page unless your teacher requires you to use a title page
The MLA format does not require you to use titles. That way, unless your teacher asks for a title page, you just need to center your title on the first page of your paper and start your text below it.
- If you're creating a title page, be sure to include your name, your teacher's name, your course, and the date. Leave a double space between the title and the information you just entered at the top left.
- You also use a header that includes the last name and page number on the same line to the right of the page.
Step 2. Press Enter
Again, you want to start at 1/3 of the way from the top of the page. Type the title of your paper. Type the title on one line, even if the title has subtitles separated by semicolons. If the title is too long to be a single line, divide the title by the semicolon. Write the title in capital letters. That is, you only write the words that are important in capital letters.
Step 3. Write your name under the title
Leave one line space (leaving one blank line), and write by. Below that, write your name.
- If there are two authors, separate the author's name with the word and.
- If there are more than two authors, separate the authors' names with a comma and use the word and between the last two names.
Step 4. Move to the bottom of the page
You have three rows at the bottom, and the bottom row must be just above the border. In the top row, write the name of your class. Below that, include the name of your professor. Below that, write the date.
Step 5. Center the text horizontally
Block text on the page. Under the paragraph adjustment buttons, select the button that aligns the text.
Step 6. Use the format for your title page
Your title page, like any other page in your paper, should have a 1-inch (2.54 cm) border on all sides. You should also use a legible typeface, such as Times New Roman at size 12.
Method 3 of 3: Using the Chicago Format to Create a Title Page
Step 1. Type your title about 1/3 of the way from the top of the page
Press Enter until you reach 1/3 of the way to the top of the page. Type your title in capital letters. Try to write the title on one line, unless the title has a subtitle. The title must use a colon at the end if the title has a subtitle below it.
Step 2. Press Enter
Move your cursor down at least four or five lines. This section of the title page will start from the bottom half of the page.
Step 3. Write down your name, class information, and date
Type your name. Press the Enter key, and type in your class information. Below that, add the date.
- Write down the name of the month. However, the date and year in English must be written in numeric format and separated by commas.
- Here is an example: February 1, 2013.
Step 4. Center the text
Block text on the page. Under the paragraph adjustment buttons, select the button that aligns the text.
Step 5. Use formatting for your text
Use a 1 to 1 1/2 inch (2.54 cm to 3.81 cm) border, which should also be used throughout your paper. Make sure your type of writing is legible. Chicago recommends Times New Roman or Palatino at size 12 although you can also use a smaller font size of 10.
