How to write a cover page for a college research paper

Making a cover page for your college research paper can be simple when you keep in mind a few factors to help you incorporate pertinent details. One main element to remember is to follow guidelines and instructions presented by your school when it comes to formatting your cover page. If research paper is written using Chicago style or APA formatting styles, chances are you need a cover page when presenting your paper. The contents of your cover page may vary depending on the formatting style your paper follows.

Cover Pages for APA Format Style Research Papers

The title may appear in the center of the page with the first letter being capitalize for each word included. The information presented on the page may not need to be in italics, and other aspects such as bold print or quotations do not need to be included. Details such as the author, instructor name, course name, and due date of the paper should appear toward the bottom of the page but centered. In the upper-right corner of the page the title may appear but as a shortened version. This is also known as a summary of the title in a few words (about 3 to 5 words roughly). A page number may appear next to it as a roman numeral.

Cover Pages for Chicago Format Style Research Papers

Roughly ten lines down the page your title should appear. The first letter of each main word should have a capital letter (also known as written in title case). The title should be centered without special technicalities such as boldface or italics. About five lines down the author of the paper’s name should appear. The name should be centered and include the first and last name. At the bottom an appearing on separate lines, the information such as the due date, instructor name, and course name should appear.

Additional Information to Help Your Create Your Cover Page

Seek sample cover pages based on the formatting style you are required to follow. This may help in distinguishing differences in how your information should appear on the page and what to include. This process may only take you a few minutes once you understand how it should appear. Basic information about your research paper is place on the cover page; it is just a matter of knowing how to space your content and in what order the information appears.