Where Do You Put Your Name In APA Format? | Name Placement

If you’ve ever stared at an APA title page and thought, “Okay… where does my name actually go?” you’re not alone. APA has a clean, repeatable layout, but small placement errors can cost points. The good news: once you learn the pattern, you can set it up in under a minute and reuse it for every paper.

This article shows the exact spot for your name, how that spot changes between student and professional papers, and the little formatting details instructors tend to notice.

What APA Style Means For Your Name

In APA Style, your name is part of the title page content. It’s not placed in a header, not dropped into the first paragraph, and not repeated on every page. APA treats your name as an “author line,” and it lives in one predictable area of the first page.

Student Paper Vs Professional Paper

APA has two common setups:

• Student paper title page: used for most class assignments.
• Professional paper title page: used for journal-style submissions and some upper-level courses.

Your name is still centered under the title in both setups. The difference is what comes next and whether an author note appears.

“Your Name” Means Your Real Author Name

Use the name your instructor expects to see on graded work. In most cases, that’s your first name and last name. Middle initials can be used if you use them consistently across coursework, but don’t add extra labels like “Student” or “Submitted by.”

If a paper has more than one author, APA places each author on the title page too. You don’t hide coauthors in a footer, and you don’t stack names randomly. There’s a standard way to list multiple people, which you’ll see later.

Where Do You Put Your Name In APA Format?

Your name goes on the title page, centered, in the same font as the rest of your paper, one double-spaced line below the paper title. That’s the core rule.

Here’s the layout you can picture as a simple vertical stack:

1. Paper title (centered, bold)
2. Your name (centered, regular font)
3. Institution or affiliation (centered)
4. Course number and name (student papers)
5. Instructor name (student papers)
6. Due date (student papers)

The spacing matters as much as the order. APA title pages use double spacing throughout the stack. Don’t add extra blank lines between items and don’t compress lines to “fit it all.”

Exact Placement On The Page

Most instructors want the title page content in the upper half of the page, not glued to the top margin and not floating near the bottom. In word processors, the easiest way to get the placement right is to:

• Set the whole document to double spacing.
• Type the title page stack at the top of page 1.
• Press Enter only to create the normal double-spaced lines between items.
• Use “Center” alignment for the whole stack.

If your instructor says “center the title page content vertically,” follow that class direction. If they don’t, keep it in the upper half, clean and readable.

What To Do With Suffixes, Multiple Last Names, Or Preferred Names

Use your name as you submit it for class records, with the spelling you want on the paper. If you have a suffix (like Jr.), keep it with the last name. If you use two last names, keep them together as you normally write them. The goal is clear authorship, not decoration.

How Multiple Authors Work

Group projects often trip people up. In APA, all author names appear on the title page, each on its own line, centered. If everyone shares the same school, the affiliation line can come once after the names. If affiliations differ, group the authors with their matching affiliations based on your instructor’s direction.

Keep names in a consistent format. Don’t mix “First Last” with “Last, First” on the title page.

Common Name Placement Mistakes That Lose Points

Most title page errors come from habits picked up from other formats. Here are the ones instructors spot fast:

• Putting your name in the header (APA does not use your name as a running header for most student work).
• Placing your name above the title (APA puts the title first, then the author line).
• Using a “by” line like “By Jane Smith” (APA uses just the name).
• Switching to single spacing on the title page to make it look “neater.”
• Changing the font on the title page only (APA expects consistent formatting across pages).

Fixing these takes seconds. Spot them once and you’re set for the semester.

Student Title Page Setup Step By Step

A student title page is the version most people need. It’s also the easiest, because you’re building a simple stack of centered lines.

Step 1: Set The Document Defaults

Before you type the title page, set these basics:

• 1-inch margins on all sides
• Double spacing for the full document
• A readable APA-approved font across the full document
• Page number in the header (top right)

Then start your title page text in the body area of page 1. Don’t type your name inside the header box.

Step 2: Add The Centered Title And Author Line

Type your paper title in bold, centered. On the next double-spaced line, type your name in regular font, centered. That’s the part most people are asking about, and it’s the anchor for everything else on the title page.

Step 3: Add The Course Details Under The Affiliation

After your name, add your school. Then add your course number and course name. Then add your instructor’s name. Then add the due date. Keep each item on its own centered line.

If your instructor uses a different set of required lines, match their list, but keep the core placement rule for your name: centered, directly under the title.

If you want the official wording and examples, APA’s own layout page is the cleanest reference. The APA Style title page rules show how the author line fits into the student setup.

Professional Title Page Differences

A professional title page still places your name under the title, centered. The difference is what comes after the affiliation and whether the paper includes an author note.

Affiliation In Professional Papers

Professional papers usually use an institutional affiliation like a department and university or an organization name. If you’re writing outside a school context, the affiliation can be your organization. If no affiliation applies, follow your instructor’s direction.

Author Note Placement

Some professional papers include an author note, which appears on the title page as a separate block. That note is not where you “put your name.” Your name stays under the title. The author note provides extra details like ORCID, disclosures, or correspondence info when required.

APA’s guidance on paper elements and formatting is also summarized in their student and professional paper overview. The APA Style paper format guidance helps you confirm which title page version your assignment expects.

Where Your Name Does Not Go In APA

It helps to know the “no” list, since many templates from other formats push your name into places APA doesn’t use.

Running Head Or Page Header

Most student papers use only the page number in the header. Some instructors also ask for a shortened title in the header, but your name still stays off the header. If your class has a special header rule, follow it, but don’t treat it as a substitute for the title page author line.

Abstract Page

If your paper includes an abstract, your name does not sit on the abstract page. The abstract page starts with the label “Abstract” and then the abstract text. Your author line remains on page 1 only.

References Page

References pages do not repeat your name at the top. The page begins with “References” as a centered heading, then the list of sources. If you see a template that includes your name on every page, it’s not following the standard APA layout used in most coursework.

In-Text Citations

Your name is not used as a stand-in for citations. Citations name the authors of the sources you used. Your own paper is the container, not a source inside itself.

Title Page Line Order And Spacing At A Glance

The fastest way to check your layout is to compare your title page against a simple checklist of lines. Use the table below to confirm each line and where it sits in the stack.

Title Page Line	What Goes There	Formatting Check
Paper Title	Your full paper title	Centered, bold, title case is common
Author Line	Your name	Centered, regular font, one line under title
Affiliation	School or organization	Centered, regular font, next line down
Course	Course number and course name	Centered, student papers only unless assigned
Instructor	Instructor name	Centered, student papers only unless assigned
Due Date	Date your paper is due	Centered, use the format your class uses
Page Number	1	Header, top right, not part of the centered stack
Author Note	Extra author details when required	Separate block on title page in many professional papers

Name Placement In Google Docs, Microsoft Word, And Canva Templates

The placement rule stays the same across tools. The tool just changes the clicks.

Microsoft Word

In Word, most problems come from typing into the header by accident. Put the page number in the header first, then click back into the main page body. Center-align the title page stack and type the title, then your name one line below it.

If you use a template, scan it for hidden spacing. Templates often add extra paragraph spacing after each line, which makes your title page drift. Set “Spacing After” to 0 pt for the title page lines if your stack looks too spread out.

Google Docs

In Google Docs, set the whole document to double spacing, then build the title page stack with centered alignment. Add the page number through Insert → Page numbers, then return to the page body to type the title and your name.

Docs also has a “line spacing” menu that can sneak in extra space after paragraphs. If your title page looks like it has random gaps, select the title page text and set custom spacing so the lines behave like a true double-spaced stack.

Canva And Other Design-First Templates

Canva templates can look clean but often break APA layout rules. If you use one, treat it like a visual shell only. Make sure the author line is still centered under the title and that spacing is consistent. Many Canva title pages use single spacing or decorative fonts, which instructors often mark down fast.

Quick Fixes When Your Title Page Looks “Off”

If your name is in the right spot but the page still feels wrong, the culprit is usually spacing settings, not your typing.

Fix 1: Remove Extra Paragraph Spacing

Word processors often add space after paragraphs by default. On a title page, that creates a stretched stack. Select the title page lines and set paragraph spacing so the stack uses only double spacing, not double spacing plus extra gaps.

Fix 2: Confirm You’re Centering The Text, Not The Whole Page

Center alignment is correct for the stack, but vertical centering can shift the content too far down if you turn on “Center vertically” in page layout settings. If your instructor didn’t ask for vertical centering, keep the stack in the upper half with normal top margin behavior.

Fix 3: Keep Font And Size Consistent

Title pages sometimes look mismatched when the title is in a different font than the rest of the paper. APA expects consistency. If your instructor doesn’t specify a font, pick an APA-accepted font and use it across the whole document, title page included.

Submission Checklist For Name Placement And APA Title Page

This final scan takes less than two minutes and catches the stuff graders circle in red.

Check	What To Verify	Fast Fix
Name Position	Your name is centered under the bold title	Move it to the next double-spaced line after the title
Header Content	Header has page number only (unless class says otherwise)	Remove your name from the header box
Spacing	Title page stack uses true double spacing	Set paragraph spacing after to 0 and keep line spacing at double
Alignment	All title page lines are centered	Select the stack and apply center alignment once
Required Lines	Course, instructor, and due date are present for student work	Add missing lines under affiliation
Multiple Authors	Each author is on a separate centered line	Stack names line-by-line, then place affiliation below
Page 2 Start	Main text starts on page 2 (unless your instructor says otherwise)	Insert a page break after the title page

One Last Sanity Check Before You Hit Submit

Ask yourself one simple question: if someone removed the header entirely and only looked at page 1, could they still tell who wrote the paper? If your name is centered directly under the title, the answer is yes. That’s the whole point of the APA author line.

Once you’ve set it up correctly once, save that file as a template. Next time, you’ll only change the title, your name (if needed), and the class lines. The layout stays the same.