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How to Write an Essay Cover Page

What you include in your cover page depends slightly on which citation style you are using, but the rules are generally the same.

Guide Overview

• APA cover pages
• MLA cover pages

For APA cover pages:

Include the title of the paper, running head, the author’s name, institutional affiliation, and an author’s note.

Here is an example of a cover page in APA:

For MLA cover pages:

Cover pages are not as frequently used in MLA format, as the inclusion of headers is preferred.

A header looks like this:

Cover pages can include the name of your school, your paper title, your name, your course name, your teacher or professor’s name, and the due date of the paper. If you are unsure of what to include, check with your instructor.

Here is an example of a cover page in MLA format:

For more help making cover or title pages, visit our title page generator   here.

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Make a research paper cover sheet with Adobe Express.

Wow your professors and keep your research paper or thesis looking sharp with a fully customizable research cover page. Choose from thousands of professional-looking, editable templates to start with, then click and drag your favorite fonts, icons, and images to make it your own. When you’re finished, download and share it electronically or print it out.

How to make a research paper cover.

Impress your professors and classmates.

Whether you’re creating a research paper cover sheet or searching for some inspiration to draft up a master's thesis defense presentation, we’ve got you covered with thousands of customizable templates. Drag and drop your favorite icons and graphics or get recommended fonts and color palettes curated just for your design. Discover how fast it is to create impressive cover sheets and presentations with Adobe Express.

Let Adobe Express be your go-to app for cover pages.

The cover page is the first step in letting your readers know what your research is about and who wrote it. Adobe Express lets you make a great first impression on professors, teachers, and peers with easy-to-use editing tools and the ability to simultaneously produce print and electronic versions of your work. You can print out your full-color page in any size or download it as a PDF, JPEG, or PNG.

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What’s Included: The Dissertation Template

If you’re preparing to write your dissertation, thesis or research project, our free dissertation template is the perfect starting point. In the template, we cover every section step by step, with clear, straightforward explanations and examples .

The template’s structure is based on the tried and trusted best-practice format for formal academic research projects such as dissertations and theses. The template structure reflects the overall research process, ensuring your dissertation or thesis will have a smooth, logical flow from chapter to chapter.

The dissertation template covers the following core sections:

• The title page/cover page
• Abstract (sometimes also called the executive summary)
• Table of contents
• List of figures /list of tables
• Chapter 1: Introduction  (also available: in-depth introduction template )
• Chapter 2: Literature review  (also available: in-depth LR template )
• Chapter 3: Methodology (also available: in-depth methodology template )
• Chapter 4: Research findings /results (also available: results template )
• Chapter 5: Discussion /analysis of findings (also available: discussion template )
• Chapter 6: Conclusion (also available: in-depth conclusion template )
• Reference list

Each section is explained in plain, straightforward language , followed by an overview of the key elements that you need to cover within each section. We’ve also included practical examples to help you understand exactly what’s required in each section.

The cleanly-formatted Google Doc can be downloaded as a fully editable MS Word Document (DOCX format), so you can use it as-is or convert it to LaTeX.

FAQs: Dissertation Template

What format is the template (doc, pdf, ppt, etc.).

The dissertation template is provided as a Google Doc. You can download it in MS Word format or make a copy to your Google Drive. You’re also welcome to convert it to whatever format works best for you, such as LaTeX or PDF.

What types of dissertations/theses can this template be used for?

The template follows the standard best-practice structure for formal academic research projects such as dissertations or theses, so it is suitable for the vast majority of degrees, particularly those within the sciences.

Some universities may have some additional requirements, but these are typically minor, with the core structure remaining the same. Therefore, it’s always a good idea to double-check your university’s requirements before you finalise your structure.

Will this work for a research paper?

A research paper follows a similar format, but there are a few differences. You can find our research paper template here .

Is this template for an undergrad, Masters or PhD-level thesis?

This template can be used for a dissertation, thesis or research project at any level of study. It may be slight overkill for an undergraduate-level study, but it certainly won’t be missing anything.

How long should my dissertation/thesis be?

This depends entirely on your university’s specific requirements, so it’s best to check with them. As a general ballpark, Masters-level projects are usually 15,000 – 20,000 words in length, while Doctoral-level projects are often in excess of 60,000 words.

What about the research proposal?

If you’re still working on your research proposal, we’ve got a template for that here .

We’ve also got loads of proposal-related guides and videos over on the Grad Coach blog .

How do I write a literature review?

We have a wealth of free resources on the Grad Coach Blog that unpack how to write a literature review from scratch. You can check out the literature review section of the blog here.

How do I create a research methodology?

We have a wealth of free resources on the Grad Coach Blog that unpack research methodology, both qualitative and quantitative. You can check out the methodology section of the blog here.

Can I share this dissertation template with my friends/colleagues?

Yes, you’re welcome to share this template. If you want to post about it on your blog or social media, all we ask is that you reference this page as your source.

Can Grad Coach help me with my dissertation/thesis?

Within the template, you’ll find plain-language explanations of each section, which should give you a fair amount of guidance. However, you’re also welcome to consider our dissertation and thesis coaching services .

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Trapped in dissertation revisions?

Sample dissertation cover page + how to, published by steve tippins on may 26, 2020 may 26, 2020.

Last Updated on: 2nd February 2024, 05:43 am

If you’re wondering about making your dissertation cover page, chances are you’re nearing the final stretch of your doctoral journey. Congratulations!

Luckily, making your title page is one of the simplest tasks you’ll have to complete. Generally speaking, there’s a template your institution will use and you just have to fill in your information.

Making a Dissertation Cover Page Is Simple (Keep it That Way)

The inner artist in you might want to make your dissertation cover page beautiful: printed in color, maybe with pictures, or with an interesting font or design. However, you’re going to be limited by your university. 

Pretty much every university that I’ve come across has a template and guidelines that you must follow for your dissertation cover page. You may just be filling in things like your title, name, your university’s name, maybe your committee members’ names, and not much more. You won’t have much (if any) creative license.

The advantage of this is, by the time you get to that stage, you may be tired of writing and it will be easier to follow directions than to come up with something creative. Your dissertation cover page doesn’t need to be a work of art. It just needs to convey what the dissertation is about.

Dissertation Cover Page: The Title

The aspect of your dissertation cover page that you have the most control over is the title . It’s also the most important to get right. 

The main thing to remember is, keep the title simple . It should simply tell a person what they’re going to read in the document. Don’t try to intrigue people or be too clever, just tell them directly. Having a straightforward title helps your committee approve your dissertation more quickly.

Over 50% of doctoral candidates don’t finish their dissertations.

Your title should include relevant information that gives the reader a complete picture of what your study was about. Generally speaking, you’ll want to cover a few specific areas.

Quantitative Title Requirements

• Type of relationship between variables.
• Key variables (independent and dependent).
• Population.

Qualitative Title Requirements

• Central conceptual issue investigated.
• Qualitative tradition applied.
• Participant group.

See this article for a more in-depth discussion of choosing your dissertation’s title .

Sample Dissertation Cover Page

Your dissertation cover page should look something like this:

While each university has slightly different requirements, generally speaking, a dissertation cover page looks something like this, above. The required sections are as follows:

A Dissertation

Submitted to XXXXX University

Graduate Faculty of the School of XXXXXXXX

in Partial Fulfillment of the 

Requirements for the Degree of 

DOCTOR OF XXXXXXXXXX

City, State (of the university)

Final Thoughts

While your dissertation title page doesn’t have to be fancy, it’s important that it aligns with your university’s requirements. Take a look at their rubric and, if needed, look at completed dissertations’ title pages as well. If all else fails, ask your mentor for help.

Once you’ve finished this, pat yourself on the back. You’re almost done!

PS. Need support getting through the final stages of your dissertation, or moving into the world of your career? As a dissertation coach and career coach , I’ve helped countless students achieve their dreams. Let’s achieve yours. Book a free 30-minute consultation today.

Steve Tippins

Steve Tippins, PhD, has thrived in academia for over thirty years. He continues to love teaching in addition to coaching recent PhD graduates as well as students writing their dissertations. Learn more about his dissertation coaching and career coaching services. Book a Free Consultation with Steve Tippins

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APA Title Page (Cover Page) Format, Example, & Templates

Saul Mcleod, PhD

Editor-in-Chief for Simply Psychology

BSc (Hons) Psychology, MRes, PhD, University of Manchester

Saul Mcleod, PhD., is a qualified psychology teacher with over 18 years of experience in further and higher education. He has been published in peer-reviewed journals, including the Journal of Clinical Psychology.

Learn about our Editorial Process

Olivia Guy-Evans, MSc

Associate Editor for Simply Psychology

BSc (Hons) Psychology, MSc Psychology of Education

Olivia Guy-Evans is a writer and associate editor for Simply Psychology. She has previously worked in healthcare and educational sectors.

On This Page:

In APA Style (7th edition), the cover page, or title page, should include:

• A running head (professional papers only) and page number
• The title of the paper
• The name of the author(s)
• The institutional affiliation
• An author note; optional (professional papers only)
• A student paper should also include course information

Note : APA 7 provides slightly different directions for formatting the title pages of professional papers (e.g., those intended for scholarly publication) and student papers (e.g., those turned in for credit in a high school or college course).

Professional paper APA title page

Student paper APA title page

Formatting an APA title page

Note : All text on the title page should be double-spaced and typed in either 12-point, Times New Roman font. In the 7th edition, APA increaded the flexibility regarding font options: which now include Calibri 11, Arial 11, Lucida Sans Unicode 10, Times New Roman 12, or Georgia 11. All words should be centered, and capitalize the first letter of important words.

Running Head

In the 7th edition of the APA style manual, running heads are only required for professional papers that are being submitted for publication (student papers do not require a running head, but still need a page number).

Your title page should contain a running head that is flush left at the top of the page and a page number that is flush right at the top of the page.

Place the running head in the page’s header:

• The running head is the abbreviated title of the paper (IN UPPERCASE LETTERS) aligned left on the page header of all pages, including the title page. APA (7th edition) guidelines require that running heads be a maximum of 50 characters (spaces count as characters).
• The “Running head:” label used in the APA sixth edition is no longer used.
• Place the page number in this same header, but align right, beginning with page number 1 on the title page.
• This header should be 1 inch from the top. Some instructors allow for 1/2 inch, too, but the default is 1 inch.

Paper Title

Position the title of the paper in the upper half of the page. The title should be centered and written in boldface, and important words should be capitalized.

The APA recommends that your title should be a maximum of 12 words and should not contain abbreviations or words that serve no purpose.

Author Name(s)

Institutional affiliation.

Position the school or university’s name below the author(s) name, centered.

A student paper should also include the course number and name, instructor name, and assignment due date.

Further Information

• APA Student Title Page Guide
• APA Referencing
• How to Write a Lab Report
• Essay Writing Guide for Psychology Students
• APA Style Citations & References
• Example of an APA Formatted Paper

How-To Geek

How to create custom cover pages in microsoft word.

A great cover page draws in readers.

Quick Links

How to add a ready-to-use cover page to your word document, how to create a custom cover page in microsoft word.

A great cover page draws in readers. If you use Microsoft Word, you're in luck, because Word has ready to use cover pages. But did you know that Word also lets you create custom cover pages? Here's how to use both.

Word includes some cover page templates you can insert and then customize a bit if you need a quick cover page for your document.

To find them, switch over to the "Insert" tab on Word's Ribbon and then click the "Cover Page" button. (If your window isn't maximized, you might see a "Pages" button instead. Click that to show the "Cover Page" button.)

On the drop-down menu, click the cover page you want to use.

You can now add your document title, subtitle, date, and other information, as well as change the design up a bit if you want.

Creating a cover page from a template is easy enough, but if you don't like any of the built-in designs, you can create your own. You can do this on an existing document, but it's easiest to start with a blank document. We're going to be saving the custom cover page so that you can quickly insert it into an existing document anyway.

You can create your cover page using pretty much any of Word's tools. You can add a background color, picture, or texture . You can also position those elements how you want and even apply Word's text wrapping tools to them.  Make it look however you want.

When it comes to content, you have a couple of options. You can just type the text you want, but that wouldn't make it much of a template unless you want the same text on the cover page every time you use it.

Instead, you can use Word's Quick Parts feature to add document properties to the document. To do that, switch over to the "Insert" tab and then click the "Quick Parts" button.

On the drop-down menu, point to the "Document Property" submenu, and you'll see a bunch of different properties you can insert into your document: author, title, company, publish date, and so on. Go ahead and insert whichever properties you want to appear on your title page.

When you're done, you'll have several fields on your page. When you insert your cover page into a document later on, those fields are populated with the actual properties from the document (and you can also edit them on the fly if you want).

They're super plain to start with, but you can treat them like any other text in Word by applying styles and formatting, centering them on the page---whatever. Here, we've centered them on the page, applied the Title style to the title, shifted things down on the page a bit, and inserted a filigree illustration for a little flair. It's not the prettiest cover page around, but it's a good working example.

Now that we've got our cover page the way we want it, it's time to create a cover page template out of it.

First, select everything in the document (that's why we recommend starting this in a blank document) by pressing Ctrl+A. Next, head back to the "Insert" tab and then click that "Cover Page" button again.

This time, choose the "Save Selection to Cover Page Gallery" command from the drop-down menu.

In the window that opens, give your cover page a name and fill out a brief description if you want. Click "OK" when you're done.

Now when you open the "Cover Page" drop-down menu in the future, you'll see your new cover page template in the "General" section. Click to insert it just like you would one of Word's built-in cover pages.

And that's it. Creating custom cover pages for your document is pretty easy once you know where to look. While you're at it, learn a few more quick tips on putting together professional-looking documents in Word .

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How to Write a Thesis in LaTeX (Part 5): Customising Your Title Page and Abstract

Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5

Author: Josh Cassidy (August 2013)

This five-part series of articles uses a combination of video and textual descriptions to teach the basics of writing a thesis using LaTeX. These tutorials were first published on the original ShareLateX blog site during August 2013; consequently, today's editor interface (Overleaf) has changed considerably due to the development of ShareLaTeX and the subsequent merger of ShareLaTeX and Overleaf. However, much of the content is still relevant and teaches you some basic LaTeX—skills and expertise that will apply across all platforms.

In the previous post we looked at adding a bibliography to our thesis using the biblatex package . In this, the final post of the series, we're going to look at customising some of the opening pages. In the first video we made a rather makeshift title page using the \maketitle command and by using an \includegraphics command in the \title command. Although this works, it doesn't give us as much flexibility as we may want.

The Title Page

A much better way to do this is to use the titlepage environment. We'll do this in a separate .tex file and then input it. The first thing we'll do is enclose everything in the title page within the center environment so it's all aligned to the centre. Next we need to instruct L a T e X to leave a gap between the top of the page and the first line of text. To do this we use the \vspace command followed by a length. We also need to add an asterisk into the command to make sure L a T e X doesn't decide to ignore the command. Next we'll add the thesis title in bold font using the \textbf command. To leave a gap between this and the next line of text we use the \vspace command again, this time without the asterisk. Next we'll add in a subtitle followed by some more vertical space and then the author name in bold font. This concludes what we want at the top of the title page—the rest of the content we'll add at the bottom of the title page.

To separate these two sections out we'll use the \vfill command which will automatically add in the amount of vertical space needed for the content to fill the page. Next we'll add in a line of text to specify what degree the thesis is being submitted for. The double backslash is used to create a new line. We'll then add more space before adding in the university logo specifying it's width as a fraction of the text width. Finally we'll add in some information about the university and the date.

Now in the main .tex file we can replace the \maketitle command with an input command linked to our new title page. If we now compile the code we can see all the items have been correctly processed:

However, the text is quite small so we'll go back and change the font sizes. To do this we'll use one of the simple font-sizing commands. There are ten of these to choose from, ranging from smallest to largest they are:

Let's make the title as big as it can be (using these simple commands) by choosing \Huge . We'll then make the subtitle two steps smaller using \large . When we use one of these commands they affect all the text in it's scope. Therefore in it's current state all the remaining text on the page will appear in the size of the subtitle. We'll keep it like this for the author name and degree title but we'll drop down one size for the university details and the date:

The abstract

We can also customise other pages, such as the abstract. Instead of using an unnumbered chapter, we'll create a new .tex file, customise the layout and then input it. At the top of this file we need to change the page style to plain in order to stop the headers being added in. Now in a similar way to the title page we'll add in some custom titles and then the abstract text.

This is what it will look like added in:

This concludes our series on writing a basic thesis. If you want to play around with the thesis we've created in this series you can open the project in Overleaf .

All articles in this series

• Part 1: Basic Structure ;
• Part 2: Page Layout ;
• Part 3: Figures, Subfigures and Tables ;
• Part 4: Bibliographies with BibLaTeX ;
• Part 5: Customising Your Title Page and Abstract .
• Documentation Home
• Learn LaTeX in 30 minutes

Overleaf guides

• Creating a document in Overleaf
• Uploading a project
• Copying a project
• Creating a project from a template
• Using the Overleaf project menu
• Including images in Overleaf
• Exporting your work from Overleaf
• Working offline in Overleaf
• Using Track Changes in Overleaf
• Using bibliographies in Overleaf
• Sharing your work with others
• Using the History feature
• Debugging Compilation timeout errors
• How-to guides
• Guide to Overleaf’s premium features

LaTeX Basics

• Creating your first LaTeX document
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• Fractions and Binomials
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• Mathematical fonts
• Using the Symbol Palette in Overleaf

Figures and tables

• Inserting Images
• Positioning Images and Tables
• Lists of Tables and Figures
• Drawing Diagrams Directly in LaTeX
• TikZ package

References and Citations

• Bibliography management with bibtex
• Bibliography management with natbib
• Bibliography management with biblatex
• Bibtex bibliography styles
• Natbib bibliography styles
• Natbib citation styles
• Biblatex bibliography styles
• Biblatex citation styles
• Multilingual typesetting on Overleaf using polyglossia and fontspec
• Multilingual typesetting on Overleaf using babel and fontspec
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• Quotations and quotation marks

Document structure

• Sections and chapters
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• Nomenclatures
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Presentations

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Field specific

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While Sandel argues that pursuing perfection through genetic engineering would decrease our sense of humility, he claims that the sense of solidarity we would lose is also important.

This thesis summarizes several points in Sandel’s argument, but it does not make a claim about how we should understand his argument. A reader who read Sandel’s argument would not also need to read an essay based on this descriptive thesis.  

Broad thesis (arguable, but difficult to support with evidence) 

Michael Sandel’s arguments about genetic engineering do not take into consideration all the relevant issues.

This is an arguable claim because it would be possible to argue against it by saying that Michael Sandel’s arguments do take all of the relevant issues into consideration. But the claim is too broad. Because the thesis does not specify which “issues” it is focused on—or why it matters if they are considered—readers won’t know what the rest of the essay will argue, and the writer won’t know what to focus on. If there is a particular issue that Sandel does not address, then a more specific version of the thesis would include that issue—hand an explanation of why it is important.  

Arguable thesis with analytical claim 

While Sandel argues persuasively that our instinct to “remake” (54) ourselves into something ever more perfect is a problem, his belief that we can always draw a line between what is medically necessary and what makes us simply “better than well” (51) is less convincing.

This is an arguable analytical claim. To argue for this claim, the essay writer will need to show how evidence from the article itself points to this interpretation. It’s also a reasonable scope for a thesis because it can be supported with evidence available in the text and is neither too broad nor too narrow.  

Arguable thesis with normative claim 

Given Sandel’s argument against genetic enhancement, we should not allow parents to decide on using Human Growth Hormone for their children.

This thesis tells us what we should do about a particular issue discussed in Sandel’s article, but it does not tell us how we should understand Sandel’s argument.  

Questions to ask about your thesis 

• Is the thesis truly arguable? Does it speak to a genuine dilemma in the source, or would most readers automatically agree with it?  
• Is the thesis too obvious? Again, would most or all readers agree with it without needing to see your argument?  
• Is the thesis complex enough to require a whole essay's worth of argument?  
• Is the thesis supportable with evidence from the text rather than with generalizations or outside research?  
• Would anyone want to read a paper in which this thesis was developed? That is, can you explain what this paper is adding to our understanding of a problem, question, or topic?
• picture_as_pdf Thesis

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Erin Wright Writing

Writing-Related Software Tutorials

How to Create a Cover Page in Microsoft Word (Built-In and Custom)

By Erin Wright

This tutorial shows how to create a cover page in Microsoft Word. First, we’ll create a cover page using a built-in design. Then, we’ll create a custom cover page that can be reused. Next, we’ll delete a cover page. Plus, the bonus section at the end shows how to remove page number zero from a cover page.

Quick Links:

• How to Create a Built-In Cover Page

How to Create a Custom Cover Page

• How to Delete a Cover Page

How to Remove Page Number Zero from a Cover Page

This tutorial is also available as a YouTube video showing all the steps in real time.

Watch more than 250 other writing-related software tutorials on my YouTube channel .

The images below are from Word for Microsoft 365 on a PC. These steps will also work in Word 2021, Word 2019, Word 2016, Word 2013, and Word 2010. However, your interface may look slightly different in those older versions of the software.

How to Create a Built-In Cover Page in Microsoft Word

You can quickly create a cover page using a built-in design.

• Select the Insert tab in the ribbon.

• Select Cover Page in the Pages group.

• Choose a built-in design from the gallery in the drop-down menu. (Hover over More Cover Pages from Office.com for additional options.)

• (Optional) To insert your cover page somewhere other than the top of your document, right-click the built-in design, and then choose a location from the shortcut menu.

• Place your cursor in the sample text, and then type your information.

Pro Tip: To delete a section of sample text, right-click it, and then select Remove Content Control from the shortcut menu.

The built-in cover page should now be part of your Word document.

You can create a custom cover page that can be reused in other Word documents.

• Open a blank document. ( Pro Tip: Press Ctrl + N to open a blank document.)
• Create your cover page, including images if necessary.
• Select all the text and images that should be included in the cover page.

• Select the Insert tab in the ribbon (see figure 1).
• Select Cover Page in the Pages group (see figure 2).
• Select Save Selection to Cover Page Gallery from the drop-down menu.

• Type a unique name into the Name text box in the Create New Building Block dialog box. (Cover pages are part of Word’s building block system of reusable content.)

• (Optional) Add additional information into the Description text box, if necessary.

Important Note: I strongly recommend leaving the default settings for the other options in this dialog box.

• Select the OK button.

Your custom cover page should now be added to the Cover Page Gallery.

• Close the document used to create your custom cover page. (You don’t have to save this document.)
• Select Save in the alert box asking if you want to save changes to Building Blocks.dotx.

• Open the document to which you want to add the custom cover page.
• Select the Insert tab (see figure 1).
• Select your custom cover page from the gallery.

Your custom cover page should now be added to your current document.

Pro Tip: How to Delete a Custom Cover Page from the Cover Page Gallery

• Right-click the custom cover page in the Cover Page drop-down menu, and then select Organize and Delete from the shortcut menu.

Caution: Your custom cover page will be automatically selected when the Building Blocks Organizer dialog box opens. Take care not to select another item.

• Select the Delete button in the Building Blocks Organizer dialog box.

• Select the Yes button in the question dialog box asking if you are sure you want to delete the selected building block.

• Select the Close button in the Building Blocks Organizer dialog box.

Your custom cover page should now be removed from the Cover Page Gallery.

How to Delete a Cover Page in Microsoft Word

The following steps show how to remove a cover page from an individual document.

• Select Remove Current Cover Page from the drop-down menu.

Your cover page should be removed from your document.

If your document has page numbers, the page number zero may show up unnecessarily on the cover page. The following steps show how to remove page number zero.

• Double-click the top of any page to open the Header & Footer tab.

• Select Different First Page in the Options group.

• Select the Close Header and Footer button.

The page number zero should now be removed from your cover page.

Related Resources

How to Insert Citations in Microsoft Word

How to Create a Citation with Multiple Sources in Microsoft Word

How to Insert Footnotes and Endnotes in Microsoft Word

Updated July 02, 2023

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