You’ve written a solid paper, your sources are in place, and then a tiny detail slows you down: capitalization. Mastering Title Case is a key part of APA style for academic papers, yet APA titles can feel like a speed bump right at the finish line.
Here’s the good news: APA title case follows a small set of repeatable rules. Once you know where APA style requires title case (and where it does not), you can format paper titles, headings, and citations with confidence.
This guide sticks to APA 7th edition rules, gives clean examples you can copy, and calls out the mistakes that cost points.
Where APA uses title case (and where it uses sentence case)
APA 7th Edition uses both title case and sentence case, and the “right” choice depends on what you’re writing. In academic writing, if you mix them up, your work can look inconsistent even when the research is strong. APA’s own guidance is clear on title capitalization, see the official APA title case capitalization rules.
A simple way to remember it: titles and headings inside your paper usually use title case, but many titles in your reference list use sentence case.
| Location in APA 7 | Capitalization to use | Quick example |
|---|---|---|
| Paper title on the professional title page or student title page | Title case | Effects of Sleep Loss on Working Memory |
| Section headings (Levels 1 to 5) | Title case | Method, Results, Discussion (and longer headings too) |
| Table titles and figure titles | Title case | Table 1. Participant Demographics by Group |
| Titles of works mentioned in the paper’s text | Title case | The Body Keeps the Score |
| Reference list: article, book, report, webpage titles | Sentence case | The effects of sleep loss on working memory |
| Reference list: journal, magazine, newspaper titles | Title case | Journal of Experimental Psychology |
Title capitalization differs for elements within your paper versus when formatting sources in the reference list. If you want a broader comparison across style guides (helpful when you’re switching between APA, MLA, and Chicago), keep this comparison of popular title case styles handy.
For a quick citation-focused explanation of sentence case in references, the UMGC library’s page on APA 7 title capitalization in references is also useful.
APA 7th Edition Title Case Rules You Can Apply Fast
APA is a “down” style, meaning words are lowercase unless a rule tells you to capitalize them. Title case is one of the few places where capitalization ramps up.
Here are the rules that matter most for APA title case:
Capitalize major words
In APA 7, capitalize major words, including parts of speech such as nouns, verbs (including linking verbs), adjectives, adverbs, pronouns, and all words of four letters or more.
That “four letters or more” rule is the one students forget, and it’s why many short prepositions still get capital letters in APA (for example, “With,” “From,” “Between”).
Lowercase minor words (most of the time)
Lowercase:
- Articles: a, an, the
- Short conjunctions (coordinating conjunctions and subordinating conjunctions three letters or fewer): and, or, but, nor, for, yet, so
- Short prepositions (three letters or fewer): as, at, by, in, of, on, per, to, up, via
Exceptions: Always capitalize first word of the title, the first word of the subtitle, and the last word (even if it’s a minor word).
Capitalize the first word after a colon or a dash
If your title has a colon, capitalize the first word after it. Same idea for a dash used like a break in the title.
Example: “Anxiety in First-Year Students: A Mixed Methods Study”
Hyphenated words: capitalize both parts (with a small exception)
Capitalize both parts of a hyphenated compound when they would otherwise be capitalized as separate words. If the second part is a minor word, it stays lowercase unless it’s the first or last word of the title or subtitle.
Example: “Evidence-Based Practice in Community Health” Example: “Up-to-Date Guidance for New Clinicians” (to, a preposition, stays lowercase)
If you need a refresher on other capitalization categories beyond titles (proper nouns, job titles, disorders, and more), APA summarizes them on its capitalization guidelines page.
Copy-and-paste APA title case examples (paper titles, headings, and citations)
Use these as templates and swap in your topic.
Paper title examples (Title Case)
Title Case is used for paper titles on the title page.
The Impact of Social Media Use on Adolescent Sleep Quality
Stress and Coping in Nursing Students: A Longitudinal Study
Using Cognitive Behavioral Therapy to Treat Chronic Insomnia
APA headings examples (Title Case)
Participants and Setting
Measures and Variables
Limitations and Future Directions
In-text mention of a work (Title Case)
Italicize titles when mentioning book titles or journal titles within the text according to APA style.
In *The Righteous Mind*, Haidt (2012) argues that moral judgment is often intuitive.
Reference list titles (Sentence case, most sources)
These are the kinds of titles that are not in APA title case in the reference list.
The impact of social media use on adolescent sleep quality
Stress and coping in nursing students: A longitudinal study
Using cognitive behavioral therapy to treat chronic insomnia
Reference list journal titles (Title Case)
In references, the journal name is title case (and italicized in APA formatting).
*Journal of Adolescent Health*
*Psychology of Addictive Behaviors*
Before → after conversions, a quick checklist, and common errors
When you’re converting a rough draft title to APA title case (also called headline style), it helps to see quick flips. Proper title capitalization ensures your paper meets APA standards.
Mini conversion set (before → after)
the effects of caffeine on reaction time → The Effects of Caffeine on Reaction Time
parenting styles in low-income families: a review → Parenting Styles in Low-Income Families: A Review
stress, sleep, and anxiety in college students → Stress, Sleep, and Anxiety in College Students
a meta-analysis of social support and depression → A Meta-Analysis of Social Support and Depression
how to write better lab reports in apa style → How to Write Better Lab Reports in APA Style
Concise APA title case checklist
- Capitalize major words (nouns, verbs, adjectives, adverbs), proper nouns, and capitalize first word of the title and subtitle, plus any word with four or more letters.
- Lowercase minor words: articles (the, a, an) and short (three-letters-or-fewer) prepositions (in, of, to) and coordinating conjunctions (and, but, or).
- Always capitalize the last word of the title and subtitle, and the first word after a colon (or a dash used like a break).
- Capitalize both parts of most hyphenated words (keep a minor second part lowercase); consider parts of speech for consistency.
- On the title page or student title page, center the title in title case for proper title capitalization, include your author affiliation, use acceptable fonts (such as 12-pt Times New Roman), keep text double spaced, and add the page number.
- Use sentence case in most reference list titles (including book titles) and untitled works (e.g., [Untitled work]), but title case for journal names.
Common APA title case mistakes (and the fixes)
- Lowercasing 4-letter prepositions: In APA, “With,” “From,” and “Over” are capitalized in titles.
- Capitalizing short prepositions or coordinating conjunctions: Keep “in,” “of,” “to,” “and,” and “but” lowercase unless first or last.
- Forgetting the word after a colon: “Study Skills: How College Students Learn” (not “Study Skills: how…”).
- Over-capitalizing reference list titles: Book titles and article titles use sentence case, even if your paper title used title case.
- Mishandling hyphenated compounds or untitled works: “Evidence-Based,” “Self-Report,” and “Meta-Analysis” capitalize major parts; format untitled works as [Untitled work] in sentence case.
- Title page oversights: On the student title page, always include author affiliation and page number, use acceptable fonts, and ensure double spaced formatting around the title capitalization.
Conclusion
Capitalization shouldn’t be the thing that steals your time at the end. Once you separate where APA requires APA title case (titles, headings, figure and table titles, and titles of works in your text) from where APA prefers sentence case (many reference list titles), the rules get a lot easier to follow. This APA Title Case Rules (7th Edition), With Examples You Can Copy guide clarifies the key distinctions between Title Case and Sentence Case in APA style.
While APA 7th Edition is standard for social sciences, these rules differ from the Chicago Manual of Style and MLA Handbook, making them vital for successful academic writing.
Copy a template from above, run a quick checklist pass, and then move on to the part that actually earns the grade: your ideas.
