What is APA title case?
APA (American Psychological Association) 7th edition prescribes a specific way to capitalize titles and headings, known as APA title case (or headline style). Get it wrong and a reviewer will notice immediately. This converter applies the exact APA rule set the moment you type — start on APA above, or switch styles to compare side by side.
The APA capitalization rule
Capitalize the first word, the first word after a colon, and all major words. Lowercase articles (a, an, the), coordinating conjunctions (and, but, or, nor, for, yet, so) and prepositions of three letters or fewer (in, on, to, of, by). Longer prepositions such as With, From and Between ARE capitalized in APA.
In every style the very first and very last word of a title is capitalized regardless of what it is, and the first word after a colon (the start of a subtitle) is always capitalized too. Hyphenated compounds are handled part by part.
When to use APA title case
Reach for APA style for research papers, journal articles, psychology and social-science coursework, and reference lists. APA title case is used for the paper title on the title page and for section headings of level 1 and 2.
APA title case examples
| You type | APA title case |
|---|---|
| the effects of sleep on memory: a longitudinal study | The Effects of Sleep on Memory: a Longitudinal Study |
| a guide to writing without fear | A Guide to Writing Without Fear |
| notes on the art of the interview | Notes on the Art of the Interview |
How it differs from other styles
The biggest disagreement between style guides is how they treat prepositions. APA uses a length test: short prepositions stay lowercase, longer ones are capitalized. If you write across disciplines, bookmark this page for APA and use the style switcher above whenever you move between an essay, a headline and a journal submission.
Frequently asked questions
- Is APA title case the same as Chicago?
- They agree on capitalizing major words but differ on prepositions and a few minor words. Use the style switcher above to see the exact difference on your own text.
- Does APA capitalize the word after a colon?
- Yes. The first word of a subtitle is always capitalized in APA style.
- What about short words like 'is' and 'be'?
- Verbs are always capitalized in APA style, even short ones such as 'Is', 'Be' and 'Am'.