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Essay writing is an essential aspect of student life in a college or university. Every essay you write needs to follow a standard structure, and the Essay Cover Page is the most crucial element of that structure. This is the first page that your reader reads when looking at your essay. It must be eye-catching, attractive, and good-looking if you want to enjoy a good readership of your essay and obtain good marks.
Crafting an attractive Essay Cover Page is not an easy task. For this, you need to have knowledge of certain guidelines. However, with your presence here, it is evident that you do not know how to make an attractive cover page for your essay. Well, there is no need to worry. You have just knocked on the right door to get this information. In today’s article, we will unpack all the information about creating the cover page. First of all, let’s define it.
What is the cover page of an essay?
The cover page of the essay is also known as the essay title page. It is the first page of your essay that contains details about its writer, the institution to which it is submitted, and the teacher to whom it is submitted. Sometimes, this page contains the date of the essay writing and a running head, but these are not the mandatory things to include on this page. Hence, this is what an Essay Cover Page is all about.
What is the purpose of the essay title page?
Why do we need to add a cover page to your essay? Many students ask this question. Well, the answer to this question is straightforward. The purpose of the cover page of the essay is simply to give it a formal and professional look. However, it is not the only purpose that it serves. Some other purposes that it serves are as follows:
- Details all the information about the essay (title, writer, etc.)
- Gives the reader a quick understanding of the essay’s topic
- Communicates the date on which the essay is written
What are the contents of an essay cover page?
An essay title page contains the necessary information about the essay. But what is that information? What are the contents of the cover page of an essay? If you are looking for an answer to these questions, then read the lines given below:
1. Running Header
A running header contains the text related to the essay and is usually placed at the top of the essay. It is often separated from the main text of the essay and usually tells about the page number of the essay. It is most commonly found in APA formatting.
2. Title
The next thing you will find on the cover page is the essay’s title. It is usually placed at the centre of the essay. It explains the content the reader will find in the essay. When writing the title, capitalise the first letter of each word.
3. The Name of the Institution
The 3rd content you need to include on the Essay Cover Page is the name of your institution. Whether you are studying in a college or university, give its name on the title page. This gives the reader an idea of where you are studying for your degree.
4. The Author’s Name
The author’s name is the most important thing when writing the title page. It is because the readers must know who has written the essay. It is also important for copyright issues if you are writing an essay at the university level. So, highlight your name on the cover page.
5. The Date
Lastly, you need to include the date of the essay writing. It helps the reader know when the essay was written and also allows him to know whether it is freshly written or old. Thus, add the exact date when you finished the essay writing.
Different types of Essay Cover Pages and Guidelines
After reading the information above, you now have a good idea of an Essay Cover Page, its purpose, and its contents. However, you still do not know the guidelines for making an attractive essay title page. This section of today’s post will shed some light on different types of cover pages and their guidelines. Thus, a brief description is as follows:
Guidelines for creating essay title page in APA format
APA is an abbreviation for American Psychological Association. The APA has a guideline for formatting different sections of an essay. In this way, there is also a guide for the cover page of the essay. Currently, the 7th edition of the APA guidelines is in use. The contents of a cover page written in accordance with APA formatting are as follows:
- A running header with the shortened title of your essay
- The full title of the essay
- Your name in the centre of the Essay Cover Page
- The name of your college or university
Thus, these should be the contents of your essay title page when using the APA format. The formatting guidelines are given below:
- You should use a standard 8.5×11 page for the title page
- There should be a 1-inch margin on all sides (top, bottom, left, and right)
- The text should be double spaced
- The font style should be Times New Roman, and its size must be 12 points
Guidelines for writing essay title page in MLA format
Usually, the MLA style does not require including a cover page in the essay. However, a strict teacher in your college may ask you to include the title page in your essay. In this scenario, the Modern Language Association (MLA) has given some guidelines for writing an Essay Cover Page. Do you know what those guidelines are? No. Thus, a brief description of the guidelines is as follows:
- No running header is required in MLA format.
- The name of the institution comes at the top of the page
- The title of the essay comes in the middle of the essay title page
- The author’s name and teacher’s name are written at the bottom of the page
Guidelines for creating an essay title page in Chicago format
Like MLA and APA, Chicago is another style commonly used for creating an Essay Cover Page. The University of Chicago has developed this style guide for American English essay writers. However, nowadays, it is used by essay writers and researchers worldwide. Although this style is flexible in terms of cover pages, it still outlines some guidelines to follow. Below are the top guidelines that you need to follow when using this style:
- The title of the essay is placed a third of the way down the page in the centre
- Several lines below the title, your name comes, i.e., the author’s name
- Right after the author’s name, the course name is written
- Lastly, there is the submission date of the essay
Top tips for making an attractive essay title page
The essay title page is the first page of an essay. It grabs the attention of the reader and makes the reader more interested in your essay. By reading the text above, you have got an idea of the guidelines for writing the cover page in different formats. Now, let’s take a look at the top tips for crafting an attractive essay title page.
- The first and most important tip is that you should follow all the guidelines your teacher provides. Create the cover page in the style asked by your professor. If he has asked you to craft it in APA format, then see the guidelines and write it in APA.
- Take help from other students in your class in case you have any doubts. Ask them how they have crafted their cover pages. Seeing their cover pages can give you ideas for making your essay cover page
- Keep your professor in the loop always. Do not do anything without his approval. In case you find anything difficult to understand or facing difficulty in creating the cover page, go to him and ask for help.
- Always remember the font style, font size, margin, and position of the contents of the cover page guidelines. All these things should match the formatting guidelines provided by your teacher.
Final Thoughts
To sum up, the cover page is the most important element of essay writing. As a student, you have to do it in the way your teacher demands. Don’t neglect your essay cover page ever. Instead, try to look for ways to make it catchy, attractive, and good-looking. In this guidepost, we have uncovered all the details about making it attractive. Thus, read each line written above, go through the guidelines for different formats, remember the tips, and write the cover page accordingly.
