APA Title Capitalization Rules

APA style capitalizes major words: nouns, verbs, adjectives, and adverbs. Articles, short prepositions, and coordinating conjunctions are lowercase unless they are the first or last word.

Where APA Style Is Used

APA title capitalization is the standard for Psychology, Social Sciences, Education, Business writing. Following the correct style guide is important when submitting work for publication, academic review, or professional presentation in these fields.

APA Capitalization Rules

• Capitalise all major words (nouns, verbs, adjectives, adverbs)
• Lowercase: articles (a, an, the)
• Lowercase: coordinating conjunctions (and, but, or, nor, for, so, yet)
• Lowercase: prepositions (regardless of length)
• Always capitalise first and last word
• Always capitalise the word after a colon

How APA Style Works in Practice

APA title case is defined by the American Psychological Association's Publication Manual, 7th edition (2020). It is the dominant style in psychology, education, social sciences, nursing, and business research journals. APA's most distinctive rule is that all prepositions — regardless of length — stay lowercase. Words like "about," "between," "through," and "without" that Chicago would capitalize remain lowercase in APA. This makes APA one of the most conservative title case styles. The style is designed for consistency and clarity in academic publishing, where authors regularly write long, complex titles with many prepositions and conjunctions.

Common Edge Cases in APA Style

• "to" in infinitives is treated as a preposition and stays lowercase: "How to Write a Paper," not "How To Write a Paper."
• "Is," "are," "be," and other short verbs are always capitalized — they are verbs, not prepositions.
• The first word after a colon or em dash is always capitalized, even if it is an article or preposition.
• Hyphenated compounds: capitalize both parts if both are major words (e.g., "Self-Report," not "Self-report").
• Proper nouns within a title retain their original capitalization regardless of position.

Example: APA Title Case

To see APA style applied to your own title with a word-by-word explanation of every rule, use the APA title capitalizer. You can also compare all 9 styles side by side using the same title.

How APA Differs From MLA

APA and MLA are the two most similar title case styles — both lowercase all prepositions regardless of length, and both capitalize the same categories of major words. The practical difference appears mainly in reference lists: APA uses sentence case for article and book titles in the References section, while MLA uses title case throughout the Works Cited list. For title case applied to headings and paper titles, the two styles produce nearly identical results.

See the full comparison in the MLA style guide or use the side-by-side comparison tool.

How APA Differs From Other Styles

Every style guide makes different choices about prepositions, articles, and conjunctions. Here is how APA compares to the other major title capitalization standards:

• Chicago — standard for books and publishing.
• AP — the standard for journalism and news.
• MLA — standard for literature and language.
• Bluebook — used in legal writing and law review.
• AMA — standard for medical and health writing.
• NY Times — used in one of the world's most read publications.
• Wikipedia — sentence case with proper nouns.
• Email — sentence case for professional communication.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is APA title capitalization?

APA title capitalization follows the Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association, 7th Edition. It capitalizes the first word, the first word after a colon or em dash, and all principal words — nouns, verbs, adjectives, adverbs, and pronouns. All prepositions, articles, and coordinating conjunctions are lowercase regardless of length.

When should I use APA title case?

Use APA title case for papers, articles, and headings in psychology, education, sociology, political science, and most social and behavioral sciences. Also used in nursing and public health. Always check your specific journal's or institution's style sheet, as some may vary.

What words are capitalized in APA titles?

The first word, the first word after a colon or em dash, nouns, pronouns, verbs (including "is," "are," "was"), adjectives, and adverbs. Words like "Be," "Do," "Have," "Make," and "Know" are always capitalized in APA title case.

What words are lowercase in APA title case?

In APA title case, all prepositions are lowercase regardless of their length — including long ones like "between," "through," "without," "about," and "against." Articles (a, an, the) and coordinating conjunctions (and, but, or, nor, for, so, yet) are also lowercase in the middle of a title.

Are articles capitalized in APA title case?

No. Articles (a, an, the) are lowercase in the middle of an APA title. The exception: if "A," "An," or "The" is the first word of the title, it is capitalized. Example: "The Effects of Sleep on Memory" — "The" is first, so it is capitalized; "on" stays lowercase.

Are conjunctions capitalized in APA title case?

No. Coordinating conjunctions (FANBOYS: for, and, nor, but, or, yet, so) are lowercase in APA title case. Subordinating conjunctions (because, although, while, when, since, unless) are considered principal words and are capitalized.

Are prepositions capitalized in APA title case?

No. APA lowercases all prepositions regardless of length. Short ones like "of," "in," "at" and long ones like "between," "through," "without," "concerning" are all lowercase in the middle of a title. This is APA's most distinctive rule compared to Chicago and AP.

Is the first word always capitalized in APA titles?

Yes. The first word of any APA title is always capitalized, regardless of its part of speech. Even an article ("A," "An," "The") or a preposition ("Of," "In") is capitalized if it opens the title.

Is the last word always capitalized in APA titles?

Yes. APA capitalizes the last word of a title regardless of its part of speech. A preposition, article, or conjunction at the end of a title is capitalized in APA.

How is APA title case different from other styles?

APA's defining characteristic is lowercasing all prepositions regardless of length. Chicago only lowercases short prepositions (≤4 letters), so "About," "Between," and "Through" are capitalized in Chicago but lowercase in APA. AP capitalizes all 4+ letter words — so "From" and "With" are uppercase in AP but lowercase in APA.

Can I convert a title to APA style automatically?

Yes. Use the APA title capitalizer to convert any title instantly. Click "Explain" to see a word-by-word breakdown of every rule applied.

Can I compare APA with Chicago, AP, and MLA?

Yes. The Compare Styles tool shows your title formatted in all 9 style guides simultaneously — including APA, Chicago, AP, and MLA — in a single table.

Can I use TitleCasePro for APA capitalization?

Yes. TitleCasePro's APA mode follows the 7th Edition rules and formats your title correctly. Use the Title Capitalizer for single titles or the Batch Capitalizer for large lists.

Use the APA Capitalizer

Ready to capitalize a title in APA style? The APA title capitalizer converts your title instantly and explains every word. For processing a list of titles at once, use the batch capitalizer with CSV or TXT import. To see your title in all styles simultaneously, use the style comparison tool.

Read our in-depth guide on APA title case rules for a complete reference with examples and edge cases.