How To Write Dissertation Title Page in 2024

The title page of a dissertation (also called dissertation cover page) is what an evaluator or a reader looks at first in your dissertation. It forms their first impression of your dissertation. The dissertation title page contains all the relevant information about a dissertation. The look of the title pages may vary from university to university, but they generally follow certain common elements. Let’s look at what a dissertation title page should have in this article.

What to include in a dissertation title page?

1. Title of the Dissertation

The title page or cover page of your dissertation may form the first impression upon the reader, but the catch is going to be the title of your dissertation. The importance of the title of your dissertation cannot be stressed enough. You could write one of the most original and thought-provoking dissertations, but a vague title that doesn’t do justice to it could undermine its whole scope.

The title of your dissertation should clearly indicate to the reader what to expect. It should have the following qualities:

  • It should be clear and objective. It should not be too confusing and should be indicative of rigorous and direct academic language.
  • It could even be creative as long as it contains a subtitle that explains it. Subtitles are often an integral part of most dissertations as they provide more room to explain what your dissertation is about.
  • Use of keywords highlighting the core arguments, scope, or the purpose of your dissertation.
  • Your dissertation title should not be too lengthy or too short.

A reader (or your evaluator) would be satisfied if the following questions are answered by your dissertation title:

Does it highlight the purpose or goal of the study?

Is the context clear from the title?

Does it indicate or hint at the outcome of the study or is it open-ended?

Is the research strategy mentioned clearly?

Here is an example of one of the popular dissertation titles in English:

The Influences of the Holy Bible on Milton: A detailed analysis of Paradise Lost and redemption poetry in the 17th century.

As you can see, all the above-mentioned 4 points are answered in this dissertation title. This title clearly indicates that the biblical influence on Milton’s poetry is the goal of the study. The context as the title says lies with redemption poetry and Paradise Lost. The outcome would indicate the influence of the Holy Bible on Milton as a poet. Moreover, the research strategy can be gathered from the “detailed analysis” part, which tells us that it is an analytical dissertation.

Here are a few more examples of dissertation titles:

1. Queering U.S. History Museums: Heteronormative Histories, Digital Disruptions

2. Praxis in the Trenches: A Self-study of Feminist Assessment of Student Learning in Online Education

3. An Alternate Historiography of the Boer Wars

4. Why can’t you just plug it in: The challenges of integrating computers into a curriculum

5. Technology secrecy and its effects during the Second World War: A review of US Patent and Office

6. Trademark Special War Technologies.
Example of Dissertation Titles

Ultimately there is no right way to title your dissertation—you can be creative or rigid with your titles as long as it conveys something worthwhile.

2. Author Information

This is the part that comes after the title of your dissertation. The title page sheds light on the researcher, their qualifications as well as affiliations. This tells the reader of the qualifications of the author who has written the dissertation.

The following information is included in this part:

Your name
ID number
Department of study,
University Date of submission
Program of study (Bachelor’s, Master’s, etc.)
Contents of a Dissertation Title

3. Additional details on a dissertation title page

Most universities provide a style guide according to which students can format their title page. These are the usual additional information that the university expects students to include on the title page.

Your primary advisor’s name
Type of article
Word count or no. of pages
University Logo
Contents of a dissertation Cover letter

4. How to format your dissertation title page?

If the university has provided you with some formatting guidelines, you can format your title page according to that. Most dissertations follow APA or AMA writing style and the title page can be formatted accordingly.

a) APA Dissertation Title Page

  • Capitalize the first letters of the title and the subtitles.
  • The title should ideally be 12 words in length.
  • The first-page number should generally appear at the top-right corner of the page.
  • The font size should be Times New Roman, with the size 12 pt., and should be double spaced.
  • Articles, propositions, and other words having less than three letters should not be capitalized (e.g., “and,” “of” and “the” are not capitalized in the dissertation titles.
  • Double quotation marks are used.
  • Numbers below 10 are spelled out. Numerical is used when the numbers are above 10.In hyphenated compounds, the first letters of both components are capitalized.

Example of an APA title page of a dissertation:

The title Page of a Dissertation

b) AMA Dissertation Title Page

  • In AMA, the title, author name(s), institution name, abstract, and keywords are placed in the center alignment of the upper half of the page.
  • Doubling spacing is to be followed and any content on the page should not be bold or italicized.
  • Author’s first name to be followed by the last name after the title.
  • Page number starts at 1 on the title page, in the upper right-hand corner.
  • Font style should be either Times New Roman or Serif Type.
  • First letters of the title and subtitle should be capitalized.
  • Articles, propositions, and conjunctions are not capitalized

Example of an AMA title page of a dissertation:



Effects of Music Therapy on Recovery Time in Post Operation Pediatric Patients
Michael E. Jones
University of Nevada, Reno

AMA Dissertation title Page

5. Frequently Asked Questions

Q1. Do I need to add the page number to the title page?

This totally depends on the formatting requirements of your university. If your dissertation follows APA and AMA style guides, it is prescribed that you number the title page as the first page of your dissertation. The page number is usually put on the top right corner of the title page.

Q2. Can I put a picture on the title page?

Mostly, for dissertations, pictures are not added to the title page. It is always a good idea to keep your title page simple and clear so that it doesn’t confuse your reader at the first glance. That being said, if you feel a picture is reflective of your entire dissertation or thesis or adds on to the title, then you can always seek permission from your university before doing this.

Q3. Do I need to list committee members on the title page?

You don’t have to list the committee members on the title page unless the university has particularly asked you to do that. You can check the formatting requirements of the university style guide before making a decision.

No. It is generally assumed that the dissertation is the intellectual property of the author. You only have to worry about this if you plan to publish your dissertation for a wider audience, otherwise, it is completely fine. However, sometimes certain universities ask their students to have a copyrights page in a different page than the title page.

To Sum Up

The title page or the cover page is an important part of your dissertation. It is the first page anyone chancing upon your dissertation notices.  Therefore, your title page needs to look perfect. You should also ensure that the title page is formatted well and fits in with the rest of your dissertation. Many universities specify the formatting requirements for the same and if those are not mentioned, you could always follow the general rules most dissertations follow as we have outlined above. We hope this detailed guide has helped you form an idea about how to frame your dissertation cover page.

-Lily Brooke

TrueEditors

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