what is a masthead

In publishing, a masthead is a list at the top of a page that includes the names of editors, writers, and owners, as well as the title of the newspaper or magazine. In American usage, a publications masthead is a printed list, published in a fixed position in each edition, of its owners, departments, officers, contributors, and address details, which in British English usage is known as imprint). The term "masthead" is used in newspaper and magazine design and various other forms of print and online publication. In the UK, a masthead is slightly different: its the title page, also known in the US as the "nameplate". American publications include editorial and ownership information on the masthead, while their British counterparts call this the "imprint". The sense of a masthead as the "top of a newspaper or magazine" comes from the words original meaning, "top of a ship," from mast, "long pole that holds a ships sail".