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MLA Formatting Guide for Microsoft Word: Headers

This guide provides a step by step overview of how to set up documents for MLA style in Microsoft Word. The guide also reviews the tools available in Microsoft Word and how they might be useful in a student's paper.

How to Set Up Headers in Microsoft Word

MLA style requires that the upper right hand corner of each page (aside from the first page) contains the author's last name and page number. These instructions will show you how to correctly set up a header.

1. Click on the “Insert” tab.

 

2. Towards the middle of the page, find the “Header & Footer” section. Click the arrow below “Page Number.” Select “Top of Page” then “Plain Number 3.” 

 

3. Type in your last name beside the page number. Note: The header font defaults to Calibri. Remember to change the font to Times New Roman, size 12. See the font tab of this LibGuide for information on how to change the font.

 

4. The page number is not necessary on the first page of your paper. To make it appear only on the other pages, Click “Different First Page” under “Header & Footer Tools”

© 2017 by Lindsay Blanken & Jess Cornn