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APA Formatting Guide for Microsoft Word: Running Header

This guide provides a step by step overview of how to set up documents for APA 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 Running Headers in Microsoft Word

APA style requires that the top of each page has a header. These instructions will show you how to correctly set up a running header. This header must be on each page, including the title page.

1. Click on the “Insert” tab.

 

2. Towards the middle of the page, find the “Header & Footer” section. Click the arrow under “Page Number” and select “Top of Page” then “Plain Number 1”.

 

3. Type your title (or abbreviated title if it is more than 50 characters) in front of the number. Press the “Tab” button on your keyboard twice to position 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 running header must be prefaced by Running Head: on the title page. To make the running header appear only on the title page, click “Different First Page” under “Header & Footer Tools”

Then, on the first page, insert RUNNING HEAD: before the header title. Add the page number.

© 2017 by Lindsay Blanken & Jess Cornn