How do I format APA headers in a Word document?
Answer
Creating headers in APA style:
*Note that this guide pertains to the 6th ed. of the APA Style guide. There are changes to headers in the new 7th ed. as of October 2019. If unsure, please ask your professor which edition to use. The library has print manuals of the new 7th edition in the Reference collection.
PC (Windows)
While in Microsoft Word, do the following:
- Click the “Insert” tab.
- In the “Header & Footer” group, click “Page Number.”
- In the menu under “Page Number,” Choose “Top of Page” then “Plain Number 3.”
4. On the top bar, under “Header & Footer Tools,” click the box next to “Different First Page” to add a check mark.
5. Click into the white space to the left of Page 1 just above where it says “First Page Header.” Then type the words Running head with a colon as per APA format;then add the title of your paper IN CAPITALS after the colon.
6. Tap the “TAB” keyboard button twice and then type in the number “1’
7. Scroll down to the second page of the document. Click inside the header, the cursor should be to the left of the number “2.” Type the TITLE OF THE PAPER IN CAPS (do NOT add the word Running head as per APA format) and then tap the TAB key twice to move the title to the left margin.
8. Close the Header and Footer editing box by using the button in the top bar or clicking anywhere in the body of the paper.
9. The first page of the paper should now have the “Running head: TITLE” with page number 1 and the second and subsequent pages should be numbered as such with the TITLE OF THE PAPER added to the left.
Mac
While in Microsoft Word, do the following:
1. Click "Insert > Header" then check off “Different first page”
2. Type the first page header (Running head: PAPER TITLE) and then TAB twice over to
right and type the number 1
3. Go down to page 2 in your document; double-click the header and type the paper title
in all caps; DO NOT ADD PAGE NUMBER
4. Click "Insert > Page Number > Page Number" (1st option)
5. In the options window, choose: Top of page, right; Do not click "Show number on first page" as you already entered it manually in Step 2
6. You should now have a different page one with the words Running head followed by your title in caps, the title on subsequent pages, and all pages numbered:
