How to Create a Running Header
MLA Style requires the use of a running header with page numbers in research papers. The running header is positioned in the upper right corner of the page and consists of your last name, followed by a space and the page number.
Note on group papers:
If you are writing a group paper, start your header on the second page of your paper after the title page. Add all students' last names followed by the page number at the top right corner of the page. If all last names do not fit in a single line in the header, you may just include the page number.
To add page number and running headers in Microsoft Word:
- Open the Insert tab in Word
- Click Page Number, then hover over Top of page and select Plain Number 3, which will insert automatic page numbering in the top-right corner of each page
- Click next to the page number and type your last name and add a space
- Select the entire text of the header you just created and change the font size and style to match that of the rest of your paper (in this example, Times New Roman font size 12)
- Click Close Header and Footer to continue writing and/or editing the rest of your paper
To add a page number and running header in Google Docs:
- Click Insert and select Page numbers from the drop down menu
- Click the image of page numbers on the top right of the page
- Click next to the page number and type your last name and a space
- Select the header you just created
- Use the font menu to set your font to the same as the rest of your paper
- Use the + and - next to to the font size to set your font size to the same as the rest of your paper
- Click in your paper text to close the header and return to writing
