The page header appears within the top margin of every page of the paper.

• For student papers, the page header consists of the page number only.
• For professional papers, the page header consists of the page number and running head.

Page Numbers

Follow these guidelines to include page numbers in both student and professional APA Style papers:

• Use the page-numbering function of your word-processing program to insert page numbers; do not type in each page number individually.
• Insert page numbers in the top right corner. The page number should show on all pages.
• The title page is page number 1.

How to add page numbers in Microsoft Word:

To add page numbers to the top right corner of each page:

1. Click the Insert tab
2. Click Page Number
3. Click Top of Page
4. Select Plain Number 3

To set inserted page number to match the font of the rest of the paper (in this example, Times New Roman, 12 pt)

1. Select inserted page number
2. Use the font drop-down menu to select Times New Roman
3. Use to the font size drop-down menu to select 12

Note: changing the font for one page number will automatically change the font for all of the inserted page numbers

How to add page numbers in Google Docs:

To add page numbers to the top right corner of each page:

1. Click Insert
2. Click Page Numbers
3. Select the image of pages with the numbers in the top right

To set inserted page number to match the font of the rest of the paper (in this example, Times New Roman, 12 pt)

1. Select inserted page number
2. Use fonts drop-down menu to select Times New Roman
3. Use + or - next to font size to set font to 12, or click on font size and use the drop-down menu to select 12

Note: changing the font for one page number will automatically change the font for all of the inserted page numbers

Running Header

The running head is an abbreviated version of the title of your paper (or the full title if the title is already short). The running head is not required for student papers unless the instructor or institution requests it. Thus, typically only professional papers include a running head.

Follow these guidelines to include a running head in an APA Style paper:

• Type the running head in all-capital letters.
• Ensure the running head is no more than 50 characters, including spaces and punctuation.
• Avoid using abbreviations in the running head; however, the ampersand symbol (&) may be used rather than “and” if desired.
• The running head appears in the same format on every page, including the first page.
• Do not use the label “Running head:” before the running head.
• Align the running head to the left margin of the page header, across from the right-aligned page number.

View the sample papers to see how the running head and page number appear in professional APA Style papers.