Creating Perfect APA Page Headers v.2.0

Some time ago, I wrote an article about creating perfect APA page headers. Like anything having to do with computers, there is more than one way to do anything. The following is an alternate way of creating those perfect APA page headers.

NOTE: Clicking the images will enlarge them in a new tab/window.

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STEP 1: Insert a blank header: Insert (tab) > Header drop-box (Header & Footer panel) > select Blank. You can also double-click in the header area to access the editable header.

STEP 2: The header should be left aligned by default. Simply enter the desired header text as you would expect it to appear on page 2 and subsequent pages. Next, press the keyboard’s Tab key until the cursor is aligned with the right margin.

NOTE: When inserting the page number: select Page Number drop-box (from either the Insert or Design tabs) > Current Position > Plain Number.

STEP 3: Select the Different First Page check-box in the Options panel under the Design tab. Do not worry if the header disappears.

STEP 4: Repeat steps 1 and 2, and insert the desired text (i.e., "Running head: . . . ") and page number where appropriate.

STEP 5: You can insert a page break in the main body of the manuscript to see if it works. Once beyond page 1, the running head (sans the phrase: "Running head:") should appear.

STEP 6: If it has not been done, double-click or highlight the header elements and format the text accordingly (i.e., 12-point, Times New Roman font).

This technique should work whether you use Word 2007, 2010, or 2013. If this technique does not work, try the aforementioned one.