FAQ: Writing Tutoring Services

Papers written in MLA and APA style are required to have a page number in the header of the paper, but it can take a few steps to insert and format that page number properly. The steps can be a bit different depending on the word processor you are using, so find the section for your preferred word processor below and follow the instructions to insert a page number. 

Microsoft Word (offline desktop version)- 

1. With a word document open, go to the 'Insert' Tab at the top of the screen. 
2. In the 'Header & Footer' section, click on 'Page Numbers'
3. In the menu that appears, choose 'Top of Page,' then select 'Plain Number 3'
4. You should now have a page number in the top right corner of the page. 
5. Go to the 'Home' tab at the top of the screen to change the font of the number. Select the number and change the font style to Times New Roman and the font size to 12pt. 
6. To continue writing your paper, quickly click twice in the section of the paper below the header. This will gray out the header to show that you are not editing it. 

Microsoft Word (online browser/Office 365 version)

1. With a word document open, go to the 'Insert' Tab at the top of the screen. 
2. On the right side of the bar, click 'Page Numbers'
3. In the menu that appears, click the top right option that shows a number in the top right corner of the box. 
4. A header editor will open, and the characters '<#>' will be placed in the right side of the header. This is Word's symbol to create a page number that counts up automatically, and will appear as plain numbers on your actual paper. 
5. Click and drag over the '<#>' symbol to select it. On the 'Home' tab, change the font style to Times New Roman and the font size to 12pt. 
6. To continue writing your paper, click once in the section below the header. This will close the header editor, but you can reopen it by quickly clicking twice on your page number. 

Google Docs

1. With a document open, go to the 'Insert' tab below the document title. 
2. Click on the 'Page Numbers' option. It will be near the bottom of the list, and you may have to scroll down on the menu to see it. 
3. From the menu that appears, choose the top left option. This will put a number in the top right corner of every page of your paper. 
4. Click and drag over the page number to select it. Change the font style to Times New Roman and the font size to 12pt.
5. To continue writing your paper, click once in the section below the header. 

When putting in a page number, DO NOT:

1. Just type the number into the paper yourself. This will put the number you typed on every page (ex. if you typed 1, every page would be marked as page 1)
2. Put the page number in the body section instead of the header. This is not the proper space for it and will make writing and formatting your paper more difficult. 
3. Forget to format the page number/header with the same font as the rest of your paper.
4. Write your name in the header before inserting the number if you are writing in MLA style. Inserting a page number will erase what has been already written in the header, so you will need to rewrite it anyway if you write it before inserting the page number. Always write your name after you add the page number, if required by your formatting style.