Running head: SAMPLE PAGE HEADER    1 

 
 

Title of Paper or Document

Name of Student

Name of University

   
SAMPLE PAGE HEADER    2 
 

Introductory Comments

APA sixth edition has many significant changes. For some reason, they published the

manual (first printing) with multiple errors. Those errors have caused confusion on the part of

many people. This paper is in the correct format—and includes the revised information from the

APA to correct the mis-printed sections of the first release of the APA 6th edition. The visual of

this paper should answer all your questions about APA 6th edition. Note that the first heading of

the paper is NOT in bold-face. All other level 1 headings after this first one are boldfaced. Note

also that you have a different page header (in the header area of the first page) than in the rest of

your paper. This is quite complex to accomplish. I have provided you with a procedure for

creating this multi-page header (with the first page being different) in a later paragraph of this

paper. Headings are also different in the 6th edition of the APA manual.

Level 1 Heading—Centered, Boldfaced, Upper and Lower Case

Do not use an abstract or executive summary for any of your papers unless specifically

told to do so by your instructor. Also please note that every paper you prepare in APA 6th

edition must include a cover page—an identical running head (in the header section of the paper-

-NOT in the text body of the paper), and that the first page of text always begins one double-

space after the first major heading (a level 1 heading is required for all APA papers). Every

paragraph is indented 5-7 spaces. No extra space is allowed before or after a paragraph—you

may need to change this as Word sometimes defaults to 10 points AFTER a paragraph. To

change that default, highlight your text, then click on PARAGRAPH, then change “spacing

before and after” to 0 pts. Text proceeds on throughout the paper in an orderly manner—and in

double-spaced format until such time as another heading is required. If that heading is
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subordinate to the Level 1 header above, then it becomes a level 2 heading and would look like

this:

Flush Left, Boldface, Uppercase and Lowercase and Not in Italics

Aside from the requirement to boldface headings, this level 2 heading has changed

significantly change from the 5th edition of the APA manual. Your paragraphs continue on and

usually you would not use more than two levels of headings. However, if you feel you need a

third heading, then it would be subordinate to your level 2 heading and would be

indented…looking something like this:

Indented, boldface, lowercase paragraph heading ending with a period. You

continue typing directly after the level 3 heading…not on a new line as in level 1 and level 2

headings.

When it is time for you to start another major subject category, you will return to a level

1 heading like the one below…and continue with this throughout your paper. Generally, you

may have 3 or four level 1 headings…all sub-divisions below level 1 headings become level 2 or

level 3 headings—think of it as an outline with the headings communicating the importance of

the topic under discussion. Also remember, you cannot have an inferior heading without a

supporting superior heading. For example, you cannot jump from a level 1 heading to a level 3

heading. If you don’t have a level 2 heading, you cannot have a level 3 heading.

New Level 1 Heading—How to Create a Page Header in Word 2007

To help you understand how to set up your running head—follow the following

procedures. First, double click in the header area and then click on the insert button—select page

number (about middle of menu bar)—then select TOP OF PAGE—then select plain Number 3

(this will format your page number to go to the right margin). NOW BACKSPACE TWICE—
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and the number will move back to the left margin. Now type your running head as in this paper

SAMPLE PAGE HEADER (in all caps) directly in front of your page number. Since Word 2007

defaults to Calibri 11, you will want to change that to ARIAL or TIMES NEW ROMAN 12

(highlight your running head (including your page number)—then click on HOME (top menu)—

and change the font (while the header is highlighted) to Arial (or Times New Roman if you

prefer) and the size to 12. Finally…put your cursor at the end of the running head—in front of

the page number and tab twice—taking the page number back to the right margin. Now…while

still in the header area, go to the top of your paper—and then under the design tab (which should

be your default if you double-clicked in the header section), go to the tab for OPTIONS, and put

a check mark in the Different First Page area. Then follow the same process and enter your first

page header (as in this document) to Running head: SAMPLE PAGE HEADER—remember this

needs to be in front of the page number. This will give you the proper format for the cover

page—and all remaining pages will default to the original setup. To leave the header area—just

double click in the main section of the paper and the header/footer section will close. Then your

running head will appear on all pages in the proper form.

Levels of Headings (from the 6th Edition of the APA Manual, 2nd printing)

Here is a breakdown of headings in the 6th edition of the APA manual:

Level 1

Centered, Boldface, Uppercase and Lowercase Heading

Level 2

Flush Left, Boldface, Uppercase and Lowercase Heading

Level 3

Indented, boldface, lowercase paragraph heading ending with a period.

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Level 4

Indented, boldface, italicized, lowercase paragraph ending with a period.

Level 5 (you would probably never use this level)

Indented, italicized, lowercase paragraph heading ending with a period and not bolded.

The Reference Page

References in APA 6th edition have also changed. One important change is that there is

no longer a requirement to include the retrieval date for a reference taken from a URL on the

internet. Another change is that all cities must be followed by a two-letter state abbreviation. In

the 5th edition, there were 17 cities exempted from a state designation, but this has gone away in

the 6th edition.

As a general rule, only publications are italicized on the reference page. Article titles are

not italicized. The reference page always begins on a new page. Remember these basic rules

about the reference page:

• Never use the first name of an author on the reference page

• Always add the two-letter abbreviation for the state when you include a city

• Never italicize the title of an article or WWW resource

• Do not add extra lines between reference citations

• All reference citations must be in “hanging indent” format

• Remember correct punctuation, spacing, and capitalization rules

• Capitalize only the first word of titles (exception: proper nouns are always

capitalized)

• References are always in alphabetical order

We have provided you with some sample citations on the next page of this document.
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References

LeDoux, J.E. (1995). Emotion: Clues from the brain. Annual Review of Psychology, 46(2), 209-

244. Retrieved from http://www.psychology.org/document 6654884993_022

Ridley, K.S., & Jones, W.W. (2009). The book of love in art and history. New York NY:

Macmillan Publishing.