APA (6 Edition) Odds & Ends: The Running Head, Heading Levels

Running head: APA ODDS & ENDS 1

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APA (6

Edition) Odds & Ends:

The Running Head, Heading Levels, Missing Information, and

Hanging Indent Format

Some elements of APA style may require knowledge beyond what can easily be found in the Publication

Manual of the American Psychological Association (APA), 6

edition (2010a) or on APAStyle.org. For

example, many students know that APA papers include a running head, but they might not know how to create

a running head so that the title is aligned with the left margin while the page number is aligned with the right

margin on the same line. This handout provides supplemental instruction on the following lesser-known

citation and formatting aspects of APA style:

 Creating the running head in Microsoft Word and Google Docs

 Formatting subheadings

 Including in-text citations

 Formatting the references section, including some uncertainties about source information.

The Running Head

According to the APA manual, “the running head is an abbreviated title that is printed at the top of the pages of

a manuscript” and “should be a maximum of 50 characters, counting letters, punctuation, and spaces between

words. It should appear flush left in all uppercase letters at the top of the title page and all subsequent pages”

(p. 229). On the title page alone, the label “Running head:” should appear to the left of the running head itself.

On all pages, including the title page, page numbers should be flush right on the same line as the running head.

The running head at the top of this document follows APA 6

edition guidelines and was created using the

following steps:

In Microsoft Word

1. Double-click in the header area of your document’s first page to open the Header & Footer Tools design

tab.

2. Select the option labeled Different First Page.

3. Click on Page Number. Mouse over Top of Page, and click the option that shows the page number flush

right.

4. Making sure that the cursor is located against the left side of the page number, type the words “Running

head” followed by a colon and, in all caps, your paper’s (possibly abbreviated) title. (Refer to the top of

this handout for an example.)

5. With the cursor still located against the left side of the page number, press the Tab button on the

keyboard until the running head is flush left.

6. Highlight the entire contents of the header area, including the page number. Click the Home tab, and

change the font size and face to match that used in the rest of the document.

7. Scroll to the second page or any subsequent page in your document, and repeat steps 3 through 6,

making sure to omit the label “Running head:” as this label should appear only on your first page.

In Google Docs

1. Double-click in the header area on your Google doc’s first page.

2. At the bottom of the header field, check the box next to Different first page header/footer.

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3. You may need to press Enter twice to bring the cursor down a half-inch from the top of the page.

4. Insert your page number by clicking the Insert tab, selecting page number, and choosing the top left

option. The page number will appear on your first page.

5. Now place the cursor on the left side of the page number, and type “Running head” followed by a colon

and, in all caps, your paper’s (possibly abbreviated) title. (Note that “Running head” is typed in

sentence case, not in all caps. Refer to the top of this handout for an example.)

6. With the cursor between your title and the page number, press Tab enough times to move the number to

the right margin. You may need to use the space bar as well to avoid exceeding the end of the line.

7. Highlight the entire contents of the header area, including the page number, and change the font size and

face to match that used in the rest of the document.

8. Scroll to the second page in your document, and repeat steps 4 through 8, making sure to omit the label

“Running head:” as this label should appear on your first page only. (If a page number already appears

in the header area on the second page when you scroll down, place the cursor on the left side of the

number, press backspace until the cursor and number align with the left margin, and then repeat steps 5

through 8.)

Heading Level Formats

The following table (APA, 2010a, p. 62) details the format for each heading:

To clearly understand heading levels, it may be helpful to think of them as levels of an outline for your paper:

After your title, the first level 1 heading of your paper might be “Introduction” or “Literature Review.” Level

2 headings precede sections within level 1, level 3 headings precede sections within level 2, and so on.

Title

I. Level 1 heading

a. Level 2 heading

b. Level 2 heading

i. Level 3 heading

1. Level 4 heading

ii. Level 3 heading

II. Level 1 heading

a. Level 2 heading

. . .

APA ODDS & ENDS 3

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Basic In-Text Citation Styles

(Table 6.1 in the APA Manual [2010a])

Citations in the text can be arranged in a variety of ways. Basically, an in-text citation includes the source’s

author and year of publication, accompanied by a page number if specific information from within the source

is summarized or quoted. These elements are ordered with the source’s publication year immediately

following the author’s name, whether one or both are enclosed in parentheses. The page number, if needed,

appears in parentheses after the quoted or summarized information. The following table (APA, 2010a, p. 177)

details the formats for various in-text citations:

Reference List Format

Entries in your references section should be alphabetized by author last name and arranged using hanging

indentation. Follow these steps to format your references section.

1. Place the cursor at the end of your document, and perform a “hard return” by typing Ctrl + Enter. This

adds a new page to your document.

2. On the first line, center the cursor, and type “References.”

3. Begin your entries on the next line. Consult APA sources to format your entries correctly:

a. Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association, 6

Edition (APA, 2010a)

b. APAStyle.org Frequently Asked Questions (APA, 2013a)

c. APAStyle.org APA Basics Tutorial (APA, 2013b)

d. The Purdue OWL APA Formatting and Style Guide (2013) is also accurate and helpful.

4. When you are ready to format the list in hanging indentation, highlight all of your entries together, and

right-click. Select Paragraph.

5. In the Paragraph window, under Indentation, click the dropdown menu under Special, and select

Hanging. Click OK to apply the change and return to your paper.

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What if an example format cannot be found for a source?

APAStyle.org offers some reference examples not found in the APA manual—YouTube videos and articles on

websites, for example. But they also offer this guidance: “When you cannot find the example reference you

need in the [APA manual], choose the example that is most like your source and follow that format.

Sometimes you will need to combine elements of more than one reference format” (APA, 2013a).

What if information for an online source cannot be found?

Missing information is one indicator that a source may not be trustworthy. So you should first evaluate the

source for accuracy. Also, consider that you may need to justify the use of such a source in your paper.

Finally, if you need to provide citation information for a source that is missing reference elements, use the

guidelines illustrated on the following chart (APA, 2010b):

How to Cite Something You Found on a Website in APA Style: What to Do When Information is Missing

References

American Psychological Association (2010a). Publication manual of the American Psychological Association, 6

Edition. Washington D.C.:

APA.

American Psychological Association (2010b). How to cite something you found on a Website in APA style: What to do when information is

missing. Retrieved from http://blog.apastyle.org/ apastyle/2010/11/how-to-cite-something-you-found-on-a-website-in-apa-style.html

American Psychological Association (2013a). APA FAQ. Retrieved from http://www.apastyle.org/learn/ faqs/index.aspx

American Psychological Association (2013b). APA Basics Tutorial. Retrieved from http://www.apastyle.org/learn/tutorials/basics-tutorial.aspx

Purdue OWL (2013). APA formatting and style guide. Retrieved from http://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/ resource/560/01/