MLA format for page numbers requires that you place your last name and the page number one half inch down from the top margin, and flush right. To achieve this, you have to work within the top margin of the page, or the header of the page. In the old days, with a typewriter, you could just adjust the paper to 1/2 inch and type in your page number. But with a word processor, the process is different.
To work in the
header, be sure that you are working with your document in Page Layout View.
If you are not, select Page Layout view in your MS Word by doing the
following -- You will find some small icons at the bottom left of your MS
Word window. Choose the middle one (highlighted in
orange). Now you will see your individual pages as you type.
a. Next select Insert from the Menu bar.
b. Select Page Numbers. A small window will appear. c. Select Top of Page, and Right.
d. Observe box at the bottom of the menu (Show Number on First Page)
If you have a formal title page, leave this box blank. Research papers with formal title pages do not number the title page.
Now click on format at the right bottom of this menu window.
Select Start At and change the number in the box to 0. This will make your title page "0," and the first page of your document "1." What you have now set up is for Word to print "0" on the title page, but from the setting above, you have also told Word not to print that number, so there will be no number printed on the title page, as MLA form calls for no page number on a formal title page.
MLA page numbers also calls for the first body page of the manuscript to start with the number "1." You have done that by starting the numbering a "0."
The second paper that you complete for this course (Ass. 15) will ask that you use the MLA informal title page, where you can use a page number, and in this format, the first page is number "1". In this case you would put a check mark in the box that says "Show Number on First Page." The page number will show on the first page. And on this informal title page, your "Start At" number would be "1".
e. Select OK to close this window, then OK to close the Page Number window.
Do the following on both the formal and informal title page:
You will now see a page number in shadow in the top right margin of your page. MLA format requires that you put your last name next to the page number.
Go to your first page and double click in the area where your number is with your mouse (the header of the page). A text box will appear with your number at the right. The cursor will be flashing at the left margin of the text box. Select Align Right on the toolbar (the ion with all the lines aligned on the right) to move the cursor next to the page number. Type your last name and press the space bar once. Click the mouse outside the header box to return to your document. Your name and page number will now appear on each page of your document. When you are finished, your MLA page number will look like this:
Inserting Page Numbers with MS Word 2007 & 10
Inserting page numbers in MS Word 2007 is a little different from earlier versions. From the toolbar, select Insert, and then Page Number. I have highlighted Page Number in red for you. When you open the Page number command, a menu will open - choose Top of Page, and in the menu to the left, the third choice - putting the page number flush right on the margin.
When you select Plain Number 3, your document will appear, with the header (the top margin) of the page showing. There will be a number 1 highlighted with the cursor flashing to the left of it. Since MLA formated page numbers must have your last name next to it, type your last name, as I have done on this sample. Now you have a correctly formatted page number -- but unfortunately, when you use a formal MLA title page, there can be no page number on it, and number "1" must appear on the first body page.
So there is one more thing you must do. Notice that I have put in red the command Different First Page. Select this, and the page number will disappear from the first page. However, your first body page will still be numbered "2", as it is still the second page of your paper. You must tell MS Word to renumber that as page one. To do this, go back to Insert, Page number and choose Format Page Number (left picture below). A small window will appear (below right). At the bottom of this window, set the Start at: to "0". Now the first body page of your paper will be numbered "1".
Click
your cursor back on to your title page. Choose Format
from the toolbar. Now choose Styles and Formatting.
A window will appear -- choose the second icon from the right
on the menu bar of this item-
which is called Page Styles and double click on First Page.
Your last name will disappear from your title page, but remain on
all other pages.
