What Should I Include in a Thesis Header?

Excellent formatting, including the correct margins and a correct thesis header, is essential whether you’re writing a narrative thesis, persuasive thesis, or informative thesis. The type of information you include in your header is determined the citation style you use for your thesis. A page number and a “running head,” or a header that appears on every page and contains a shortened version of your thesis paper title, are required the APA citation style. Your thesis header will only contain your last name and the page number if you are using the MLA citation style.

If you’re writing an MLA thesis, your thesis header should include your last name and the page number separated one space. At 1 inch (2.5 cm) from the edge of the paper, the header should be right justified or flush against the right hand margin. The header should be.5 inches (1.3 cm) above the paper’s top. Your header should be in the same font as the rest of your paper. For an MLA thesis, Times New Roman font in 12 point size is standard. In an APA paper, the header rules are more complicated.

If you’re writing an APA thesis, you’ll need to include your running head and page number in your header. In all capital letters, the running head contains a few words from your thesis paper title. If your title is “Confusing Rules: What to Put in a Thesis Header,” for example, your running head should be “WHAT TO PUT IN A THESIS HEADER” or simply “THESIS HEADER.” It’s up to you how much you shorten your paper title, but make sure there are enough words in there that your professor doesn’t mix up your paper with another student’s. The running head is left justified, or flush with the left margin, in an APA thesis paper, while the page number is right justified, or flush with the right margin. The page number and running head should be 1 inch (2.5 cm) from the top of the page.

Another thing to remember about the header for an APA thesis paper is that the running head must be identified on the title page. A header on your title page should tell your reader what the running head will be. The words “Running head” and a colon should appear before the running head on the title page header. “Running head: THESIS HEADER,” for example, might be the title page header for the example paper.