Some journals or style guides require papers to have a running head. A running head is a short version of the paper title that is printed as a heading at the top of each page. If your document includes page numbers at the top, the running head can precede the page number or appear on the opposite edge of the page. In APA style, the running head is placed in the upper left.
The publisher often requests running heads for practical reasons. It is desirable to have every page clearly labeled as being part of the paper. If your paper is printed as a hard copy and the various pages fall to the floor or are mixed up, having a running head and page number on each page helps the reader to put all the pages back in the correct order. Even readers who are viewing an electronic version of the paper may appreciate the clear labels, especially if they are sorting through many documents simultaneously.
What are the requirements?
The specific requirements for running heads vary. In general, running heads should be brief. APA guidelines require that running heads be a maximum of 50 characters (spaces count as characters).
The running head is usually written in all capital letters. (For style purposes, the examples in this article use regular title case.)
It is placed in a header at the top of the page. Check the journal or style guidelines for any specifics on margins, spacing, or font.
In APA, the running head is introduced on the first page by the phrase “Running head” and a colon, i.e., in the following format: “Running head: SHORT VERSION OF TITLE.” Subsequent pages have only the running head itself. In other formatting styles, the running head may be introduced in this way as part of the information that appears on the title page.