Most agents and editors will specify certain elements be included in the page headers or footers of a manuscript. Title, author name and page number is typical. Others want author contact information added.

Contests generally want title, genre, and page numbers. Author name is, of course, excluded.

Debate rages about where to place page numbers; some authorities say top-right corner in the Header, others say bottom-right corner in the Footers. Whatever the preference, know that all the instructions for Headers can be duplicated in the Footers.

Check the specific requirements on the appropriate website for each and every submission and contest entry.

Check It Out

Let’s examine a submission with a complete set of Headers. Download ReviewEntrySub3.docx. Yes, that’s right—the review file is usually a pdf, but you need to see how the Headers work in Word.

Access Page Headers

Look in the top margin area, the Header. Basic contact information is presented on the left, the title is in the middle and the page number is on the right.

The Header is grayed out. The text of the story is dark.

Now double-click in the top margin area. The header and footer areas will open with dark text. The body of the document will be grayed out.

Also notice that the Header & Footer Tools in the Ribbon has automatically opened to provide functions that apply only to headers and footers.

Double-click in the body of the document to close the Header & Footer Tools and return to editing the document. You may also close the Header & Footer Tools by clicking on the red X on the right side of the tool bar.

Hide Page Headers

Want to hide the Headers and Footers to save screen space? Slowly move your cursor over the slice of your background color between the pages until your cursor turns into a small icon with two arrows pointing towards each other. Double-click again and the Headers and Footers will disappear leaving page-divider lines.

Reveal Page Headers

To reveal the headers, slowly move your cursor over the page-divider lines until your cursor turns into a small icon with two arrows pointing up and down, away from each other. Double-click and the page margins will appear along with a slice of your background color.