Page header

In typography and word processing, a page header (or simply header) is text that is separated from the body text and appears at the top of a printed page. Word-processing programs usually allow for the configuration of page headers, which are typically identical throughout a work except in aspects such as page numbers.

Header in a dictionary, consisting of a guide word.

The counterpart at the bottom of the page is called a page footer (or simply footer); its content is typically similar and often complementary to that of the page header.

In publishing and certain types of academic writing, a running head, less often called a running header, running headline or running title, is a header that appears on each standard page.^[1] Running heads do not usually appear on display pages such as title pages, or on other front or back matter.^[2] Running heads in a book typically consist of the title on the left-hand (verso) page, and the chapter title on the right-hand (recto) page; or the chapter title on the verso and subsection title/subhead on the recto, aiding the reader's navigation by showing what content exists within the two-page spread at hand.

A special case of the latter is in dictionaries, whose running heads are called guide words; they show the first headword and last headword on each page, to expedite the reader's navigation to a desired headword. In academic writing, the running head usually contains the page number along with the author's last name,^[3] or an abbreviated version of the title.^[4] The counterpart of the running head is the running foot.

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  Header with highlighted current chapter title
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  Header with the author's name and pagination
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  Header placed on the left hand side of page
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  Header placed on the left hand side of page, pothi format
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See also

• Headpiece (book illustration)
• Page footer