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How to Format Page Numbers for an Academic Paper or Report
Written and fact-checked by The EditPDF AI Team
Academic style guides typically specify exactly where page numbers should appear and how they should be formatted — matching this precisely before submission avoids a formatting rejection over something easy to fix.
Common academic formatting conventions
- ·Top-right corner header, plain sans-serif or matching body font, is the most common placement across many style guides
- ·A running header with the author's last name preceding the page number, common in some formatting styles
- ·Bottom-center footer, common for shorter papers and reports without a running header
Check your specific institution or publication's style requirements — conventions vary, and getting the exact position and format right matters more than which one you happen to prefer.
Step-by-step: format for submission
- 1Confirm the required position and format from your style guide or submission instructions.
- 2Open editpdfai.com/add-page-numbers and upload your document.
- 3Set the position, font, and size to match the requirement exactly.
- 4Preview several pages, including the first page if your style guide has a different rule for it, before finalizing.
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