MS Word Page Numbering Help

In designing the Template to conform with the requirements of the University of Florida Graduate School, we use the View - Header and Footer version of page numbering. This allows your page numbers to do the following:

  1. Remain as Roman Numerals (i, ii, iii, iv, etc.) for the first few sections.

  2. Become Arabic Numerals (1, 2, 3, 4, etc.) for all the Chapters that follow (including the Appendices, List of References, and Biographical Sketch).

  3. Allows the page numbering to switch from BOTTOM to TOP-TOP-TOP orientation on the page.

This is accomplished by using a Section Break (Next Page) to separate each major section (subdocument) in the Template.

First we'll talk about how the page numbers are inserted and modified, then we'll show you how to replace section breaks should you accidentally delete them.

We will conclude with Helpful Hints and Frequently Asked Questions.

Inserting and Modifying your Page Numbers

To insert page numbers, go to the Menu Bar and select View - Header and Footer. You will then see a button bar that looks like this:

Place your cursor in the Header or Footer, and the buttons labeled above will peform the following:

Insert Page Number
Will insert a page number at the cursor position within the Header/Footer.

Format Page Number
Will allow you to change a page number from Arabic to Roman.

Page Setup
Will allow you to adjust the margins, layout and most importantly, tells MS Word to make the First Page Header/Footer behave differently than the remaining pages in the section. (This makes your page numbers go from the BOTTOM to TOP-TOP-TOP.)

Same As Previous
Tells MS Word to duplicate the Header/Footer Formatting of the previous section. Be sure you turn this option OFF before inserting or deleting page numbers. Otherwise page numbers will appear or disappear from adjacent sections. It's ok if this option is already ON in a section you don't need to modify.

Modifying your Page Numbers

For your:
  • Acknowledgements
  • Table of Contents
  • List of Tables
  • List of Figures
  • Abstract
the image on the right is what your Page Number Format should be set to:
For your first Chapter the image on the right is what your Page Number Format should be set to.

This will be identical for all subsequent:

  • Chapters
  • Appendices
  • List of References
  • Biographical Sketch

except that your page numbering will Continue from Previous Section, rather than Start at 1.

If you accidentally delete a Section Break (Next Page)

Before we begin, let's discuss the two major types of page breaks that are used in the Template.

Page Break
Simply separates content between pages.

Section Break (Next Page)
Separates content between pages, as well as triggers modifications in the Margins, Page Numbering, Header/Footer information, Portrait/Landscape orientation of your pages, etc.

To see where a Section Break (Next Page) is located, turn on the Show/Hide feature. This can be found in the Standard Formatting toolbar at the top of your page. The image below is what the toolbar should look like with the Show/Hide option turned ON.

We placed a Section Break (Next Page) at the end of each subdocument in the Template.

You may have to place your cursor at the last piece of text in the subdocument and press Enter in order to see a Section Break (Next Page). They like to hide sometimes.

If you've accidentally deleted a Section Break (Next Page), use the following tutorial to replace them.

MS Word Section Break Tutorial

Triggering the BOTTOM to TOP-TOP-TOP "feature"

The formatting Template does this automatically, but should you accidentally delete a Section Break (Next Page) and have to replace it, turning the "BOTTOM to TOP-TOP-TOP" feature back on is easy to do.

Place your cursor on the first page of your Chapter and press the Page Setup button on the View - Header and Footer button bar:

The image below is what your Page Setup window should look like.

The Different First Page option is the item that triggers the Header and Footer to be different everytime a Section Break (Next Page) is encountered. This produces that BOTTOM to TOP-TOP-TOP effect.

The Different Odd and Even option will cause the page numbers to be either both odd or both even everytime a Section Break (Next Page) is encountered. This option should NOT be used as it will make your page numbers non-sequential.

Helpful Hints and Frequently Asked Questions

What if my page numbers appear at both the TOP and BOTTOM of every page?

  1. Go to View - Header and Footer.
  2. Highlight the page number you want to remove.
  3. Turn OFF the Same As Previous option in the Header and Footer button bar.
  4. Delete the offending page number.
  5. Repeat steps 1-4 in subsequent Chapters if necessary.

What if my page numbers are all EVEN or all ODD?

  1. Place your cursor on the page that is not in sequence.
  2. Go to File - Page Setup.
  3. Select the Layout tab.
  4. Make sure that the Section Start drop down menu is set to New Page.
  5. Make sure that the Different Odd and Even checkbox is NOT checked.
  6. Make sure that the Apply To: drop down menu is set to This Section.
  7. Click OK.

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