What is the correct location for page numbers in a report?
I am writing a report on our project in school, and we were discussing what would be the best place for the page numbers. It seems obvious, at least to us, that the page numbers should be right-aligned because the report is printed single sided. But should we put the page numbers at the top, or at the bottom of the page?
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In the absence of a particular style guide, I would put the page numbers on the top of the page, toward the outer side. When printing single-sided, this means put them in the top right corner. When printing double-sided, this means put them in the top right corner on odd numbered pages, and top left corner on even numbered pages.
- Putting the page number at the top puts it in a spot where people will quite naturally look.
- Putting the page number on the outside makes it easy to quickly flip to a specific page.
If the report is short, the second point in particular might not make much of a difference (it is not clear from your question what level of education you are in). But even then, it isn't going to hurt your grade if the page number is easy to find and the teacher happens to drop the printed copy of your report on the floor.
As pointed out in @jschabs' answer, if your school has an officially sanctioned style guide, you should refer to it for guidance on where on the page to put particular pieces of information, as well as what to include. In that case, your school might also provide ready-made templates, which would make the question moot.
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