Definition
Running head
A running head is the line of text at the top of a book page — conventionally the author's name on the verso (left) and the book or chapter title on the recto (right). It is omitted on chapter openers and blank pages.
Running heads orient a reader deep inside a book. The trade rules are precise: suppressed on chapter opening pages, absent from blank pages and front matter, small caps or italics by design tradition. Getting these states right in Word requires fighting section breaks; typesetting systems handle them structurally.
Related tools & guides
Measure yours
Drop an interior PDF into the free KDP checker: it detects the trim, measures the inside margin on every page against the gutter your page count needs, and names the pages that fall short.