Assignments are the product of hard work. Solid research and good writing and editing are not a breeze. They take a great deal of time and effort. However, they might come to naught if the result is not presented properly. Formatting the final document is a fairly simple process and goes a long way toward earning a better grade.
What Is Formatting?
Document formatting is the process of creating the visual layout of the document. It concerns aspects such as fonts, alignment, spacing, and so on. When a document is formatted well, it becomes much easier to read the text and understand the content.
Nowadays, electronic documents have become the norm. Assignments are no longer handwritten; instead, they are typed up and either emailed or printed out. Digital word processors such as Microsoft Word and Google Docs have made writing and formatting easier for students. They allow greater control, accuracy, and consistency in the way text, images, and other elements are organized in a document.
Guidelines for Formatting
Here are a few formatting rules that are widely followed in academic circles.
- Font style: Font styles should be kept consistent throughout the document. It is not appropriate to have one section set to one font and another to a different one. If required or specified, headings can have a different font style from the body. Most word processors offer a wide range of styles to choose from. However, a formal and standard one such as Times New Roman or Arial should be chosen for assignments.
- Font size: Like style, font sizes too should remain consistent throughout the document. Headings, though, should be sized larger than the rest of the body to make them stand out. This makes identifying the different sections easier, contributing to readability. The most commonly used font sizes are 11 and 12 for the body. Heading sizes differ and are dependent on the number of sections and subsections.
- Highlights: The most common formats for highlighting text are bold and italic. These should be used moderately. They are not meant for the majority of the text and are to be used only to draw attention to specific points that the writer wants to emphasize. They can also be used to highlight subheads in lists as has been done here. A consistent pattern of highlighting should be developed throughout the document. Highlighting with color should be avoided, as should underlining as most underlined text in digital documents is understood to be hyperlinked.
- Text alignment: The most widely offered alignments are Left, Center, Right, and Justified. For English, Left and Justified are the most appropriate for the body. If the assignment is printed, Justifying the text makes it look neater. Headings can be center-aligned, but this is mostly done for the main headings and not subheads.
- Line spacing: This refers to the space between the lines in a document. While it may seem trivial, it greatly affects ease of reading. Too little or too much space between lines makes the document difficult to read, especially if it is on a screen. The precise line spacing to be used may be specified by the professor; if not, 1.15pts or 1.5pts are optimal.
- Paragraph spacing: Spaces between paragraphs are needed to properly demarcate the paragraphs. They too make overall reading and comprehension easier.
- Indentation: This refers to beginning specific lines with extra spacing after the margin. The rest of the text does not follow this pattern. Commonly, the first line of a paragraph is indented. However, if the student wishes, they can skip the indentation. Whichever format is chosen, it must be kept consistent for all paragraphs.
Another place where indentation is used is in lists. It is automatically set when a listing option is chosen for the selected text. However, particular care must be taken when using multi-level lists to indent the different points by the right amount of space.
- Lists: The most commonly offered listing options are bulleted and numbered lists. Bullet points can be used for lists that don’t necessarily follow a particular order. Numbered lists determine a fixed order, such as for instructions.
- Margins: This refers to the space between the edges of the pages and the text itself. There can be a slight difference in size between the side, top, and bottom margins. However, the margins on either side should be equal, and all pages in the document must follow the same specifications.
- Pictures: When using them, pictures should be inserted between two paragraphs. The caption should be placed below the picture with the attribution in brackets. The same guidelines are also applicable to charts or graphs added to the document.
- Headers and footers: Headers and footers are sections at the top and the bottom of pages, respectively. They contain information that repeats on all pages, such as the page numbers, author’s name, and an abbreviated form of the assignment’s title. They shouldn’t appear on special pages such as cover pages and the table of contents. They are optional, and one can be used without the other.
- Page numbers: They are ideally placed in the top or bottom right corners, or in the center at the bottom of the pages. As they are a part of the header/footer, they do not have to be manually typed.
- Citation: A single citation style should be used throughout the document. If using in-line citation, a full reference is usually given at the end of the essay. However, if the assignment calls for a more detailed and lengthy document, references can be placed in a footnote at the bottom of the pages. This is different from a footer and does not carry the same information; it may not even appear on all pages.
- When mentioning mathematical and scientific equations, students can use the options for superscript and subscript available on most word processors. Altering text size is not helpful and affects both the appearance and readability of the document.
When the same formatting style is used for multiple documents, processors and applications such as MS Word offer options to create customized styles and retain these formats. This eliminates the hassle of manipulating each element separately in different files.
All the guidelines mentioned above indicate the prevalent norms across most fields when it comes to formatting. Sometimes, though, there may be particular specifications prescribed by professors and/or institutions; in such cases, the prescribed specifications must be given precedence over the general guidelines.
