General Formatting Tips

  • Abstract is limited to 350 words (Use the word count feature in the Review tab)
  • Name on Copyright page must match name used on title page.
  • The Graduate School personnel are not reading your paper. We are only looking at the formatting of the pages. Submit early and often to avoid last minute scrambling.
  • Use the style guide recommended by your committee. Grad School does not have a preference. The important thing is to pick a style and be consistent.
  • If using a multi-level Table of Contents, be sure that each level uses consistent indentation. (Placement of each heading/subheading within the paper itself must also be consistent).
  • Use section breaks sparingly. Page breaks should be used unless the next page will be formatted differently.
  • Use page breaks instead of using the enter key to get to a new page. By using the page break, text on the next page will remain stationary when additional text is added.
  • Use the grid lines. grid lines will assist with identifying tables and figures that exceed the allowable margins; they also help to identify text that does not start at the top margin.
  • Use the paragraph marks tool to locate extra line spaces, misbehaving page/section breaks, and other background formatting issues.
  • Use Multiple Pages view. This will give you a good overall view of the paper. It will help identify orphaned/widowed text, as well as verify that the margin rules are being observed.
  • Use the line spacing tool to assist with proper spacing for the references.
    • Highlight all text
    • Set entire section to single space
    • Select line spacing tool
    • Select “Add space after paragraph.
  • This will add the correct spacing between entries.