How to format your paper using Microsoft Word 2007
While the location of specific tools may have change between different versions of Word the basic
nomenclature for formatting tools and how they are grouped is fairly consistent. The exception may
be Vista since several unsuccessful changes were attempted. If you are using Vista and simply cannot
figure out how to format, make an appointment with me and we will explore it together.
You can change the formatting of a document after it has been typed in by highlighting everything
(select all) then establishing the format. It is easier, however, to set the formatting to the assignment
requirements before entering text. When making formatting changes, notice where you can
choose to make it the default setting. You can then set the format to meet the majority of your
assignment requirements. There are other paths to the same formatting, but the following
instructions work.
FONT:
For some reason, the word processor font on my school computer is set to Calibiri 11
which I dislike reading. The standard at Al Akhawayn is usually Times New Roman 12, but Arial 11
is the choice for instructors who prefer sans serif fonts. Notice that each of these phrases is
written in the font it mentions. Whichever you use for an assignment always make sure it
meets the assignment requirement if there is one.
Format Page: The following adjustments are found via the page layout tab
Margins: The standard for APA and MLA, the two citation styles used at Al Akhawayn University,
is 1” (inch) side margins. Top and side margins may be specified as well. To set margins:
page layoutpage setupclick on the tiny menu button at the lower right-hand
edgemargins. Set left and right margins to 1 inch (2.56 cm). If top and bottom margins are
specified you change them here as wellok
American paper is a different size. You can change the paper size from 8 ½ X 11 to A4 (8.27” X
11.69”) from this same menu . You do not worry about the other choices on this page at this time,
but If you do not change paper size your bottom margin will be affected.
page layoutpage setupclick on the tiny menu button at the lower right-hand edgepagepaper
sizeselect A4 from drop down menuok
Spaces between lines and between paragraphs are also formatted from this menu tab: Do
not insert line spaces by hand using the enter key since this will cause problems when you
make text changes in the drafting phases of writing. Formatting these spaces will save you a
lot of time and work. Notice that paragraphs to this point have had 1.15 spacing because it is
the default.
Paragraph formatting in this document to this point has been block style. This style requires
extra space between paragraphs to define them. I do not know why but Word’s default is to
have 10 points between paragraphs which is appropriate for this style but this style is rarely
used in academic writing. You can change both these settings from the same menu page.
To set spacing and paragraph style:
 page layoutparagraph menu
generalalignment left
indentation spacing  before 0, after 0 line spacing2.0 check the box:
don’t add space between paragraphs of the same style
Indenting the first line of a paragraph can also be set to automatically indent to 0.4”
when the enter bar is used by setting the tabs to 0.4” Using the tab option at the
button at the bottom of this menu
Hanging indent information needed for research paper reference pages can be found on the
next page.
While you may not need the following information for SSK1211 you will need to know how
to format this type of hanging indent when formatting a reference page for a research
paper.
This will make your life considerably easier since it automatically sets up the proper format
when you hit the enter bar
to begin a new entry in your reference page. Note: You may also have to change line spacing
back to 1 to meet citation guideline requirements.
The hanging indent option is also found on this menu:
 page layoutparagraph menuindentationspecial hanging from the drop
down menu.