Microsoft Word Tricks
MS Word has several built-in features designed to "autocorrect" the text. This is because the program
is designed for business users (for the most part), and often these corrections will not be appropriate
for academic papers. However, you should realize that this feature is a problem. Here is a partial list
of stupid "auto-corrections" that you might encounter:
1. The computer might try to turn prose text into outline format. You will suddenly observe your
work as a numbered list.
2. In a similar fashion, the computer might take an outline and change the format -including its
font, indentation, and text size.
3. The computer might try to change URLs into web addresses (highlighted in blue) which can
be linked if the computer is online all the time. For printed publications, however, URLs are
not underlined and in blue – you can right click with your mouse and check ”Remove
hyperlink” option.
4. The computer may convert ordinal numbers (such as 1st) to superscripted text (such as 1st).
Most documentation styles do not allow superscripted text.
5. Initially, MS Word sets margins at 2,5cm. Papers require 3,17 (sides) and 2,54cm (top and
bottom) margins. Consequently, you must correct this manually. To do so, the Mac user must
click on the Format option of the menu bar (at the top of the screen), and select Document.
Next, select Margins and adjust them to 1 inch.
PC users can manually adjust the margin-ruler near the top of the screen, or through the
Page Layout – Margins option. Remember to save the layout as DEFAULT, to avoid having
to set the margins every single time.
6. Word users should also be aware that font changes take effect for text immediately following
the changed word. Often students will change the font (for various reasons) and find that
surrounding text incorrectly changes to that font.
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Similarly, when you are cutting and pasting from web pages, you may accidentally insert
new fonts or mistakenly apply this font to surrounding text.
You may choose the Paste – Special option, and paste in text without the formatting.
8. Note that in APA format, we type two hyphens--like this--with no space before or after each
hyphen to indicate a dash.
Many other useful tricks are actually beneficial and are good to know.
1. The most important trick is Ctrl Z. If you hit simultaneously the Control and Z keys, the
computer will undo the previous auto-correction. Often the program will make a "clicking"
sound when it engages the auto-correction function. Listen for this sound, and be ready to hit
Ctrl Z. If the Ctrl Z is used once too often, Ctrl Y is the restore option.
2. If you are in a foreign language class and you need to use a
diacritical mark (such as a tilde or an umlaut), you can insert these
by selecting Insert on the menu bar and then choosing Symbol. Then
hunt for the diacritical mark you need. Additionally, science students
can change quickly to a Greek font by highlighting the
corresponding Roman letter, and then clicking on Symbol in the font window.
3. Typesetters traditionally have frowned on "widow" and "orphan" lines. These are single lines
of text separated from the rest of a paragraph by a page break. Computer users, however, can
quickly correct widows and orphans by turning on "widow/orphan protection." Mac users can
find this option under Format in the menu bar. Then select Paragraph and click on Line and
Page Breaks. A box called Widow/orphan protection is available. If clicked, this function will
automatically adjust your spacing appropriately.
4. If you are prudent, you know how to save (Ctrl S) on a regular basis. However, MS-Word has
an "Auto-Save" function to save automatically at timed intervals. Paranoid students can turn
on this function by going to the Tools option on the menu bar, selecting Options, and then
selecting Save. They will be able to set the Save Auto-Recover for any interval that seems
appropriate.
5. Cutting and pasting text is also easy in MS Word. Simply highlight the appropriate text, hit
Ctrl X, place the cursor in the desired location, strike simultaneously Ctrl V, and the text will
be put there. Copying information to another location is done similarly. Instead of Ctrl X, use
Ctrl C. This action is especially useful for presenting a similar list of equations.
6. The Bold, Italicize, and Underline options on the menu bar can also be done quickly by
highlighting the desired text (as before) and using the Ctrl B, Ctrl I, and Ctrl U simultaneous
keystrokes respectively.
7. To locate a word in the text quickly, use Ctrl F (or Home + Find). To replace a word with
another word, once or in all occurrences, hit Ctrl H (or Home + Replace)
FORMATTING A PAPER
8. Many formats require students to include page
numbers and a header on every page of an essay. To
do this quickly, select “Insert” -- Header or Footer.
A new box of options will appear. Here, you can
type material that will appear on every page. You
can also do it via Insert and Page Numbers. There,
you will also find options for formatting page
numbers.
Remember to check “Different First Page” in the
Heather and Footer Tools to avoid running head
and page number on the first page of a paper
(and on the first page of every new chapter.
9. When starting a new chapter, you want to
exclude header and footer on the first page of a
new chapter. To do that, insert a page break at
the end of the previous page. Go to “Page
Layout” – Breaks – Section Breaks, and choose
“Next Page”. That will start a new section on
the next page, which you can treat the same as
the first page of the document. If you have the
Different First Page marked in the headers and
footers section – and the header and page
number will not appear.
10. Use automated headings to mark the titles,
headings and sub-headings that should appear in
the Table of Contents. This will allow you to
generate automated table of contents that will
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automatically update page numbers for each
of the listed headings.
Heading 1 should be centered, sized at 14
points, and first letters should be capitalized.
You can modify the size of the text and
alignment by right-clicking the Heading
options on the ribbon bar.
Remember to hit CTRL+ENTER if you want to place the heading
on a new page. This will create a page break and the heading then
will always be on a new page, even if you add text on the pages
before it.
The Table of contents can be found in the tab References. Once
inserted, it can be updated by right-clicking on the table of contents,
and selecting the option to Update field.
This is what it will look like:
Table of Contents
Microsoft Word Tricks .............................................................................................................. 1
Many other useful tricks are actually beneficial and are good to know. ............................... 1
FORMATTING A PAPER .................................................................................................... 2
REFERENCES ...................................................................................................................... 3
Bibliography .............................................................................................................................. 4
REFERENCES
11. Among the most important
functions in MS Word is the option
to build a comprehensive
bibliography and the built-in
function to insert citation into text.
Bibliography is built gradually,
collecting all sources you have
saved into it for all papers.
To add sources to the bibliography,
go to References –Manage
Sources.
Choose Style of citations (APA
Sixth Edition).
In Manage Sources, you can either
copy sources you have already used
in the past into the bibliography
specific for the paper you are
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writing at the moment, or add new sources.
When adding a new source, the menu will let you choose the type of a source you are
working with (a book, book section, journal
article, web document, etc.).
Fill out all the fields you have information for (
TIP: filling in author’s name, use the EDIT
function next to the author field. It will enter the
name into the proper format on its own.)
To insert a citation, use the function.
When inserted, you can add the page number by
clicking the citation (make sure you are saving
the document in the Word 2007 or newer
version, else the automated function will not
work), click edit citation, enter page number.
Use of automated function to insert the
references at the end of your paper. Again, use
CTRL+ENTER to place the bibliography on
a new page. You will find the option to insert
bibliography in the same place- under
References on the ribbon bar.
Bibliography
Hartling, L. (2005). Humiliation: Real Pain, A Pathway to Violence. Round Table 2 of the
Workshop on Humiliation and Violent Conflict. New York: Columbia University.
Hojsík, M. (2010). Rómovia a my: kam priaznivé zmeny nedorazili. In M. Bútora, M. Kollár,
G. Mesežnikov, & Z. Bútorová, Kde sme? Mentálne mapy Slovenska (pp. 225-240).
Bratislava: IVO, Kalligram.
Iľanovská, K., & Pufflerová, Š. (2010). Analýza textov slovenských médií z hľadiska
diskriminácie. In J. Plichtová, Občianstvo: participácia a deliberácia na Slovensku.
Teória a realita (pp. 255-286). Bratislava: Veda.
Kusá, D. (2014, April 15). Nezvratné dôkazy o nesmrteľnosti chrústov. Chrústológia, 2(1),
21-27. Retrieved May 12, 2014, from www.chrustologia.sk
Kusá, D., Gamaghelyan, P., & Saltsman, A. (2010). Mediating History, Making Peace:
Dealing with the "messy" stuff in the conciliation process. In S. Schuman, The
Handbook for Working with Difficult Groups: how they are difficult, why they are
difficult and what can you do about it (pp. 251-275). San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.
Zápotočná, O., & Lukšík, I. (2010). Modely aktívneho vzdelávania a ich podiel na formovaní
aktívneho demokratického občianstva. In J. Plichtová, Občianstvo: Participácia a
deliberácia na Slovensku. Teória a prax (pp. 313-332). Bratislava: Veda.
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