Formatting An Essay

How to Format an Essay

Good writing is very important. You need to have accurate vocabulary, correct grammar, and strong organization and development.

You also need to make sure your writing looks correct before you submit it to your teacher. Making sure everything looks correct in your document is called formatting. You should start develop your formatting knowledge and sills while at ELS, as correct and consistent formatting will be even more important at university or in your job.

Remember that the details will vary from assignment to assignment. It is important that you (1) remember what to pay attention to, and (2) know how to do it.

Remember that the MOST important thing is that you are consistent within each assignment.

Terms and Details to Remember

• Font: What the words look like

• Font size: How big the words are

• Font color: What color the words are

• Line spacing: How much space is in between each line within each paragraph

• Paragraph spacing: How much space is between the paragraphs

• Alignment: Whether the words line up with the left edge, the right edge, or are centered

• Indentation: If the first line of each paragraph is set in from the left edge of the paragraph

Formatting with Microsoft Word

Changing the Font

In this picture, you have many different fonts. You need to make all the words have the same font. Follow these steps:

1. Highlight all the words

2. Click on the font dropdown menu

3. Choose the font you want to use

4. Common fonts for academic writing are Calibri, Cambria, Arial, and Times New Roman

5. The most important thing is to be consistent through your entire assignment

Now, the words have the same font.

Changing the Font Size

In this picture, you have many different font sizes. You need to make all the words have the same font. Follow these steps:

1. Highlight all the words

2. Click on the font sizes dropdown menu

3. Choose the size you want to use

4. Common sizes are 11 or 12, depending on the font you are using

5. Again, the most important thing is to be consistent through your entire essay

Changing the Font Color

In this picture, you have many different font colors. Usually, all the words will be black automatically. However, if you copy/paste something into your document, it might be a different color. Here is how you change the color.

1. Highlight all the words

2. Click on the font color dropdown menu

3. Choose the color you want to use

4. This will almost always be black for a school assignment or normal work project

5. Again, the most important thing is to be consistent through your entire document

Formatting with Google Docs