01Common default settings
- Font: Times New Roman, Arial or Calibri at 11 or 12 pt.
- Line spacing: 1.5 lines for reports, double for many essays.
- Margins: 1 inch (2.54 cm) on all sides.
- Paragraphs: first-line indent or space after, not both and not blank lines.
- Headings: three levels at most, bold, clearly different in size.
- Page numbers: bottom center or top right, none on the cover.
02What goes on a cover page
- Title, centered and largest on the page
- Your name and student or employee ID
- Course, department and institution (or client and project)
- Supervisor or instructor
- Submission date
03Pre-submission check
- Update the table of contents and the list of figures.
- Check that all headings use heading styles and none were restyled by hand.
- Check that every figure and table has a number, a caption, and a mention in the text.
- Check references are in one consistent style and match the in-text citations.
- Export to PDF and open it once to confirm fonts, page breaks and numbers.
04Keep fonts from changing in PDF
Save As PDF, then in Options keep "ISO 19005-1 compliant (PDF/A)" ticked or embed fonts under File, Options, Save. This stops substituted fonts on the reader’s computer.
Q&AFAQ
Is 1.5 or double spacing correct?
It depends on the template. Many theses use double spacing, many reports use 1.5. Check the guidelines you were given.
Calibri or Times New Roman?
Both are fine. Pick one family for the body and use it everywhere. A serif such as Times New Roman is the usual choice for academic work.
Rather have it done for you?
Word formatting service, from about us$9. Reports, essays and proposals: headings, table of contents, page numbers and figures done for you, usually the same day.