Formatting Papers

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Formatting Papers for English 303
Use the Left Button on your mouse to click on
the arrow to go through this presentation.
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The following slides will show you how to format
a paper and use headings in English 303.
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First of all, we need to lay out the page
Text goes on the white space between the
margins. This text is single-spaced.
First, the margins
Left, Right, and Bottom Margins are 1 inch,
minimum. The top margin is 1 inch unless it has
a first order heading at the top then, the top
margin is 2 inches.
This text is an example of double-spaced
text.
Then, we add the text.
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Now, lets begin developing a paper with
headings.
FIRST ORDER HEADING
First of all, we begin with the paper title, done
as a FIRST ORDER heading
This heading should begin two inches from the top
of the page.
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Then, we add a second-order heading, for major
sections
FIRST ORDER HEADING
Second Order Text begins here, as an indented
paragraph. Text is double spaced.
Then, a third-order heading, for subdivisions of
the 2nd order material
Third Order Text begins here, as an
indented paragraph. Text is double spaced.
And then, a 4th order heading, used to subdivide
the third order section.
Fourth Order. This heading is indented.
Text begins on this line. Text is
double-spaced.
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To the left is is an example of a page with four
orders of headings below are the equivalent
outline divisions
FIRST ORDER HEADING
Second Order Text begins here, as an indented
paragraph. Text is double spaced.
TITLE (First order heading) I. Second Order
Heading A. Third Order Heading
1. Fourth Order Heading 2.
Fourth Order Heading B. Third Order
Heading 1. Fourth Order Heading
2. Fourth Order Heading II.
Second Order Heading
Third Order Text begins here, as an
indented paragraph. Text is double spaced.
Fourth Order. This heading is indented.
Text begins on this line. Text is double-spaced.
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In Technical Writing, the structure and
formatting of papers are of primary importance
and you must understand the linkage between the
two. The previous examples of a page of a paper
and of a traditional outline show how structure
(the outline) is turned into formatting (the page
with headings). It is important that you see how
an outline done in the traditional manner thus
allows you to set up the order and level of
headings in a paper. Note that the outline
shows levels or relatedness by indentation the
headings show the same relatedness by the
placement of the heading on the page and on the
form of the heading such as all caps or
bold-faced or underlined.
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Lets also note some other details of text
presentation, using the following paragraph, from
the CDC Website
Ebola hemorrhagic fever (Ebola HF) is a severe,
often-fatal disease in humans and nonhuman
primates (monkeys and chimpanzees) that has
appeared sporadically since its initial
recognition in 1976. The disease is caused by
infection with Ebola virus, named after a river
in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (formerly
Zaire)in Africa, where it was first recognized.
The virus is one of two members of a family of
RNA viruses called the Filoviridae. Three of the
four subtypes of Ebola virus identified so far
have caused disease in humans Ebola-Zaire,
Ebola-Sudan, and Ebola-Ivory Coast. The fourth,
Ebola-Reston, has caused disease in nonhuman
primates, but not in humans.
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Since these paragraphs are single spaced, the
writer double spaces between the paragraphs, to
avoid too much density of text on the page.
Controlling the density of information on a page
is one of the primary uses of white space on a
page. Too much evident material on a page tends
to repel the readers attention. The following
example is very readable it provides the needed
white space.
Ebola hemorrhagic fever (Ebola HF) is a severe,
often-fatal disease in humans and nonhuman
primates (monkeys and chimpanzees) that has
appeared sporadically since its initial
recognition in 1976. The disease is caused by
infection with Ebola virus, named after a river
in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (formerly
Zaire) in Africa, where it was first
recognized. The virus is one of two members of a
family of RNA viruses called the Filoviridae.
Three of the four subtypes of Ebola virus
identified so far have caused disease in humans
Ebola-Zaire, Ebola-Sudan, and Ebola-Ivory
Coast. The fourth, Ebola-Reston, has caused
disease in nonhuman primates, but not in humans.



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To illustrate this point, note the text density
of the same passage, that density accentuated by
a smaller type size and a wider page but with
less white space as margins a wide page may
force the reader to scan back and forth to read
the material.
Ebola hemorrhagic fever (Ebola HF) is a severe,
often-fatal disease in humans and nonhuman
primates (monkeys and chimpanzees) that has
appeared sporadically since its initial
recognition in 1976. The disease is caused by
infection with Ebola virus, named after a river
in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (formerly
Zaire) in Africa, where it was first
recognized. The virus is one of two members of a
family of RNA viruses called the Filoviridae.
Three of the four subtypes of Ebola virus
identified so far have caused disease in humans
Ebola-Zaire, Ebola-Sudan, and Ebola-Ivory
Coast. The fourth, Ebola-Reston, has caused
disease in nonhuman primates, but not in humans.
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And, although we may not be aware of the fact,
the shape of the font as well as its size and the
page width and line spacing affect readability.
This second passage uses a more elaborate font,
one which causes letters and the words to lose
their shapes. The second passage is the same
except for a simpler, more readable, font.
The disease is caused by infection with Ebola
virus, named after a river in the Democratic
Republic of the Congo (formerly Zaire) in Africa,
where it was first recognized. The virus is one
of two members of a family of RNA viruses called
the Filoviridae. Three of the four subtypes of
Ebola virus identified so far have caused disease
in humans Ebola-Zaire, Ebola-Sudan, and
Ebola-Ivory Coast. The fourth, Ebola-Reston, has
caused disease in nonhuman primates, but not in
humans.
The disease is caused by infection with Ebola
virus, named after a river in the Democratic
Republic of the Congo (formerly Zaire) in Africa,
where it was first recognized. The virus is one
of two members of a family of RNA viruses called
the Filoviridae. Three of the four subtypes of
Ebola virus identified so far have caused disease
in humans Ebola-Zaire, Ebola-Sudan, and
Ebola-Ivory Coast. The fourth, Ebola-Reston, has
caused disease in nonhuman primates, but not in
humans.
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If the text is double spaced, then the paragraphs
must be indented, to show where each begins the
writer does not leave extra space between
double-spaced paragraphs. Note the increased
readablilty of this textwith adequate white
space, font size and shape, and line spacing.
Ebola hemorrhagic fever (Ebola HF) is a
severe, often-fatal disease in humans and
nonhuman primates (monkeys and chimpanzees) that
has appeared sporadically since its initial
recognition in 1976. The disease is
caused by infection with Ebola virus, named after
a river in the Democratic Republic of the Congo
(formerly Zaire) in Africa, where it was first
recognized. The virus is one of two members of a
family of RNA viruses called the Filoviridae.
Three of the four subtypes of Ebola virus
identified so far have caused disease in humans
Ebola-Zaire, Ebola-Sudan, and Ebola-Ivory
Coast. The fourth, Ebola-Reston, has caused
disease in nonhuman primates, but not in humans.
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• So, be sure you understanding the formatting
  system used in English 303, including the use of
  the following
• White Space
• Margins
• Text Spacing
• Text Fonts
• Headings
• How Headings and Outlines Relate
• -- End of Slide Show
• This slide show created by
• Dr. Dennis Minor
• College of Liberal Arts
• Louisiana Tech University
• Ruston, Louisiana
• Dminor_at_gans.latech.edu