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C. Preparing a Document Template

Unless your teacher encourages creative formatting, avoid experimenting with a college paper. Follow the assigned format and style; check your draft against your instructor’s directions and against examples (such as the MLA and APA samples here). Use your software’s Help function to learn how to set font, page, format, or template features such as these:

placement of information on the first page
margin widths for the top, bottom, and sides of the page (such as 1″)
name of font (Times New Roman), style (regular roman, italics, or bold), and size of type (12 point)
running head with automatic page numbering
double spacing (without extra space between paragraphs)
text alignment, even on the left but not on the right (left alignment, not centered text, with automatic hyphenation of words turned off)
width of the paragraph indentation and special “hanging” indentation for your final list of sources
any other features of the required format

A template simplifies using expected features every time you write a paper with the same specifications. If you have trouble setting features or saving the template, get help from your instructor, a classmate, the writing center, or the computer lab. Follow these steps to create your template:

Format your paper the way you want it to look.
Create a duplicate copy of your formatted file.
Delete all of the text discussion in the duplicate document.
Use the Save As feature to save the file as a document template.
Give the template a clear name (“Comp paper” or “MLA form”).
To open a new file, select this template from your template folder.