Spacing. Final drafts for most of your college writing should be double-spaced, with the first line of paragraphs indented one-half inch. Certain kinds of writing for particular disciplines may call for different spacing. Letters, memorandums, and online texts, for example, are usually single-spaced, with no paragraph indentation. Some long print reports may be printed with one-and-a-half-line spacing to save paper. Other kinds of documents, such as flyers and newsletters, may call for multiple columns. If in doubt, consult your instructor.

In general, leave one space after all punctuation except in the following cases:

Computers allow you to decide whether or not you want both side margins justified, or squared off—as they are on this page. Except in posters and other writing where you are trying to achieve a distinctive visual effect, you should always justify the left margin, though you may decide to indent lists and blocks of text that are set off. However, most readers—and many instructors—prefer the right margin to be “ragged,” or unjustified.