university assignment cover page ms word

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Assignment Cover Pages

Assignment cover page is the first page of an assignment. When you hold an assignment, the first page that you will see is the cover page. It is also called the title page. An assignment cover page includes the name of the institution, the title of the assignment, the name of the student and student’s ID. The assignment cover page is helpful in identifying what the assignment is about and which student submitted it.

Many students submit assignments to instructors, and instructors are usually teaching more than one subject. Therefore, without an assignment cover page, it would be difficult for the instructor to manage and sort out different assignments.

When there is an assignment cover page, instructors can easily sort out the assignments and grade them. Even the students submitting multiple assignments on the same day could end up submitting the wrong assignment if the assignments didn’t have a cover page.

Another important reason for having assignment cover pages is that this is part of training students to submit work professionally. An assignment cover page shows professionalism in submitting work. When students are trained for professional work, they are better equipped at succeeding in their jobs. Thus, professors and instructors usually ask students to create cover pages for their assignments so that the students develop this habit early in their academic life.

The assignment cover page usually includes the name of the institution, title of the assignment, name of the student, student id, date of submission. In some cases, the title page may also mention the instructor name. Usually, the title page is not page numbered.

Some courses might also require the students to format the assignment cover pages using popular referencing styles. For example, there is a particular format to make an assignment cover page using APA or MLA referencing styles. In some cases, professors may also issue detailed instructions on how to format an assignment cover page. These instructions may include font style, font size, text color, page borders, and the information that must be stated on the cover page along with a particular order.

Cover pages are required in several situations:

• When submitting a project report
• When submitting a research proposal
• When submitting a dissertation
• When making a report that is longer than 2-3 pages
• When the assignment instructions require an assignment cover page
• When the professor is handling more than one subject and assignments may be erroneously sorted

Assignment cover pages are very useful and can be created in MS Word or Adobe. MS Word software allows pictures and text to be used on the cover page. Students may also use headers and footers, page borders and other features in MS Word to create a nice cover page. You can even use the popular heading styles given in MS Word.

If you do not have the time or energy to create a cover page, you may use cover pages available on our website. We offer editable cover page templates that you can easily download and customize. Browse through our specially designed assignment cover pages and save your time and effort.

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Erin Wright Writing

Writing-Related Software Tutorials

How to Create a Cover Page in Microsoft Word (Built-In and Custom)

By Erin Wright

This tutorial shows how to create a cover page in Microsoft Word. First, we’ll create a cover page using a built-in design. Then, we’ll create a custom cover page that can be reused. Next, we’ll delete a cover page. Plus, the bonus section at the end shows how to remove page number zero from a cover page.

Quick Links:

• How to Create a Built-In Cover Page

How to Create a Custom Cover Page

• How to Delete a Cover Page

How to Remove Page Number Zero from a Cover Page

This tutorial is also available as a YouTube video showing all the steps in real time.

Watch more than 250 other writing-related software tutorials on my YouTube channel .

The images below are from Word for Microsoft 365 on a PC. These steps will also work in Word 2021, Word 2019, Word 2016, Word 2013, and Word 2010. However, your interface may look slightly different in those older versions of the software.

How to Create a Built-In Cover Page in Microsoft Word

You can quickly create a cover page using a built-in design.

• Select the Insert tab in the ribbon.

• Select Cover Page in the Pages group.

• Choose a built-in design from the gallery in the drop-down menu. (Hover over More Cover Pages from Office.com for additional options.)

• (Optional) To insert your cover page somewhere other than the top of your document, right-click the built-in design, and then choose a location from the shortcut menu.

• Place your cursor in the sample text, and then type your information.

Pro Tip: To delete a section of sample text, right-click it, and then select Remove Content Control from the shortcut menu.

The built-in cover page should now be part of your Word document.

You can create a custom cover page that can be reused in other Word documents.

• Open a blank document. ( Pro Tip: Press Ctrl + N to open a blank document.)
• Create your cover page, including images if necessary.
• Select all the text and images that should be included in the cover page.

• Select the Insert tab in the ribbon (see figure 1).
• Select Cover Page in the Pages group (see figure 2).
• Select Save Selection to Cover Page Gallery from the drop-down menu.

• Type a unique name into the Name text box in the Create New Building Block dialog box. (Cover pages are part of Word’s building block system of reusable content.)

• (Optional) Add additional information into the Description text box, if necessary.

Important Note: I strongly recommend leaving the default settings for the other options in this dialog box.

• Select the OK button.

Your custom cover page should now be added to the Cover Page Gallery.

• Close the document used to create your custom cover page. (You don’t have to save this document.)
• Select Save in the alert box asking if you want to save changes to Building Blocks.dotx.

• Open the document to which you want to add the custom cover page.
• Select the Insert tab (see figure 1).
• Select your custom cover page from the gallery.

Your custom cover page should now be added to your current document.

Pro Tip: How to Delete a Custom Cover Page from the Cover Page Gallery

• Right-click the custom cover page in the Cover Page drop-down menu, and then select Organize and Delete from the shortcut menu.

Caution: Your custom cover page will be automatically selected when the Building Blocks Organizer dialog box opens. Take care not to select another item.

• Select the Delete button in the Building Blocks Organizer dialog box.

• Select the Yes button in the question dialog box asking if you are sure you want to delete the selected building block.

• Select the Close button in the Building Blocks Organizer dialog box.

Your custom cover page should now be removed from the Cover Page Gallery.

How to Delete a Cover Page in Microsoft Word

The following steps show how to remove a cover page from an individual document.

• Select Remove Current Cover Page from the drop-down menu.

Your cover page should be removed from your document.

If your document has page numbers, the page number zero may show up unnecessarily on the cover page. The following steps show how to remove page number zero.

• Double-click the top of any page to open the Header & Footer tab.

• Select Different First Page in the Options group.

• Select the Close Header and Footer button.

The page number zero should now be removed from your cover page.

Related Resources

How to Insert Citations in Microsoft Word

How to Create a Citation with Multiple Sources in Microsoft Word

How to Insert Footnotes and Endnotes in Microsoft Word

Updated July 02, 2023

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How-To Geek

How to create custom cover pages in microsoft word.

A great cover page draws in readers.

Quick Links

How to add a ready-to-use cover page to your word document, how to create a custom cover page in microsoft word.

A great cover page draws in readers. If you use Microsoft Word, you're in luck, because Word has ready to use cover pages. But did you know that Word also lets you create custom cover pages? Here's how to use both.

Word includes some cover page templates you can insert and then customize a bit if you need a quick cover page for your document.

To find them, switch over to the "Insert" tab on Word's Ribbon and then click the "Cover Page" button. (If your window isn't maximized, you might see a "Pages" button instead. Click that to show the "Cover Page" button.)

On the drop-down menu, click the cover page you want to use.

You can now add your document title, subtitle, date, and other information, as well as change the design up a bit if you want.

Creating a cover page from a template is easy enough, but if you don't like any of the built-in designs, you can create your own. You can do this on an existing document, but it's easiest to start with a blank document. We're going to be saving the custom cover page so that you can quickly insert it into an existing document anyway.

You can create your cover page using pretty much any of Word's tools. You can add a background color, picture, or texture . You can also position those elements how you want and even apply Word's text wrapping tools to them.  Make it look however you want.

When it comes to content, you have a couple of options. You can just type the text you want, but that wouldn't make it much of a template unless you want the same text on the cover page every time you use it.

Instead, you can use Word's Quick Parts feature to add document properties to the document. To do that, switch over to the "Insert" tab and then click the "Quick Parts" button.

On the drop-down menu, point to the "Document Property" submenu, and you'll see a bunch of different properties you can insert into your document: author, title, company, publish date, and so on. Go ahead and insert whichever properties you want to appear on your title page.

When you're done, you'll have several fields on your page. When you insert your cover page into a document later on, those fields are populated with the actual properties from the document (and you can also edit them on the fly if you want).

They're super plain to start with, but you can treat them like any other text in Word by applying styles and formatting, centering them on the page---whatever. Here, we've centered them on the page, applied the Title style to the title, shifted things down on the page a bit, and inserted a filigree illustration for a little flair. It's not the prettiest cover page around, but it's a good working example.

Now that we've got our cover page the way we want it, it's time to create a cover page template out of it.

First, select everything in the document (that's why we recommend starting this in a blank document) by pressing Ctrl+A. Next, head back to the "Insert" tab and then click that "Cover Page" button again.

This time, choose the "Save Selection to Cover Page Gallery" command from the drop-down menu.

In the window that opens, give your cover page a name and fill out a brief description if you want. Click "OK" when you're done.

Now when you open the "Cover Page" drop-down menu in the future, you'll see your new cover page template in the "General" section. Click to insert it just like you would one of Word's built-in cover pages.

And that's it. Creating custom cover pages for your document is pretty easy once you know where to look. While you're at it, learn a few more quick tips on putting together professional-looking documents in Word .

How to Make a Custom Cover Page in Microsoft Word

Learn how to make your own cover pages in Microsoft Word and create eye-catching documents.

We are talking about first impressions here. So, let's take on the first thing our eyes fall on—the cover page. The instructions below show you how to make a cover page in Word that's attractive and professional?

Note: You can use our instructions to create a cover page design for your school assignment. Before you add a cover page to your assignment, however, check for any specific requirements with your instructor.

What Is a Cover Page?

There are a lot of things that go into a professional Microsoft Word document . The cover page is the very first page of your document. Its purpose right at the beginning is to give the reader the "Big Idea" about the document.

The why and wherefore is communicated through a specific title, the author name, date, a one-liner on the subject, and any other bit of important information that you think is important for the reader.

What Does a Plain Cover Page Look Like?

Microsoft Word is used for writing serious research documents and school essays. Most of them go with monochromatic and simple cover pages. often dictated by strict style guides like the Chicago Manual of Style. Other non-academic cover pages are more casual.

But what if you want to create a cover page in Word that's way cooler than vanilla? Even if you don't have the chops for it? Design your own cover page with the easy tools on Microsoft Word and save it as your own cover page template.

For an academic assignment, do check with your instructor before using a cover page.

How to Make an Attractive Cover Page

Microsoft Word makes it painless to create a business report cover page or a title page for an essay. The Microsoft Office suite comes with a few well-designed cover pages that you can re-purpose for your document. There's a good variety to choose from.

To make a cover page, follow these steps:

• Open a new Word document.
• Click on the Insert menu on the ribbon.
• The dropdown for Cover Page is the first feature you will spot on the menu (under Pages). Click on tiny arrow next to it and open the inbuilt gallery of templates.
• Pick one from the 16 pre-formatted templates and three more on Office.com.
• Select the one you like and click on it.

The cover page appears at the beginning of the document by default. But to place it in any other location, right-click on the cover page thumbnail in the gallery and select from the options given. Though, I am not sure why you would want to!

Customize Individual Fields

Click on each pre-formatted field (the square brackets) and the whole thing gets highlighted with a blue field label on top. Type in your version for the given field. The author name might appear by default if the Microsoft Office installation is in your name.

Place the common information in Quick Parts and you don't have to bother with typing them again and again.

Change the date fields with the dropdown arrow and select a date from a calendar. You can format all fields just like normal text.

You can easily edit graphical cover page elements like any other image. Just click on the graphic to display the Drawing Tools and Picture Tools menus on the Ribbon.

Change the Cover Page Design on the Fly

Customizing a pre-formatted cover page is a piece of cake. The templates consist of formatted controls and graphic boxes that come in different color themes. So, you can change any part of the template on the fly.

Notice a picture on the cover page template? Maybe, you would like to swap it out with a logo or another more appropriate image. Just right-click on the picture and click Change Picture in the context menu.

Changed your mind about the cover page design? While working on one cover page, you can change it for another cover page by selecting a new template from the dropdown. The new template retains the field entries.

Note: To replace a cover page created in an older version of Microsoft Word, you must delete the first cover page manually, and then add a new design from the cover page gallery.

Click on Save to finalize the cover page as a document.

If you would like to save the cover page for later use in another document, select the entire cover page.

Click on Insert > Cover Page > Save Selection to Cover Page Gallery . You can use the same menu to remove a selected cover page from the gallery.

How to Make a Cover Page in Microsoft Word

Word templates are a time-saving solution, but they don't allow your personality to shine through. To add a personal touch, you should put in a bit more effort and make a cover page from scratch and put some planning into it.

You have all the image editing tools in Microsoft Word at your disposal. When you can  design your own logo in Microsoft Word , a cover page is less of a chore. Borrow or steal ideas from the process.

The screenshot below displays a custom cover page I created in Microsoft Word from scratch. I used a few basic Shapes to create the design and formatted them with color.

Save Your Custom Template

Complete your cover page design on a fresh Microsoft Word document. Save this document as a Microsoft Word template ( File > Save As > Microsoft Word Template ) in a location of your choice.

Now, the next steps are about adding your own cover page to the default choices under the Insert menu. Follow these steps:

Press Ctrl + A to select the entire page.

Add these selections to the Quick Parts gallery. Go to Ribbon > Insert > Quick Parts (the Text Group). Select  Save Selection to Quick Part Gallery…  from the dropdown.

Enter the details in the dialog for a new Building Block . Building blocks are reusable Microsoft Word elements that you can add to any of the galleries available in Word. This is what the dialog box looks like:

• Name: Give the cover page a Name.
• Gallery: Choose "Cover Pages" from the dropdown.
• Category: Choose a category. For better organization, make a new category.
• Save in:  Save it in your template or in the building block. When saved as a building block, you can use it in any Word document without opening the template.

Click OK and close the Building Block dialog box. Go to the Insert menu and check your new cover page template.

Create Cover Pages With Style

A cover page is one of the best ways to stylize your document. But is it one of the more underused features of Microsoft Word ? A Microsoft Word document is often bland. Consider the merits:

• A cover page gives the reader a quick visual of the content inside.
• Save and re-use a generic company-wide cover page in the gallery.
• Convert a document with a cover page to PDF with one button and send it to any device.

Most of us don't commonly employ a cover page with a document. If you want to, try free Microsoft Word cover templates and see if they make your document more eye-catching. Then, you can start making your own designs for the front page of a document.

Add a cover page

Microsoft Word offers a gallery of convenient pre-designed cover pages to accent your resume . Choose a cover page and replace the sample text with your own.

On the Insert tab, in the Pages group, click Cover Page .

Click a cover page layout from the gallery of options.

After you insert a cover page, you can replace the sample text with your own text by clicking to select an area of the cover page, such as the title, and typing your text.

If you insert another cover page in the document, the new cover page will replace the first cover page you inserted.

To replace a cover page created in an earlier version of Word, you must delete the first cover page manually, and then add a cover page with a design from the Word gallery.

To delete a cover page inserted with Word, click the Insert tab, click Cover pages in the Pages group, and then click Remove Current Cover Page .

Note:  Cover pages don't display page numbers.

Insert a cover page

On the Insert tab, click Cover Page .

To see how your cover page will look, on the View menu, select Print Layout or Web Layout .

To replace a cover page created in an earlier version of Word, you must delete the first cover page manually, and then add a new cover page with a design from the Word gallery.

Remove a cover page

Click the Insert tab, click Cover Page , and then click Remove Cover Page .

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MS Word Cover Page Templates

Download, personalize & print, assignment front page designs.

Posted By: admin 25/01/2019

What is an assignment front page?

The immediate page that can be seen right after the cover page is known as a front page. The front page is also known as a title page. It is as important as the cover page. An assignment can be submitted without a cover page h owever , the assignment front page can never be skipped.

 Why is assignment front page important?

An assignment front page provides information about the student who has created the assignment. This page is considered to be important because it enables the teacher to know about the student who has submitted the assignment. Many students also forget to add their name to the assignment that results in zero marks. The use of front page in the assignment never lets the student forget to add the name.

How to write a front page of assignment?

It should be kept in mind that there is no specific format to be followed when it comes to making the assignment front page. However, it should always be ensured that you include all the necessary details to the front page needed by the teacher to identify your assignment. The main details that should be added to the assignment front page are:

• Title of the subject
• Topic of assignment
• Name of teacher
• Name and roll number of students
• The registration number of students
• Department in which the student is enrolled

The assignment front page should be made with great care. It should be ensured that the details added to it are more than enough for your teacher.

Guidelines for making assignment front page:

It is important to make a front page that can impress your teacher. Here are a few guidelines that you can follow in order to make a professional looking front page.

• Keep the cover page precise. Never overcrowd the front page with a lot of details as it does not look good.
• The front page should be decent and catchy. The color combination for a colored front page should be appropriate since your assignment is the representative of your own mind.
• Make the design of the front page attractive and catchy. It should be able to grab the attention of the teacher. If you are not good at designing the front page, you can use a template

Assignment front page template:

For those who want to save their time and efforts, readymade templates for the front page of an assignment is available here.

There are lots of assignment front page samples that you can see and choose the one that you like. The likeness of the design varies from person to person. Therefore, different samples from the prospective of different people have been given here.

The assignment front page samples are designed in MS Word mostly. The samples have been designed by the experts. Since they are readymade, all you need to do is to add the details specific to you and print the template. You can also bring changes to them according to your likes.

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Formatting your assignments

Illustrated step-by-step guides to help you understand the formatting and presentation expectations of university assignments.

Introduction 

Although formatting your essay, report or dissertation can feel like a lesser priority than the process of research and writing itself, it is an important way to ensure your ideas are given the spotlight through visually accessible, professional presentation. Formatting can be a minefield, especially when you’re formatting at the last minute; it’s important to leave a few days at the end of your essay writing process for working on your formatting, and to spend some time familiarising yourself with the different aspects of formatting.

301 Recommends:

Our Essay Structure and Planning workshop will outline how to analyse your essay question, discuss approaches logically structure all your ideas, help you make your introductions and conclusions more effective, and teach how to link your ideas and ensure all essay content flows logically from the introduction.

Below, you will find some general introductions to the key areas. 

Action: know the rules 

Because formatting rules can vary greatly depending on your department or assignment, it’s crucial to check the formatting specifications in your assignment description/rubric, and any general departmental presentation standards, as a first port of call. Many referencing systems also have specific rules about how to format your work, so make sure to familiarise yourself with the university library’s referencing guides . Many referencing systems also have more detailed style guides available via their websites.

Formatting key information  

Assignment cover sheets .

In some departments, you may be expected to include a cover sheet on the front page of your assignment. This is a page including key information about your assignment, such as your module number, student registration number, essay title, and submission date.

You may be asked to submit a plagiarism declaration and to make your markers aware of any disabilities through the yellow sticker system . If you are asked to include a cover sheet in your assignment, your department should make you aware of where you can access this.

Assignment titles

Place your assignment title at the top of your first page, either centre or left aligned, in bold font. At university, you may be assigned a pre-designed essay title/question, or asked to select from several possible titles. You may also be asked to design your own essay title. Here are some top tips on designing your own title:

• To bring focus to your essay, draft a working title at the essay planning stage. You can come back and review this title in light of your finished essay draft.
• Make sure to use action words in your essay title that reflect the skills your assessors are looking for, both in the assignment description and the marking criteria you have been given. For example, if heavy emphasis is placed on critical analysis, you could use a title like ‘Analyse the effect of…’ See this glossary of essay terms , containing examples that you can use in your own titles. 
• The action words you choose can also help you to reflect the structure of the essay in your question. For example, an essay using the action word ‘Discuss’ might use a for/against/conclusion or advantages/disadvantages/conclusion structure, or an essay using the term ‘Analyse’ might break an issue down into parts, e.g. into key themes, to understand its meaning as a whole. Think about the type of essay you want to write: do you want it to be comparative, look at several topics equally, or do you have a clear argument that you want to put forward? You can then create a question that gives you the opportunity to approach the topic from your own perspective.
• Make sure to include the main terminology you are working with in your assignment title.
• Make sure your question has a realistic scope, without being so broad that you cannot answer it within the limitations of your essay. To limit your question, you could include any limiting factors you are working with, such as specific time periods, geographical regions or sub-themes within the overall topic area. For example, in the title ‘Evaluate the proposition that a global monoculture will destroy diversity and difference’, the broad topic of global monoculture is limited down through a specific sub-focus on diversity and difference.

Stating word counts 

Depending on the instructions you have been given, you may be asked to state your word count, either on your cover sheet or at the beginning of your essay. If you are asked to include this information, make sure your word count accurately reflects the assessment guidance: for example, are references included in your word count?

Visual clarity  

Line spacing .

Most assignment descriptions specify that you should increase the space between each line on the page, from the standard 1.0 spacing to either 1.5 or 2.0 spacing. You are asked to do this to make the essay more visually accessible and easier to read, by breaking up the number of lines on each page. 

Download this step-by-step illustrated guide to line spacing in Microsoft Word and Google Docs.

Fonts 

All non-examination based assignments should be word processed rather than handwritten. Most assignment descriptions will specify that for visual clarity, and to ensure a professional appearance, you should use a plain, sans-serif font such as Arial. For readability, this should be in 11 or 12 point size. Check your departmental or assignment guidance for any specific rules about font choices. 

Page numbering, headers and footers  

Including page numbers in your assignments makes them more accessible. Depending on the departmental guidance you have been given, you may be asked to include these in either the header or the footer of your essay (the blank space above and below where the text would go on a normal page in a word processor). It may also be helpful to include your registration number and the module code of the essay in the same header or footers that specify the page number. 

Download this step-by-step illustrated guide to adding page numbers and using headers and footers in Microsoft Word and Google Docs. 

Page layout   

Margins .

A margin is the amount of blank space on either side of a paragraph in a normal word processor. Traditionally, assignment descriptions specified that the margins should be made wider at the binding edge (the left hand side) of the page, to allow for easier reading of printed essays. However, with the shift to online essays, you might not be asked to do this any more and the default settings on your word processor are likely to be sufficiently wide.

For printed dissertations and theses, you may receive specific guidance about the suitable layout of margins, as these are more likely to be printed: see this university guide on formatting PhD theses . 

Download this step-by-step illustrated guide to adjusting margins in Microsoft Word and Google Docs.

Paragraph alignment 

Most formatting instructions specify that paragraphs should be lined up in a straight line (aligned) on the left hand edge, but left jagged on the right hand edge (like this page). This is called left alignment, or flush-left style, and should be the default alignment setting for your word processor. This style can be helpful for visual accessibility, but check any specific instructions you have been given by your department to see which style of alignment you have been asked to use. 

Download this step-by-step illustrated guide to adjusting paragraph alignment in Microsoft Word and Google Docs.  

Paragraph indentation

You may be asked to add indents to your paragraphs: an indent is an additional small gap between the margin and the beginning of a paragraph (it makes a ‘dent’ in the first line of your paragraph). Indents are used to provide extra clarification that the reader is starting a new paragraph after finishing the last one: therefore, they should not be used in the first paragraph of your essay. Indents are not always required, and whether you are expected to use them may depend on your referencing style , and any formatting instructions you have been given by your department.

Download this step-by-step illustrated guide to indenting paragraphs in Microsoft Word and Google Docs.

Formatting referenced material 

Footnotes and endnotes .

Some referencing systems require you to use footnotes or endnotes to format your references (make sure to check the library’s referencing guide to familiarise yourself with the expected format of your referencing style). Inserting a footnote into your word document when you have cited from a source adds a superscript number (a number formatted in a smaller font) to the sentence. It creates a note with a matching number at the bottom of the page you are working on (in the footer), which you can add the reference information to.

Endnotes work in the same way, but instead of appearing at the bottom of the page, the reference list appears at the end of the document.

Download this step-by-step illustrated guide to manually inserting footnotes and endnotes in Microsoft Word and Google Docs.  

References and bibliographies  

Instead of, or alongside footnotes/endnotes, some referencing systems ask you to include a bibliography and/or a reference list at the end of the essay (make sure to check the library’s referencing guide to familiarise yourself with the expected format of your referencing style). A reference list is a list of all the sources you have directly referred to in the essay, which could be ordered numerically or alphabetically, depending on your referencing style.

A bibliography could be used alongside, or instead of, a reference list, depending on your referencing style; here, you list all the sources you have consulted that have influenced your ideas, whether they are included in the essay or not. The way this is ordered also depends on your referencing style. 

If you auto-generate your citations in Microsoft Word or Google Docs, you can auto-generate your bibliography instead of creating it manually: instructions for doing so are in the resource below. If you use a different reference manager, such as Mendeley, Zotero, or Endnote, these have their own specific instructions for auto-generating bibliographies. See the reference management resources offered by the university. 

Download this step-by-step illustrated guide to manually or automatically formatting a bibliography or reference list in Microsoft Word and Google Docs.

Block quotations  

When you need to include a quotation in your essay that is three or more lines long, you can add this as a block quotation. A block quotation appears on a separate line to the other parts of the paragraph, and is indented (i.e. there is a wider gap between a block quotation and the left-hand margin than there is between the rest of the paragraph and the left-hand margin). Block quotations aren’t placed in quotation marks, so the indentation is used to indicate that you are using a quotation.

Check your referencing guide and any departmental guidance to learn more about the specific rules on formatting block quotations in your department. Because they take up large chunks of your word count, and break up the flow of your texts, make sure to use block quotations sparingly: they are especially helpful when you are going to perform close analysis of a large section of text. For more information on different types of quotation and how to use them, see our workshop on paraphrasing and using academic sources.

Download this step-by-step illustrated guide to formatting block quotations in Microsoft Word and Google Docs.

Advanced formatting 

Headings and contents tables .

Most standard short essays do not include headings, other than the essay title and reference list and/or bibliography. Section headings may be required for some longer or more structured types of academic writing, such as reports; reports often follow a very closely prescribed structure, so it is essential to pay very careful attention to the specific guidelines issued with your brief. Make sure that any system you use for numbering your headings and subheadings is consistently applied throughout the document.

Depending on the advice you have been given, and the length and complexity of a lab report, you may also be required to include a table of contents to help the reader navigate between headings. Contents tables are generally standard practice in longer assignments such as dissertations and theses. Make sure to check any departmental guidance you have been given about formatting reports.

Download this step-by-step illustrated guide to formatting headings and contents tables in Microsoft Word and Google Docs.

301 Recommends: Scientific Writing and Lab Reports Workshop

This workshop  will help you to familiarise yourself with some of the specific expectations associated with this assignment format.

Figures and tables 

Some kinds of essays, dissertations and reports will require you to make use of figures (pictures, diagrams, and graphs) and tables (any data in a table format). Figures and tables are normally numbered in sequence, e.g. ‘Table 1’, ‘Figure 4’, and are directly referred to in the text according to their number, rather than according to their location on the page (e.g. ‘as shown in Table 2’ rather than ‘as shown below’). 

If your text is of dissertation or thesis length, or if your text has several figures, it may also be helpful to include a list of figures immediately after the table of contents. Some referencing guides have specific rules about presenting and referencing tables and figures, so make sure to familiarise yourself with these and carefully read any specific instructions about figures and tables in your assignment brief. 

Download this step-by-step illustrated guide to inserting figures and tables and creating lists of figures/tables in Microsoft Word and Google Docs.

Top tips for formatting tables and figures:

• Make sure that any tables or figures you use are placed below the paragraph where you refer to them, and that you have directly referred to all figures and tables in the text of the essay.
• The caption for a table usually acts as its title, so this is placed above the table in the document. The caption for a figure is usually placed underneath the figure. Do not include unnecessary additional titles in the graph image itself, if the title is already included in your image caption. 
• Make sure to label your captions consistently, choosing between ‘Fig.’ or ‘Figure’ and consistently using either a full stop or a colon after the label (i.e. ‘Figure 1:’ or ‘Fig. 1.’) 
• Your caption should clearly and succinctly explain what the figure or table is. If the figure is taken from an external source, you must provide a reference that accurately reflects its copyright status (see these university library guides to inserting and attributing images and figures in university work). 
• Make sure to include legends in any charts you use (a key that helps to explain the data in the chart). Any data series you use should be clearly distinguishable from each other (e.g. avoid printing a report with coloured graphs in black and white!) If you are only using one series of data, a legend is not always necessary. 
• Make sure tables are clear and easy to read, using sans serif fonts, a readable font size, and avoiding unnecessary use of colour. 
• Make sure graphs are clear and easy to read, with clearly and appropriately labelled axes. Be wary of 3D effects that may obscure the clarity of a graph.
• Make sure to avoid presenting the same information in a graph and a table.
• Images and figures in printed essays, such as dissertations and theses, should be large enough for the text and numbers to be legible on the printed copy. Make sure they do not extend beyond the print margins of the document. 

301 Recommends: Displaying Data in Graphs and Tables Workshop

This workshop will provide more technical advice on using graphs and tables in your work. See also this Engineering department guidance on formatting graphs and tables in Engineering lab reports.

Appendices 

Appendices commonly appear in dissertations, theses, and lab reports. An appendix provides supporting information that gives the reader a better understanding of the essay, but that might be too long, detailed or awkward to insert into the main body of the essay without breaking up its flow. Interview questions or transcripts, sample questionnaires, raw data, figures, photographs, large/complex datasets, and diagrams are all examples of information that could be included in an appendix, if it is relevant to do so.

The reader should be able to understand the essay without reference to this supporting information, as all the most important and relevant information needed to answer the question should be included in the body (i.e., the appendix should not be used to make room for content that doesn’t fit within your word count). Your appendices must be clearly signposted and explained in the body of your report, highlighting any information that is essential for your reader to understand. Do not include any appendices that are not referenced in the text itself.

The appendices should be placed in numerical or alphabetical order, and signposted according to this specific system (e.g. ‘Appendix B indicates that…’) They should be clearly labelled, using headings that match up to the in-text reference. Appendices usually appear at the very end of the assignment, after your references/bibliography. Make sure to list any appendices used in your table of contents; if you have been instructed to do so by your department or within your referencing system, you could include a list of appendices separate to your contents list. 

The specific format of the appendix heading, and the reference made to the appendix in the text, depends on your referencing style , so make sure to carefully review this information before you design your appendices.

Download this step-by-step illustrated guide to inserting appendices and creating lists of appendices in Microsoft Word and Google Docs.

Tips and resources

• Use this 301 proofreading checklist to check over your work when you are finished.
• Use the University Library referencing guide for advice about referencing and formatting that is specific to your referencing style. If you need extra clarification about formatting rules, it is often possible to download an extended style guide from the official website for a specific referencing system. 
• For further training on referencing, using reference generators, and using images in your work, see the University Library workshop programme .

Related information

Academic Writing

Proofreading

Essay structure and planning

Scientific writing and lab reports

Creating accessible Word documents

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