Graduate School

Styles - Word 2003

The template uses a feature in Word called “styles.” A “style” is a set of formatting characteristics that is applied to a portion of text. These characteristics can include any elements that define the appearance of text in your document: font, font size, font color, bold, underline, line spacing, indentation, centering, numbering, etc.

A specific set of characteristics can be saved and given a name. For example, the style named “Body Text” is applied to paragraphs in the template. (In earlier versions of the template, this style was named “Normal“.) The style “Heading 1” is applied chapter headings in the template.

With a long document like an ETDR, it’s essential to use styles to create a structured document. This can be done by using the same style for similar elements in your document. For example, use the same style for all chapter headings. Use another style for all first level subdivisions within a chapter.

If you need to change the appearance of your document, it’s easy to make changes in the appearance of the style which will then be reflected throughout your document. For example, to change all chapter headings from left justified to centered, you only have to make one change to the style, rather than change each chapter heading. See details on how to modify styles below.

Configure Word for working with styles

To work with styles, it’s best to have Word configured with these settings:

  • Use Normal view
  • Style Area visible (at left side)
  • Styles displayed in the Task Pane (at right side)
  • Use Print Layout to check your page numbering
  • Display Field Shading
  • Display the Paste Options menu

The table below shows how to configure these settings.

Table 1. Basic Configuration for Word

To make this setting:

Follow this sequence of menus:

Normal View The Style Area is visible only in Normal View

View | Normal

Style Area Displays at the left side of the screen and shows Styles applied to each portion of your document.

Tools | Options | View tab | Style Area Width (1”)

Task Pane Displays at right side of screen and shows a list of available Styles.

Format | Styles and Formatting | Show: Available styles

Print Layout Displays page numbers (not visible in Normal view)

View | Print Layout

Field Shading Places a gray background in fields auto-generated by Word, including Table of Contents, List of Tables, etc.

Tools | Options | View tab | Field shading box (Always)

Paste Options Displays the Paste Options menu after you paste a selection

Tools | Options | Edit tab | Show Paste Options buttons

Once you have Word configured in this way, your Normal view should look like this example:

Figure 1. Style Area and Task Pane

style

The Style Area (at the left) indicates the style applied to a specific portion of text. Notice these styles in the figure above:

  • Heading 1 is applied to the “Chapter 3 - Research Method” title.
  • Heading 2 is applied to the “Introduction” and “Design of the Study”subheads.
  • Body Text style is applied to the paragraphs and blank space between. In earlier versions of the template, this style was named Normal. Normal and Body Text have the same formatting, so it's ok to use either style.

The Task Pane displays a list of all available styles and is useful if you want to apply a different style to some text or to modify the appearance of a style.

Styles Used in the ETDR Template

The chart below shows the style applied to each section of the ETDR.

Table 2. ETDR Styles

ETDR Section

Style

Subheading Styles

Abstract title and title page text

 Title Page

Copyright heading

 Page Heading

Abstract heading

 Page Heading

Table of Contents heading

 Page Heading

List of Figures heading

Page Heading TOC

List of Tables heading

Page Heading TOC

Acknowledgements heading

Page Heading TOC

Dedication heading

Page Heading TOC

Preface heading

Page Heading TOC

Chapter heading

Chapter 1- Heading 1

Headings 2, 3, 4

References/Bibliography heading

Page Heading TOC

References/Bibliography entries

Bibliography

Appendix heading

Appendix A - Heading 6

Headings 7, 8, 9

Text (abstract, chapters, appendix)

Body Text or Normal

Apply a different style

As you work with your document, you may need to change the style assigned to a particular portion of text. Follow these steps:

  1. In the Style Area at the left, click the style on the text you want to change. This selects all the text that is using that style.
  2. In the Task Pane at the right, click the style you want to apply.

For example, to change a subheading from “Heading 2” to “Heading 3”, click “Heading 2” in the left Style Area to select the subhead, then click “Heading 3” in the Task Pane at the right. It’s that simple!

Modify a style

Styles in the template meet all formatting requirements of the Graduate School. If you want to make any changes in this formatting, it’s best to use the Modify Styles feature. It’s possible to make extensive changes in the appearance of a style, but the basic steps are as follows:

  1. In the Task Pane, right-click the style you want to modify, and then click Modify.
  2. Select the attribute you want to change.
  3. To see more options, click Format, and then click the attribute — such as Font or Numbering — you want to change.
  4. Click OK after you've modified the attribute, and then repeat for any additional attributes you want to change.