Computer Assignment

© 2 0 0 8 , S t u d e n t L e a r n i n g C e n t r e , C e n t r e f o r Ac a d e m ic D e v e lo p m e n t ,

T h e U n i v e r s i t y o f A u c k l a n d W W W : h t t p : / / w w w . s l c . a u c k l a n d . a c . n z

Em a i l : s l c @ a u c k l a n d . a c . n z

C O M P U T E R S K I L L S D E V E L O P M E N T P R O G R A M M E

ASSIGNMENT WRITING IN WORD

© 2008, Student Learning Centre, C e n t r e f o r Ac a d e m ic D e v e l o p m e n t , T h e U n i v e r s i t y o f A u c k l a n d

Contents

WORD 2003 VERSUS WORD 2007 .......................................................................... 2

STARTING MS WORD ................................................................................................... 3 Understanding the MS Word Screen ........................................................................................... 3 The Ribbon ........................................................................................................................................ 3 Ruler .................................................................................................................................................. 4 Document .......................................................................................................................................... 4 View Buttons ..................................................................................................................................... 4 Status Bar .......................................................................................................................................... 4 Quick Access Toolbar ........................................................................................................................ 4 Title Bar ............................................................................................................................................. 4

WORKING WITH FILES................................................................................................ 5 Creating a New Document .......................................................................................................... 5 Saving Documents ....................................................................................................................... 5 Closing Documents and Exiting MS Word .................................................................................... 6 Opening Documents.................................................................................................................... 6

WORKING WITH TEXT ................................................................................................ 7 Entering Text ............................................................................................................................... 7 Selecting Text .............................................................................................................................. 7 Deleting Text ............................................................................................................................... 8 Cutting, copying and pasting ....................................................................................................... 8

FORMATTING ................................................................................................................. 9 Fonts ........................................................................................................................................... 9 Bold, Italics, and Underline ............................................................................................................. 10 Using the Font Dialog Box ............................................................................................................... 10 Paragraph ................................................................................................................................. 11 Paragraph Alignment ...................................................................................................................... 11 Line Spacing ..................................................................................................................................... 11 Bulleting and Numbering ................................................................................................................ 12

SETTING-UP PAGES ................................................................................................... 12 Page Size ................................................................................................................................... 13 Margins ..................................................................................................................................... 13 Orientation ............................................................................................................................... 13 Breaking Pages .......................................................................................................................... 14 Numbering Pages ...................................................................................................................... 14

USEFUL FEATURES FOR ASSIGNMENT WRITING ............................................ 15 Undo and Redo ......................................................................................................................... 15 Spelling and Grammar Check .................................................................................................... 15 Word Count .............................................................................................................................. 16

PRINTING ..................................................................................................................... 16

RELATED WORKSHOPS ........................................................................................... 17

Word 2003 versus Word 2007

There are substantial differences between Word 2003 and Word 2007 regarding the

locations of commands outlined in this handout. This document has been written to suit

only Word 2007. A helpful reference of locations of Word 2003 commands in Word

2007 can be found at


http://office.microsoft.com/search/redir.aspx?AssetID=AM101938681033&CTT=5&Ori

gin=HA100625841033.

Starting MS Word

The manner in which MS Word should be opened may depend slightly on your computer

setup. For most users however, the best way to open MS Word will be to choose: start

All Programs Microsoft Office Microsoft Office Word 2007. Note: the ‘start’

button can be found in the bottom left of the computer screen.

MS Word will open up with a new blank document ready to start.

Understanding the MS Word Screen

The Ribbon

The Ribbon is located at the top of the screen, and contains a range of options that can

be utilised when working with MS Word. Commands are organised in logical groups that

are collected together under tabs, e.g. the Home tab contains the Clipboard, Font,

Paragraph, Styles and Editing groups collecting formatting related commands.

To use an option in the Ribbon:

1. Click a tab option, e.g. Home, Insert, Page Layout, and the relevant commands

will appear underneath the tab.

The Ribbon

Ruler

Status Bar

View Buttons

Document

Quick Access Toolbar Title Bar

http://office.microsoft.com/search/redir.aspx?AssetID=AM101938681033&CTT=5&Origin=HA100625841033

http://office.microsoft.com/search/redir.aspx?AssetID=AM101938681033&CTT=5&Origin=HA100625841033


2. To select a command, move the mouse over the command and click. Note: to

find out what action a command performs, move the mouse cursor over it. A

small box called a ‘screen tip’ will appear with a label explaining the function of

the command.

Ruler

The ruler defines the margins and tabs of the document. The white area is the area

available to work in, while the grey area shows the space between the working area and

the edge of the page.

If the ruler is not shown, you may turn it on by going to the View tab, and selecting the

Ruler checkbox.

Document

A document in MS Word is where any typed information and formatting will appear;

ready to be printed off later. Documents consist of ‘pages’, each of which is the

equivalent of a printed page (such as A4).

View Buttons

The view buttons change the way your document is ‘viewed’. Note that this does not

affect the content of the document, just the way it is displayed on-screen.

Status Bar

The Status Bar displays information about the document such as the number of pages

and your current location within the document.

Quick Access Toolbar

The Quick Access Toolbar contains some command buttons for easy access. You may

customise the Quick Access Toolbar to add or remove certain commands. To do this,

click the arrow beside the Quick Access Toolbar and select/deselect the commands of

your choice.

Title Bar

The Title Bar displays the title of the document that you are currently working on.


Working with Files

Creating a New Document

A new file will automatically open when you start the MS Word software. To create

further new files:

1. Click the Office Button ( , located in the top left corner of MS Word) and

select New.

2. In MS Word this will then open a number of new document options – click the

type of document required, e.g. Blank document.

Saving Documents

It is very important to save work created in MS Word; otherwise it will not be possible to

come back to it at a later date. When starting to work in a document, save it as soon as

possible and then continue to save on a regular basis (in case the computer crashes or

freezes). To save a document in MS Word:

1. Click the Office Button ( ) and choose Save.

2. Select the drive and/or folder where the document is to be saved by clicking on

the drop-down arrow and choosing the relevant drive/folder.

3. In the ‘File name:’ area, type a name for the document. Be as descriptive as

possible, but try not to let file names get too long.

4. Click the Save button.

5. To ensure that the file has been saved, check the Title Bar at the top of the

screen – this should now indicate the new file name.


Note that once your file has been saved, a quick way to save it periodically as you

work is to click the ‘Save’ button ( ) on the Quick Access Toolbar or alternatively

press Ctrl+S.

If changes are made to a document it might be useful to save it under a different name

e.g. save ‘Draft’ as ‘Final Draft’. To do so use the ‘Save As’ command:

1. Click the Office Button ( ) and choose Save As.

2. If you wish the new file to be saved in a different location, select the new drive

or folder as required.

3. In the ‘File name’ area, type the new name for the document.

4. Click the Save button.

Closing Documents and Exiting MS Word

When finishing working with a document, it is a good idea to close it. It is possible to

work with more than one document at a time; however it is best to avoid doing so as

this will take up unnecessary space on your computer. To close a document:

1. Click the Office Button ( ) and choose Close.

2. If the most recent changes of the document are already saved, the document

will close automatically.

3. If the document has not been saved at all or has not been saved recently, MS

Word will ask if you wish to save your document. Click Yes button to keep the

work you have done and No if it is no longer required.

Note that a quick way to close a document is to click the ‘close’ button ( ) in the top

right of your screen.

When finished working with MS Word, it is important to exit the software and close ALL

MS Word documents that are currently open. To do so:

1. Click the Office Button ( ) and click the Exit Word button.

2. If there are any unsaved documents, MS Word will prompt you to save them as

per the prompts described above for closing documents.

Opening Documents

To open a document that has been previously created and saved:

1. Click the Office Button ( ) and choose Open.


2. Select the drive where the document is stored by clicking on the drop-down

arrow and choosing the relevant drive.

3. Choose the required file by clicking once on the file, and click the Open button.

Working with Text

Entering Text

To enter text in MS Word, simply type the letter(s) on the keyboard. As each letter is

typed it will appear in the document and the ‘insertion point’ (i.e. the flashing vertical

line) will move along the line. This insertion point indicates the position where type text

will appear. To change the location of the insertion point, click on the new location

(within the document) using the left mouse button.

When the end of a line is reached, MS Word automatically ‘wraps’ the text onto the ne xt

line. To start a new paragraph, press the Enter key on the keyboard.

Selecting Text

In order to be able to change text (e.g. delete, move, copy, or format it) it must first be

selected. Selected text will appear with a dark background. To select text, e ither the

mouse or the keyboard can be used as follows:

1. Dragging with the mouse.

With the left button of the mouse place the insertion point at the beginning of

the text, and while holding the left button down, ‘drag’ through the text you wish

to select. Once the selection is made, let go of the left mouse button.


2. Using keyboard and mouse shortcuts.

There are a number of key and mouse combinations that can be used to select

text. Some commonly used combinations are described below:

Combination Selection

Shift + Selects characters to the right of the

insertion point.

Shift + Selects characters to the left of the

insertion point.

Double click a word Selects the word and the space that

follows.

Ctrl + mouse click in a sentence Selects the sentence.

Triple click a paragraph Selects the entire paragraph.

Ctrl + A Selects the entire document.

Deleting Text

To delete text, both the Backspace and the Delete key can be used.

The Backspace key will remove text character by character from the insertion point

backwards.

The Delete key will remove text character by character from the insertion point

forwards.

To remove several words, sentences, or paragraphs at once it is quicker to select the

section of text first and them press either Backspace or Delete (you can also type

directly over top of selected text to replace it ).

Cutting, copying and pasting

Cutting, copying, and pasting can be used to move text in a document. These functions

all rely on the computer’s ‘Clipboard’. This clipboard is a temporary storage place.

Function Action Ribbon Command Shortcut Key

Cut Removes the selection and places

it on the clipboard.

Home Cut Ctrl + X

Copy Copies the selection (leaving it in

its original location) and places it

Home Copy Ctrl + C


on the clipboard.

Paste Places (i.e. pastes) the contents of

the clipboard in the location of the

insertion point.

Home Paste Ctrl + V

Formatting

Fonts

A font is a typeface (type of lettering) used in a document. There are a range of fonts

available. Make sure that the font used in clear, legible, and appropriate for the type of

document. Fonts are measured in points. A heading is usually 14 or 16 points in size,

whereas paragraph text is usually 12 points. Some examples of different fonts and

sizes can be seen blow.

This font is Times New Roman, 12 point

This font is Arial, 16 point

This font is Garamond, 10 point This font is Tahoma, 20 point

To change the font type and/or size:

1. Select the text to be changed.

2. Choose the arrow to the right of the font box

to display a list of all available fonts. The

most recently used fonts will appear at the

top of the list; the remainder of the list will be

in alphabetical order.

3. Select the font of your choice from this list.

4. To change the font size, with the text still

selected, choose the arrow to the right of the

font size box and select the size required. Remember not to choose a

font size too small or your reader will have difficulty seeing what has

been written.


Bold, Italics, and Underline

To make certain text in your document stand out, you can use boldface, italics, or

underline characters, regardless of the font chosen.

To boldface, italicise or underline text:

1. Select the text.

2. Choose either the bold ( ), italic ( ) or the underline ( ) command from

the Font group of the Home tab.

Note that you can also use shortcut keys, Ctrl + B, Ctrl + I, and Ctrl + U to bold, italicise,

and underline respectively.

Using the Font Dialog Box

In addition to use the commands in the Font group to make changes to font formatting,

it is also possible to use the Font dialog box which will provides many more options

regarding the way text appears. To bring up the Font dialog box, click the arrow in the

bottom right corner of the Font group.

In the Font dialog box that appears, select the required formatting options, and click

OK.


Paragraph

Paragraph Alignment

Paragraphs can be aligned to the left, centred, right, or justified. Some disciplines have

specific requirements such as justification of left-alignment so it is important to find

this out before handling in any coursework.

To align text:

1. Position the insertion point within the paragraph (or select a range of

paragraphs as required).

2. Click on the appropriate alignment button on the Paragraph group of the Home

tab. These buttons act as ‘toggles’ that will turn the alignment style either on or

off.

Left

Centred

Right

Justify

Examples of the various types of alignment can be seen below:

This is what left

aligned text looks

like.

This is what right

aligned text looks

like.

This is what

centred text looks

like.

This is what

justified text looks

like.

You can also use the shortcut keys, Ctrl + L, Ctrl + E, Ctrl + R and Ctrl + J to left align,

centre, right align, and justify respectively.

Line Spacing

Academic work usually requires line spacing of either 1 ½ or 2. Check with your

department handbook or a staff member in your department to find out what line

spacing is required.

To change line spacing:

1. Position the insertion point within the paragraph (or select a range of

paragraphs as appropriate).

2. Choose the arrow to the right of the line spacing button ( ) in the Paragraph

group of the Home tab.


3. Choose the required line

spacing from the list. If the

required line spacing is not

available in the list, click on

‘Line Spacing Options…’ and set

your own value in the

Paragraph dialog box.

You can use the shortcut keys, Ctrl + 1,

Ctrl + 2, and Ctrl + 5 to single-space,

double-space, and 1 ½ space

respectively.

Bulleting and Numbering

Bulleting and numbering can help emphasise certain statements or aspects of your

written work. To add bullets/numbers to text:

1. Select the paragraph(s) that you would like to bullet/number.

2. Choose the Bullets or Numbering button from the Paragraph group of the Home

tab.

3. To change the type of bullets or numbers that have appeared, click the down

arrow to the right of the Bullets/Numbering button and select an alternate

format.

Setting-up pages

By default, MS Word documents have a number of characters applied to their page

layout such as size, orientation, and margins. It is often necessary to change these for

academic work e.g. your lecturer may require a wide left margin for assignments.

Bullets

Numbering


Academic work also requires page number – these can be created automatically in MS

Word. The following section discusses these features.

Page Size

In New Zealand, we typically use a paper size of A4. Unfortunately, as MS Word is

developed in the United States the default setting is often for a US ‘Letter’ page size. It

is important to ensure that documents are an A4 size as otherwise the page layout can

look quite strange when printed. Using a letter-sized setting is MS Word can also jam

some printers.

To change the page size setting to A4 (or an alternative paper size):

1. Click the Page Layout tab.

2. Click the Size button and choose A4 from the list.

3. If the required page size does not appear in the list, click More Paper Sizes…

and customise the page settings using the Page Setup dialog box.

Margins

Margins are partly defined by the chosen page size setting; however it is also possible

to change these settings. While it is possible to make changes by dragging the ruler

markers, you will have more control over the document as a whole if you alter your

margins using the following method:


2. Click the Margins button and choose one from the list.

3. If the required margin setting does not appear in the list, click Custom

Margins… and increase/decrease the top, bottom, left, and/or right margins as

required using the Page Setup dialog box.

Orientation

There are two orientations available in MS Word. They are:

Portrait – The page will be larger vertically, as in a portrait of a person. This is

suitable for writing.

Landscape – The page will be larger horizontally. The page will be suitable for

wide charts, diagrams and images.

To change the page orientation:



2. Click the Orientation button and choose either Portrait or Landscape from the

list.

Note that unless ‘section breaks’ are used, all pages in the document will change to

this orientation. Section breaks are covered in the Student Learning Centre’s ‘Thesis

Formatting’ and ‘Thesis Writing in Word’ workshops – see the last page for details.

Breaking Pages

MS word will automatically start a new page when the end of the present page has been

reached. It is also possible to start a new page in the document by ‘breaking’ your page

partway down. To do so:

1. Ensure that the insertion point is at the location that the new page is required.

2. Choose Page Layout Breaks.

You may select ‘Page’ under Page Breaks, or ‘Next Page’ under Section Breaks.

Numbering Pages

You may add page numbers to the document in various format and locations.

1. Choose Insert Page Numbers.

2. Click Format Page Numbers …. In the Page Number Format window, choose

your preferred number format.

3. Choose ‘Start at’ and make sure the numbering starts at ‘1’ .

4. Click Insert Page Number, and select one of the preferred locations to

insert.


Useful Features for Assignment Writing

Undo and Redo

Don’t be afraid of ‘trying things out’ in MS Word. If you make a mistake, the ‘Undo’

feature will allow you to fix it by ‘undoing’ what you have done – most errors can be

fixed using this feature. Once something has been ‘undone’ you use the ‘Redo’ feature

to bring back whatever you have undone. The Undo ( ) and Redo ( ) buttons are

located on the Quick Access Toolbar. Note if the Undo or Redo button is not displayed

on the Quick Access Toolbar, you may add it by clicking the arrow beside the Quick

Access Toolbar and select the command from the list.

Spelling and Grammar Check

The spelling and grammar check are turned on by default. If a word is spelt incorrectly,

it will be underlined with a red/orange ‘wavy’ line. If there is a grammatical error, a

green ‘wavy’ line will appear underneath the word.

To correct errors as you type:

1. Move the mouse cursor over the word and right

click.

2. Choose the correct word from the list that appears, or ‘Ignore’ as appropriate.

To run the spelling and grammar check over the entire document:

1. Click the Review tab, and then the Spelling & Grammar button.

2. This will open a dialog box that will allow you to check each spelling and

grammar error in turn.

Many versions of MS Word are set to the US dictionary. This dictionary h as many words

that are spelt different than a New Zealand dictionary. To change the

dictionary/language:

1. Click the Review tab, and then the Set Language button.

2. Choose the required language and click OK.


Word Count

University assignments often have a word limit or requirement. To count the number of

words in the document, choose Review Word Count.

Once you have read the information provided, click the Close button.

Printing

Before printing a document, choose the Print Preview command, which can be found by

choosing the Office Button ( ) Print Print Preview. The document will appear in a

new screen, and will let you see how your document looks before it is printed. It is a

good idea to check margins, page numbers, and to see if any text or objects are spilling

over a page.

To print a document:

1. Choose the Office

Button ( ) Print

Print.

2. In the dialog that

appears, choose the

required options (such

as number of copies).

Note that in the ‘Print

range’ area you can

choose to print just the

page you are working

on, or a specific range of

pages.


3. Choose OK to start printing.

Note: to save money when printing draft copies, print two MS Word pages to an A4

sheet. To do this, click the Properties button in the Print dialog box, and choose 2 from

the ‘Pages Per Sheet’ drop box.

Related Workshops

The following workshops are offered by the SLC Computer Skills Development

Programme, and may supplement the material covered in this workshop. These

workshops are:

Thesis Formatting

Thesis Writing in Word

Thesis Compiling

Details of these workshops can be found on the SLC website:

http://cad.auckland.ac.nz/index.php?p=word.

http://cad.auckland.ac.nz/index.php?p=word

Computer Assignment

Documents

Transcript of Computer Assignment