MICROSOFT WORD TIPS FOR AUTHORS
By Eugene Orlando
I. Change Text Size
A.
Set margins to match
intended book size through "File" + "Page setup" menu.
1. EG: Book
size is 6" x 9". Set document to "Print Layout" through the
"View"
Menu.
2. Text area is 4.5" x 7.25"
3. Left over
space on letter (8.5” x 11”) page will be 4 x 3.75
4. Left over
space on letter (8.5” x 11”) page split in half (for top and bottom; side to
side) will be 2.5 x 2.63
5. Adjust for header. 2.63 x 2.63
B.
Change percent
size until screen displays all text.
1. You can type any size you want up to 500.
Simply type in place of the highlighted number.
II. Getting Around the Document
A.
"End"
key takes cursor to end of line.
B.
"Home"
key takes cursor to beginning of line.
C.
"Control +
End" takes cursor to end of document.
D. "Control + Home" takes cursor to beginning
of document.
E.
"Alt"
commands: Tap "Alt" key (you don't have to hold it down. The mode
switches from text to the tool bars above the text.) Tapping the underlined
letter in the menu choices above will open that menu selection. (EG:
"Alt" then "F" to open the "File" menu.
III. Edit Menu
A.
Copy – Cut –
Paste – Undo
1.
Shortcut commands
a.
Copy (Control +
C)
b.
Paste (Control +
V)
c.
Cut (Control + X)
d.
Undo (Control +
Z)
B.
Office Clipboard
1.
Copy highlighted text.
(activates clipboard. What you copy stays in a copy buffer.)
2.
Paste anywhere
else in the document, in another document, even from the Internet into your
document.
C.
Select All
1. Control
+ A selects all the text in the document.
D. Find and Replace
1.
Find
a.
Select "Find"
from "Edit" menu or Control + F.
b.
Type text to be
found.
c.
Choose "more"
for "Match case" & "Find whole words only" can be used.
d.
"Find all
word forms" good for hunting down "to be" verbs.
e.
Open "Special"
to find Tabs, Em and En dashes.
2.
Replace
a.
Select "Replace"
from "Edit" menu or Control + H.
b.
Fill in "Find
What" and "Replace with."
c.
You can find fonts
and font styles. Click on "Format" select "Font" click on "Italic"
and it will find all italic words in your manuscript.
3.
Find and Replace
Uses
a.
Replace two blank
spaces with one. In "Find" type two white spaces. In "Replace"
type one white space.
b.
Replace smart
quotes and apostrophes with straight ones.
1). Go to "Tools"
menu and select "Autocorrect Options"
2). Click on the "Autoformat as you type"
tab.
3). Under "Replace as you type" remove the
check for "Straight quotes" with "smart quotes." Then click
"OK."
4). Select "Replace" from the "Edit"
menu or type Control + H.
5). Type a double quote mark (") for find and
another for replace.
6). Click on "Replace All." All your quotes
will be straight now. The same holds true for replacing smart apostrophes with
straight ones.
IV.
View Menu
A.
Add header/footer
1.
Select "Header
and Footer" from "View" menu.
2.
Type title of
work followed by last name. It can be formatted like any other text.
3.
Click on
"Insert" menu..
4.
Select "Page
Numbers." (Alignment is preset to "right.")
5.
Click
"OK" and then click "Close."
B.
Paginate in
Footer.
1.
Select
"Header and Footer" from "View" menu.
2.
Scroll down to the
footer and click on "Insert" menu.
3.
Select "Page
Numbers."
4.
Set "Alignment"
to read "center" and click "OK."
5.
Click
"Close" to return to the document.
C.
Full Screen
(Works this way only if you've never done it before. Once certain features are
set for "Full Screen" they stay that way and can even get lost.)
1.
Select "Full
Screen" from "View" Menu.
2.
Move "Full
Screen" window to upper right until it becomes a side bar.
3.
Click on diamond
below "Close Full Screen."
4.
Select "Add
or Remove Buttons" then "Customize."
5.
Click "Toolbars"
Tab.
6.
Check "Formatting"
toolbar and then close.
7.
Move pointer all
the way left on the toolbar until the four-arrowed icon appears.
8.
Click and drag
toolbar to the right side of the screen until it settles under "Close Full
Screen" (you may have to adjust up and down).
9.
"Page
up" and "Page down" keys will scroll your text.
10.
To end "Full
Screen" mode, click on "Close Full Screen" to close or hit the
"Esc" key.
V.
Insert Menu
A.
Break
1.
Place cursor
where you want to break for a new page.
2.
Select "Break"
from "Insert" menu or Control + Enter Key.
3.
Make sure "Page
break" is bubbled in and select "OK."
B.
Symbol
1.
Place cursor
where you want the symbol to go.
2.
Select "Symbol"
from "Insert" menu.
3.
Click on the
symbol you need and then click on "Insert" and "Close."
C.
Comment
1.
Highlight the
text to carry the comment.
2.
Select "Comment"
from "Insert" menu.
3.
Type your
comment.
4.
Exit back to
text.
D. Picture
1.
Place cursor
where picture is to go.
2.
Select "Picture"
from "Insert" menu.
3.
Choose "From
File."
4.
Find the picture
on your computer and select it.
5.
Click on "Insert."
6.
Format to your
liking.
7.
Click outside
picture to view results.
E.
Placing Picture
1.
To resize: Click
on picture, grab a corner or a side and adjust size.
2.
To center, click
on the center button on the tool bar or Control + E.
3.
To embed picture
a.
Adjust to
approximate size.
b.
Double-click on
picture.
c.
Click on
"layout" tab.
d.
Click on
"tight."
e.
Click
"OK" and move picture to desired location. Text will flow around
graphic.
VI.
Format
A.
Copying format
with the paintbrush.
1.
Place cursor in
text with format to copy.
2.
Click once on the
brush icon.
3.
Then highlight
the text to receive the copied formatting.
4.
To paste the
formatting as many times as you want, double-click on the brush. To quit
pasting the format, click once back on the brush.
B.
Shortcut Commands
1.
Boldface Text
(Control + B)
2.
Underline Text
(Control + U)
3.
Italicize Text
(Control + I)
VII. Tools Menu
A.
Spelling and
Grammar
1.
Select "Spelling
and Grammar" from the "Tools" menu.
2.
If "Check
grammar" is not checked, click a check mark there.
3.
Click on "Options."
4.
Make sure "ignore
words in uppercase is not checked.
5.
Make sure
everything is checked under "Grammar" except "Hide grammatical…"
6.
Click
"OK" and then "cancel."
7.
Single word spell
check: Click somewhere in a red underlined word and then right click for
suggested spellings.
8.
Add a word to the
custom dictionary: Click on red underlined word and then right click on "Add
to Dictionary."
B.
Autocorrect
1.
Click on
misspelled word and right click.
2.
Move to "AutoCorrect"
and select the correct spelling.
C.
Languages
1.
Thesaurus.
a.
Highlight a word
or just place the I-beam in the word.
b.
Either select "Thesaurus"
from the "Tools" menu or right click and select "Synonyms."
D. Word Count
1. Select "Word Count" from the "Tools"
menu.