Figures are visuals such as graphs, charts, photos, drawings, and maps. Figures are normally identified by the capitalized word Figure and a number followed by a caption. A caption is a short block of text that gives information about the figure. The … Continue Reading about How to Write Figure Captions
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How to Create a Custom Dictionary in Microsoft Word
All Microsoft Word users have a default custom dictionary that acts as a catchall for their spelling preferences. In fact, every time you right-click on a flagged word (which may or may not be misspelled) and select “Add to Dictionary,” that word goes to your default custom dictionary. However, you can create additional custom dictionaries […]
When to Use the Percent Sign in a Sentence (The Ultimate Guide)
Do you know what percentage of style guides agree on when to use the percent sign in a sentence? Zero! To understand when to use the percent sign instead of the word percent, we need to look at the recommendations provided by all four of our primary style guides: The Chicago Manual of Style (Chicago […]
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How to Create and Customize Headings in Microsoft Word
This tutorial shows how to create headings in Microsoft Word. More specifically, we’ll look at how to create headings using Word’s styles. Then, we’ll look at how to customize Word’s default heading styles to your preferred font, font size, alignment, and color. But first, let’s discuss the importance of using Word’s heading styles. Why Are […]
How to Capitalize Hyphenated Words in Titles and Headings
Most titles and headings are formatted with headline-style capitalization, which means that the first and last words and all the main words in between are capitalized (as demonstrated in the title of this blog post). But how should you capitalize hyphenated words in titles and headings using headline-style capitalization? The general guideline is to capitalize […]
Three Ways to Insert Superscripts and Subscripts in Microsoft Word
Superscripts are numbers, letters, or symbols that appear slightly above the surrounding text. Subscripts are letters, numbers, words, or phrases that appear slightly below the surrounding text. This tutorial shows how to insert superscripts and subscripts in Microsoft Word using three different tools: 1. The Superscript and Subscript Buttons 2. The Symbol Dialog Box 3. […]
What Is Headline-Style Capitalization?
Headline-style capitalization, also called title case, means that the main words are capitalized and the “less important” words are lowercased in titles and headings. Headline-style capitalization is the format you see in most books and magazines. This blog features headline-style capitalization for all titles and most headings. Here are several examples: Should You Use Singular […]
How to Use the Editor in Microsoft Word (Spelling & Grammar Check)
This tutorial shows how to use the Editor in Microsoft Word. The Editor is Word’s new spelling and grammar check and is currently available in Word for Office 365. If you are using an older version of Word or your spelling and grammar check looks different than the one shown here, please see my previous […]
How to Reference Tables and Figures in Text
Tables and figures can add depth and clarity to your writing. But your readers may be confused or distracted if visual content suddenly appears in your document without an explanation. Avoid surprising your readers by following these five guidelines for how to reference tables and figures in text. Before we begin, let’s define tables and […]
Three Ways to Create Bookmarks in PDFs with Adobe Acrobat
In PDFs, bookmarks are links that appear in the Bookmarks panel. They are usually organized as a table of contents. Let’s look at three ways to create bookmarks in PDFs using Adobe Acrobat. Method 1: Create a Bookmark without a Selection Method 2: Create a Bookmark with a Selection Method 3: Create a Bookmark from […]
How to Write University and College Names in Sentences
This post shares guidelines for how to write university and college names as full names and as abbreviations in sentences. We’ll also look at when to capitalize the word the in university and college names and when to lowercase words such as university and college. Note that these guidelines are for general writing. If you […]
How to Copy and Paste Text with Comments and Track Changes in Word
This tutorial shows how to copy and paste text with comments and Track Changes in Word from one file to another. If you want to copy comments separately from the text or other Track Changes, visit “How to Copy and Paste Word Comments into a New File.” The images below are from Microsoft Word for […]
Should You Use Singular or Plural Pronouns for a Company?
Have you ever wondered if you should use singular or plural pronouns for a company? The general guideline is to use the singular personal pronoun it to refer to a company or similar organization. This post explains the reasoning behind this guideline—and then shares two situations when you may want to use plural first-person pronouns […]
