Tips for Using MS Word

Text Basics

Many documents produced in Word 2010 use text to convey information. As such, it is important to carefully consider font selection when constructing a document. To improve a document’s legibility:

  • Use standard, easy-to-read, fonts such as Arial or Times New Roman;
  • For body text use font sizes between 10 and 12 points;
  • When using colour text, ensure that there is sufficient contrast between text and background;
  • Do not use colour to distinguish between two pieces of information.

Using Styles

To format large blocks of text into headings and subheadings, it is a best practice to use the Styles
feature rather than formatting text manually. Using styles makes it faster and easier to apply sets of
formatting characteristics to texts, tables and lists in your document, while also making the document 
navigable to screen readers. Using styles will also allow you to automatically generate tables of 
contents within a document. To add styles to your document:

  1. Select the text that you want to assign a style to;
  2. Click on the Home menu tab;
  3. Choose the appropriate style type (e.g., Title, Heading 1, Heading 2, etc.) from the Styles section;
  4. Word will apply an assigned formatting to your text based on your particular selection;
  5. You can customize the fonts, spacing and colour schemes applied to individual styles by using the Change Styles button.

Alternative Text

Alternative Text or Alt Text is a 5-15 word phrase used to describe each image, graphic, table, or chart in a document. Alt Text is used to describe images to screen reader users and to anyone unable to load the images in a document. To add alternative text to an image:

  1. Right click on the image and click Format Picture… from the dropdown menu;
  2. In the Format Picture tool box select Alt Text;
  3. Provide alternative text description in the Description field. Do not add text to the Title field;
  4. Click the Close button;
    1. Word will retain Alt Text when you copy and paste an image. 

Content Organization

A document that contains large blocks of text can be difficult to read. For increased legibility and better organization ensure that you incorporate paragraphing, bullets, and numbered lists whenever appropriate.

When formatting text, do not manually number or order your lists. Manually creating lists is not only time consuming, but can lead to other formatting problems if the document is changed. It is a best  practice—and a time saver—to format items such as numbered and bulleted lists, columns and special indentation using the appropriate tools, found in the Paragraph section of the Home tab.

Using Tables

When properly formatted tables can help you organize and effectively present your content. Improperly 
formatted tables may be difficulty to read, may not transfer well into other formats and will not be recognized by screen readers. To create a properly formatted table:

  • Use the Insert Table function rather than the Draw Table. Draw Table does not provide a 
  • standardized row width, and it may lead to additional document formatting issues;
  • Keep tables simple; 
  • Use colour schemes with appropriate contrast;
  • Provide alternative text.

Additionally, it is important to ensure that proper table headings are used throughout the table, 
particularly if the table is spread across different pages. Not only will this help students who customize
document settings to conserve paper, it will also make the table legible to screen readers. To maintain 
headings across your table:

  1. Highlight all of your table headings.
  2. Right click and choose Table Properties... from the menu.
  3. Click on the Row tab—for headings that traverse across a row—and check Repeat as header 
  4. row at the top of each page.
  5. Click OK.

Wayfinding

Providing your readers with the means to orient themselves within a document, and then navigate 
through a document, can significantly increase legibility and useability. By adding page numbers and 
tables of contents to your documents you can help your students both access and understand your 
printed materials. 

Page Numbers

Page numbers can provide important orientation and navigation information for you students, by 
indicating the length of a document and helping readers keep track of where they are. To add page 
numbers:

  1. Click on the Insert tab.
  2. Click on Page Number and choose a location for the page numbers.
  3. Choose the type of formatting for page numbers from the templates available.
  4. Your numbers will now appear on the document. Click on the main text area to continue working.

Tables of Contents

A table of contents provides readers with an overview of a document and assists in locating specific
information. Tables of contents can be automatically generated for any document that has been formatted using Styles. A table of contents should be included in all documents longer than 5 pages. To automatically generate a Table of Contents:

  1. Ensure that all your titles, headings, subheadings, and other text is appropriately formatted using Styles. 
  2. Ensure that page numbers have been added to the document. 
  3. Next, place the cursor where you would like your table of contents to appear.
  4. Click on the References tab
  5. Click on Table of Contents, and select an Automatic Table template.
  6. Your table should now appear with of the correct sections, headings and page number information
    1. If you did not use styles, the automatic option will not work for you. Select Manual Table to manually input date into your table

Updating a Table of Contents

If you have automatically generated a table of contents and you continue working with Styles, Word will 
automatically update your table of contents to reflect your new document. To update an existing table 
of contents:

  1. Hover your mouse over the table of contents until it turns grey, then click anywhere in the table of contents.
  2. Click the Update Table button;
  3. Select the type of content you would like to update from the Update Table of Contents dialogue 
  4. box, then click OK.

Accessibility Checker

When your document is complete, and you are ready to save, share, or print you must ensure that your 
document does not contain any accessibility errors that can prevent users from viewing it. In Word 
2010, a tool called the Accessibility Checker will help you avoid these errors in just a few clicks.
Click on the File tab.

  1. Under the Prepare for Sharing Section, click on the icon for Check for Issues.
  2. Choose Check Accessibility from the drop-down menu.
  3. A new window will appear on the right of your screen outlining your document’s Errors and Warnings. 
  4. Under Inspection Results, you will see a list of error and warningtypes, such as Missing Alt Text, followed by a list of instances 
  5. where there errors and warnings occur.
  6. Click on an example of an error or warning to be taken to that spot in the document.
  7. A solution and instructions on how to fix the problem will appear under Additional Information.
  8. Follow the steps until all errors and warnings have disappeared.
  9. Once on the clear, a checkmark will appear on the Accessibility Checker window indicating that you no longer have any errors.

Printing

Microsoft Word makes the creation of complex documents relatively simple, however Word cannot guarantee that the layout and formatting choices you have specified throughout a document will be consistent across all computers and printers. Moreover, in order to access Word files readers must have software on their computer that can parse Word’s native file format, .doc. In order to produce documents that can be viewed and printed consistently, and that are accessible by all, it is a best practice to save Word files as a PDF files if they are to be printed or shared.