Boland 4B: Formatting Documents

LETTER FORMATTING

There a many occasions in which you may need to write a letter both formal and informal. One occasion you may need to write a letter is when you are trying to get a job or interview for a job.

The beginning of a letter should look like the image below:

The beginning of a letter should include the return
address and date along with the address and person
you intend to send the letter to. Before you begin
writing your body paragraphs be sure to use a
formal introduction, such as Dear Mr. Anderson.

The end of a letter should look like the image below:

The end of a letter should have a formal ending
such as sincerely. After your formal ending leave
space for a handwritten signature then type out
your name so the recipient can clearly read who
it is from. Just incase your signature isn't legible.

REPORT FORMATTING

The common report is formatted by using the MLA format. Correct MLA formatting uses a mla header, a page number, a title, body paragraphs, and a works cited page. Reports should be double spaced, correctly indented, and the font and font size should be 12 and either Cambria, Times New Roman, or

Arial.

Beginning Your MLA Report:

Before starting your report you want to make sure you have your last name and the page number at the top of each page. You will them need to have a correctly formatted MLA style header including your name, your teacher's name, the assignment, and the date. After you should put a title at the beginning of your report. And finally you can start typing up your report as long as you continue to follow the correct format.

How Do I Insert a Page Number?

The page number should go on the top right of the paper. It should be accompanied by the author's last name. When printed the Page number will appear to be a light gray color unlike the rest of the black text. Don't worry! This is how it is supposed to look. An example of a correct page number is to the left.

To put your last name and page number you will first need to bring your cursor to the top of the page. From there you should see a small little page image. If you double right click on your mouse you will open your header. Once your header is open align it so your text will appear on the right sideline in the image to the right. Now is the time where you will type the author's last name and insert the page number.

To insert a page name have your cursor next to your last hem then go to insert at the top and the option Page Numbers. That should correctly add a page number next to your last name. Once you have your page number you can click close header.

How do I correctly format a MLA style header?

To have a correctly formatted heading you need to start out by making sure you paper is double spaced. From there your first line should be your first and last name. The next line should be your teachers. After that line you should have a line saying the class and assignment. Finally the last line of the header should be the date. An example of how yours should look is to the left.

How do I format a works cited page?

A works cited page contains sources of information for your report. Your sources should be in alphabetical order and contain a hanging indent if necessary. To correctly format your sources I suggest to use a website such as easybib.com

To add a hanging indent go to format then paragraph.