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ETD Technical Support
Introduction to the MS Word Formatting Template (Single File)

This tutorial is a concise introduction to using Version 9.0 of CIRCA's MS Word ETD Formatting Templates.

Template documentation
Downloading the Template
Working with the Template
Applying Styles
Transporting the Template
Updating the Table of Contents, List of Tables & List of Figures
Final Printing

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Documentation on how the Template works

There are multiple ways of getting information on how to use the formatting templates. Each one is in a different medium with a unique level of detail:

  1. This tutorial
  2. The template's readMe.doc file for MS Word 2003
  3. A Help Desk ASC hosted ETD Workshop

Please make sure you read at least one of these documents thoroughly, or attend an ETD Workshop. There are several things you should be aware of before you include your text in the template, and understanding how the template works will make your thesis/dissertation formatting experience much less stressful.

If at any time you run into difficulties in using the formatting templates, feel free to view one of our online tutorials or contact us via e-mail at etd@grove.ufl.edu. If necessary, we can make an appointment to consult with you regarding any technical challenges you may be having.

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Downloading the Template

In the download column choose the version of the template appropriate for your system. While PC and Mac versions will run on the opposite platform there are some subtle but significant differences in the final output.

WARNING: You should immediately rename your template file leaving your original template unchanged. This will allow you to generate additional copies of the template if it should prove necessary.

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Working with the Template

It is best to type directly into the template from the beginning (replacing our text with yours). If you have previously written content in another MS Word document, you may cut and paste your text into the template.

In working with the template, we recommend that you follow this advice:

  • Always work on a copy of your latest document. Every time you end a session of work on the manuscript make at least two backup copies of the document and save them to at least two different locations (Computers).

  • Always work with the show/hide toggle switch [ ¶ ]set to show. This will allow you to see the paragraph and section break marks. When inserting your own text, this will show you where the Section Breaks that control page numbering/margins are located. There is a Section Break (Next Page) at the end of each section. This is what tells MS Word that a chapter has ended and the footnotes need to revert back to the number 1 for the new chapter.

  • If you decide to cut and paste from another MS Word document, make sure you apply our styles to ALL of the text you include. This ensures that your formatting is in compliance with the Editorial Office rules. You chapter headings and subheadings will also appear in the table of contents.

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Applying Styles

The formatting styles used by MS Word are what control text alignment, text spacing and paragraph indentions.

We have created 16 styles for the template. We worked closely with the Editorial Office of the Graduate School in programming the formatting so that it is in compliance with the Editorial Office's Thesis/Dissertation Formatting Requirements.

It is therefore highly recommended that you apply our styles to ALL the text you include in the subdocuments. Doing this will ensure that your text has the proper formatting, and your chapter and subheading text will appear in the Table of Contents upon demand, with the appropriate page number association.

To apply a style, highlight the entire paragraph that you want to modify (by double clicking in the left margin near the paragraph), and from the formatting tool bar you can choose the appropriate style. A graphic of what this looks like appears below:

You can open a panel for the styles that will appear on the right of your document by going to the "Format" menu and choosing "Styles and Formatting." I find that it is easier to apply the styles from this list than from the drop-down menu. This is obviously a matter of individual preference.

Below is a listing of the styles contained in Version 8.4 of the formatting temlate.

Styles Apply to What you must do after the style is applied
00 CHAPTER NUMBER Chapter Number Nothing
01 CHAPTER TITLE Chapter and section titles Capitalize all letters
02 First-Level Subheading (BOLD) First-level subheadings Capitalize first letters of all principal words
03 Second-Level Subheading (BOLD) Second-level subheadings Capitalize first letters of all principal words
04 Third-Level Subheading (BOLD) Third-level subheadings Capitalize the first letter of first word and all proper nouns
05 Body Text Paragraphs Nothing
06 Body Text - No Indent Paragraphs where indenting is not permitted Nothing
07 Block Text-Block Quote Quotes Nothing
08 Bulleted List - Short Used for bulleted lists where none of the lines wrap Insert a single blank line after the last list entry
09 Bulleted List - Long Used for bulleted lists where one or more of the lines wrap Nothing
10 Caption Figure Figure captions Nothing
11 Caption Table Table captions Nothing
12 Caption Object Object captions (used for multimedia and support file links, provides link to the List of Objects) Create a hyperlink to the object itself using Adobe Acrobat
13 Reference Listing 1 - no numbers Can be used for reference lists that are not numbered Nothing
14 Reference by Author For reference lista sorted by author's name Nothing
15 Reference by Number For reference lists sorted by number Nothing

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Transporting the Template, and making Backup Copies

When you've completed your days work with the template, it always advisable to make a backup copy of your document. When you do this, there are several things you should keep in mind:

  • Have 3 backup locations.

    • 1 on your computer's hard drive

    • 1 on a CD-ROM, USB Flash/Jump Drive or other electronic storage device

    • 1 on a departmental server or e-mailed to yourself

This way, if anything should happen to your primary computer's hard drive, you will still have something you can work with.

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Updating the Table of Contents (TOC), List of Tables (LOT) & List of Figures (LOF)

Befor you print your document you need to update your table of contents. For detailed instructions on this process, please review the following tutorials:

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Final Printing

Finally, we get to the task of printing your document. If your document is in order, just open your file, make sure "Track Changes" is set to "Final" NOT "Final Showing Markup"switch to View - Print Layout and your document is ready to print.

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While improvements in technology have reduced the need for a multi-file document template we still have it available upon request. If you would like a copy of this template or have challenges with your single-file document, please feel free to contact us at etd@grove.ufl.edu, visit with an Application Support Center Consultant in The HUB , Room 224 or call 392-HELP (4357) and ask to speak to an ASC Consultant.