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Open-Licensed Instructional Guides for Learners
Lesson: Creating and Formatting a Research Paper
Using OpenOffice.org 3 Writer
Lesson Objectives
In this lesson, you will learn the following:
Overview
In the previous lesson, you learned how to use Writer to create a winning resume. Another task students often utilize a word processor for is to complete a research paper assignment. Research papers can often be very detailed, lengthy documents that require complex formatting. Writer has all of the capabilities to successfully complete the creation of a research paper. Moreover, the licensing terms for the open source word processor application provide students a full-featured, low cost solution to complete their assignments at school or home.
In this lesson, you will learn how to use Writer to perform the fundamental tasks of formatting a research paper. While this lesson will refer to the MLA writing style regarding the proper formatting of a research paper, the skills learned in this lesson can also be applied for preparing research papers in the APA style, as well as other research paper styles. Upon completion of this lesson, you will have learned how to use Writer to display nonprinting characters and line numbers, insert headers for page numbering, formatting hanging indents, inserting footnotes and more.
Getting Started
Before we do so, we need to open the Lesson Three file that is available for use with this book. To open the file, follow these steps:
Display Nonprinting Characters and Line Numbers
When the lesson file is open, it will be helpful when completing this lesson to display nonprinting characters and to make line numbers viewable. This will aid you in following the directions to correctly format the document. To display nonprinting characters and view the line numbers for the document, follow these steps:
Formatting Text
One of the first thing that needs to be done to format this research paper in accordance with the MLA writing style is to format the text properly. This would include double-spacing each line, selecting 12-point font size for all text within the document and format paragraph indents. To properly format the text within this research paper, follow these steps:
A few lines within the document do not need to be formatted with a paragraph indent. This would include the cover page, the works cited page as well as section headings. To format these areas, follow these steps:
Text Alignment
Next, we need to change the text alignment for the cover page and section headings from left alignment to center alignment. To do so, follow these steps:
Inserting a Header for Page Numbering
For large documents, such as this research paper, it is helpful for readers to refer back to certain sections by having page numbers printed on each page. While you could manually number each page yourself, an easier method is to have the word processor insert page numbers automatically. For this document, we will insert a header and place the page number within it. To do so, follow these steps:
Inserting Footnotes
Footnotes, used for embedding explanatory notes within a research paper formatted in the MLA documentation style, are considered optional. The research paper we are formatting for this exercise does not need a footnote. However, if you ever need to include a footnote within a research paper in the future, you may do so using Writer by following these steps:
Inserting Page Breaks
Within the research paper, we need to be assured that the cover page and the works cited page are both on a separate page from the rest of the document. Rather than using the ENTER or RETURN key on the keyboard to place spaces and move those sections to their respective pages, we can insert page breaks at the end of the cover page and the beginning of the works cited page. That way, whenever you add text or make formatting changes to the body of the document, the cover page and works cited page would remain on its own individual page. To insert page breaks within this document, follow these steps:
(NOTE: Instead of selecting the Insert menu, you can also create a new page break by holding down the CONTROL (CTRL) key and press the Enter key on the keyboard.)
Creating Hanging Indents
Now that the works cited page has been formatted with a page break, the text within the section needs to be formatted with a hanging indent. A hanging indent is formatted the opposite of a normal paragraph indent; the first line is left aligned while the second and subsequent lines are indented. To format the Works Cited section with hanging indents, follow these steps:
Sorting Paragraphs
According to the MLA documentation style, the works listed within the Works Cited section need to be listed in alphabetical order. Rather than cutting and pasting the works into the correct order, we can select paragraphs and sort them in alphabetical order. While our Works Cited section is still selected from creating the hanging indents, we can easily sort the works in the correct order. To sort paragraphs in alphabetical order, follow these steps:
Using Word Count
Often times when receiving a research paper assignment, the instructor will provide a list of requirements that the final paper must meet. One of the most common requirements specified for a research paper if for it to have a minimum number of words. OpenOffice.org Writer has a word count feature that can assist users in determining the number of words contained within a document.
To use the word count feature, simply click the Tools menu and select Word Count from the menu options that appear. The word count feature will display the number of words within a document or selected text, as well as the number of characters typed within the document. To close the Word Count window, simply click the OK button.
Checking Document Spelling
One of the most important steps in completing a research paper is to check the document for grammatical and spelling errors. Although OpenOffice.org currently does not have a grammar check tool, you can speed up the process of checking for document errors within Writer by utilizing the Spellcheck tool. To check for spelling errors within this research paper, follow these steps:
When you have completed checking for potential spelling errors, click the CLOSE button to exit and return to the document.
Saving the Document
Now that the research paper has been completed, it is time to save the document. To save the document to your computer’s hard drive or removable disk, follow these steps:
(NOTE: If you are given a window prompt that warns you about saving the document as a Microsoft Word file, click the YES button. The OpenOffice.org development team has gone to great lengths to help ensure that your document saved in the Word format will open properly with Microsoft Word. However, because the programming code utilized to create the Word file format is proprietary and not available to the OpenOffice.org team to view for ensuring full compatibility with Microsoft Word, not all of your document’s formatting may open up 100% correctly when it is opened using the Microsoft Word application.)
Exporting the Document in the PDF Format
As mentioned in the previous lesson regarding creating a resume, one of the many useful features OpenOffice.org has built-in to the office suite is the ability to export documents as a Portable Document Format (PDF) file. Saving a research paper as a PDF file has a number of possible advantages, including being able to share the document as read-only, making it difficult for others to alter the contents within the paper. Moreover, a research paper saved in the PDF format could be read by anyone who has one of a number of free PDF reader applications, as opposed to saving the document in a format that requires a specific application to read it. Remember, however, OpenOffice.org cannot edit a document that has been saved as a PDF file. Therefore, if you wish to save a document for editing at a later date, save the document in its Native OpenDocument file format.
To save a document as a read-only PDF file, follow these steps:
1. Click on the File menu and choose Export As PDF from the menu options that appear.
2. When the Export As PDF window appears, OpenOffice.org will provide you with some additional options for you to select. Among these options are the page range and image compression quality. If you choose Lossless Compression, the file will be exported in the highest quality possible but the file size will be larger. Sending large file sizes via email, for example, will result in longer receiving and download times. You also have the option to select JPEG compression to decrease the file size and, therefore, reduce the amount of time it takes to upload and download a file. OpenOffice.org allows you to use the popup menu provided to select the compression quality on a scale from 1% to 100%, with 1% being the lowest quality. After you have selected your additional export options, click the EXPORT button.
3. A window will appear and prompt you to choose a location to save your document. Choose the location you want to save a document to in the Save In popup field.
4. In the field File Name, type the name you would like to save the file as.
5. In the File Format popup menu, make sure Portable Document Format (PDF) is selected. Then click the button EXPORT to complete the operation.
Printing the Document
The final step in completing a research paper assignment is to print the document. To print the document within OpenOffice.org Writer, follow these steps:
Lesson Objectives
In this lesson, you will learn the following:
- How to display nonprinting characters and line numbers to aid in formatting documents.
- How to create headers to automatically number pages within the upper corner of each page within a document.
- How to insert page and section numbers within a document.
- How to sort paragraphs in alphanumerical order.
Overview
In the previous lesson, you learned how to use Writer to create a winning resume. Another task students often utilize a word processor for is to complete a research paper assignment. Research papers can often be very detailed, lengthy documents that require complex formatting. Writer has all of the capabilities to successfully complete the creation of a research paper. Moreover, the licensing terms for the open source word processor application provide students a full-featured, low cost solution to complete their assignments at school or home.
In this lesson, you will learn how to use Writer to perform the fundamental tasks of formatting a research paper. While this lesson will refer to the MLA writing style regarding the proper formatting of a research paper, the skills learned in this lesson can also be applied for preparing research papers in the APA style, as well as other research paper styles. Upon completion of this lesson, you will have learned how to use Writer to display nonprinting characters and line numbers, insert headers for page numbering, formatting hanging indents, inserting footnotes and more.
Getting Started
Before we do so, we need to open the Lesson Three file that is available for use with this book. To open the file, follow these steps:
- If you have not already downloaded the lesson files for this course, click on the Lesson Files topic located in the course lessons area and select to download the .zip file to your computer's desktop.
- When the file appears on your computer’s desktop, double-click the file icon to unzip its contents and access the files associated with each lesson. Double-click the Lesson Files folder icon that contains the available lesson files, locate the Lesson 03 folder and double-click on it to access the file for this lesson. When you have opened the folder, double-click the file named lesson_03_start.odt to open the file.
Display Nonprinting Characters and Line Numbers
When the lesson file is open, it will be helpful when completing this lesson to display nonprinting characters and to make line numbers viewable. This will aid you in following the directions to correctly format the document. To display nonprinting characters and view the line numbers for the document, follow these steps:
- Click on the Tools menu and select Line Numbering from the menu options that appear.
- When the Line Numbering selection window appears, click in the checkbox “Show Numbering” to activate line numbering. Also, in the Interval selection box located under the View selection area, change the interval to 1. Then click the OK button to view the line numbers within the file.
- To display nonprinting characters, such as paragraph marks and line spacing, click on the View menu and select Nonprinting Characters from the menu options that appear. You could also hold down the CONTROL (CTRL) key on your keyboard while pressing the F10 key to activate viewing nonprinting characters as well.
Formatting Text
One of the first thing that needs to be done to format this research paper in accordance with the MLA writing style is to format the text properly. This would include double-spacing each line, selecting 12-point font size for all text within the document and format paragraph indents. To properly format the text within this research paper, follow these steps:
- Click the Edit menu and choose Select All from the menu options that appear.
- Click the Format menu and choose Character from the menu options that appear.
- Click on the Font tab in the window that appears. Select the Bitstream Vera Serif font, regular typeface and 12-point font size. Then click the OK button.
- With the entire document remaining selected, click the Format menu and choose Paragraph from the menu options that appear.
- Click on the Indents & Spacing tab in the window appears. In the Indent selection area, use the First Line selection field to configure each paragraph to indent the first line by 0.5”. In the Line Spacing selection area, select Double from the popup menu provided. In the Register-True selection area, place a checkmark within the checkbox provided to activate the feature. Then click the OK button.
A few lines within the document do not need to be formatted with a paragraph indent. This would include the cover page, the works cited page as well as section headings. To format these areas, follow these steps:
- Using your mouse, place the pointer at the beginning of line 1. Holding down the left mouse button, drag over lines 1 through 23 to select the cover page text.
- Holding down the CONTROL (CTRL) key on your keyboard, use your left mouse button to select lines 54, 111, 193, 240, 315, 355, 449 and 524 through 556 only. As you will notice, holding down your CONTROL (CTRL) key allows you to select text in different areas of a document at the same time.
- Click on the Format menu and choose Paragraph from the menu options that appear.
- Click on the Indents & Spacing tab in the window appears. In the Indent selection area, use the First Line selection field to configure each paragraph to indent the first line by 0.0”. Then click the OK button.
Text Alignment
Next, we need to change the text alignment for the cover page and section headings from left alignment to center alignment. To do so, follow these steps:
- Using your mouse, place the pointer at the beginning of line 1. Holding down the left mouse button, drag over lines 1 through 23 to select the cover page text.
- Holding down the CONTROL (CTRL) key on your keyboard, use your left mouse button to select lines 54, 111, 193, 240, 315, 355, 449 and 524. As you will notice, holding down your CONTROL (CTRL) key allows you to select text in different areas of a document at the same time.
- Click on the Format menu and choose Paragraph from the menu options that appear.
- Click on the Alignment tab in the window appears. In the Options selection area, choose the Center alignment option by clicking your mouse button within the radio button provided. Then click the OK button.
Inserting a Header for Page Numbering
For large documents, such as this research paper, it is helpful for readers to refer back to certain sections by having page numbers printed on each page. While you could manually number each page yourself, an easier method is to have the word processor insert page numbers automatically. For this document, we will insert a header and place the page number within it. To do so, follow these steps:
- Click the Insert menu, select Header from the menu options that appear and select Default from the submenu options that appear.
- When the option is selected, you will notice that the word processor places a separate text area at the top of each page within the document. If you had selected Footer from the Insert menu, the text area would have been placed at the bottom of each page. When you type text within a header or footer, the text appears on each page of the document. In this exercise, type Online Learning Method. Because you are typing within the header area, the text is automatically formatted in bold.
- Press the SPACE BAR key three times to place some space between the text and where the page number will be positioned. Then click the Insert menu, select Fields from the menu options that appear and select Page Number from the submenu options that appear. When doing so, the field that is inserted into the header automatically numbers each page within the document.
- Finally, we need to change the alignment of the text within the header from center to right alignment. To do so, click the Format menu and choose Paragraph from the menu options that appear.
- Click on the Alignment tab in the window appears. In the Options selection area, choose the Right alignment option by clicking your mouse button within the radio button provided. Then click the OK button.
Inserting Footnotes
Footnotes, used for embedding explanatory notes within a research paper formatted in the MLA documentation style, are considered optional. The research paper we are formatting for this exercise does not need a footnote. However, if you ever need to include a footnote within a research paper in the future, you may do so using Writer by following these steps:
- Place your cursor within the page you wish the footnote to appear. For this example, place your cursor at the end of the sentence in line 482 by clicking at the location with your left mouse button.
- Go to the Insert menu and select Footnote from the menu options that appear.
- In the Insert Footnote window that appears, select Automatic within the Numbering selection area for the footnotes to be listed numerically at the bottom of the page.
- Select Footnote within the Type selection area.
- Click the OK button to complete the operation. A superscript will be placed at the end of the sentence in line 482 and the footnote will appear at the bottom of the page. You can then type notes you wish to add. To immediately remove the footnote, click on the Edit menu and choose Undo: Insert Footnote from the menu options that appear.
Inserting Page Breaks
Within the research paper, we need to be assured that the cover page and the works cited page are both on a separate page from the rest of the document. Rather than using the ENTER or RETURN key on the keyboard to place spaces and move those sections to their respective pages, we can insert page breaks at the end of the cover page and the beginning of the works cited page. That way, whenever you add text or make formatting changes to the body of the document, the cover page and works cited page would remain on its own individual page. To insert page breaks within this document, follow these steps:
- Place your cursor at the beginning on line 8 within the document. Press the DELETE key on your keyboard three (3) times to remove some of the empty lines within the cover page.
- Place the cursor at the beginning of line 21 by clicking at the beginning of the line with your left mouse button.
- Go to the Insert menu and select Manual Break from the menu options that appear.
- When the Manual Break window appears, click on the Page Break radio button within the Type selection area.
- If you are creating the page break for a specific purpose, you may select one of the formatting options from the Style popup menu. If you wish to have a standard page break, as we want for this exercise, leave the popup menu selected None.
- When you have selected the formatting options you wish the new page to have, click the OK button to complete the operation. A page break is then placed at the end of line 21. A page break is represented with a blue line running across the document editing area.
- Place your cursor at the beginning on line 522 within the document. Press the ENTER or RETURN key on your keyboard three (3) times to remove the Works Cited heading down three lines onto the next page.
- Place the cursor at the beginning of line 523. Then go to the Insert menu and select Manual Break from the menu options that appear.
- When the Manual Break window appears, click on the Page Break radio button within the Type selection area.
- If you are creating the page break for a specific purpose, you may select one of the formatting options from the Style popup menu. If you wish to have a standard page break, as we want for this exercise, leave the popup menu selected None.
- When you have selected the formatting options you wish the new page to have, click the OK button to complete the operation. A page break is then placed at the end of line 523.
(NOTE: Instead of selecting the Insert menu, you can also create a new page break by holding down the CONTROL (CTRL) key and press the Enter key on the keyboard.)
Creating Hanging Indents
Now that the works cited page has been formatted with a page break, the text within the section needs to be formatted with a hanging indent. A hanging indent is formatted the opposite of a normal paragraph indent; the first line is left aligned while the second and subsequent lines are indented. To format the Works Cited section with hanging indents, follow these steps:
- Using your mouse, place the pointer at the beginning of line 529. Holding down the left mouse button, drag over lines 529 through 558 to select the works cited text.
- Locate the ruler at the top of the text editing area. On the left side of the ruler, you will the Hanging Indent marker. The Hanging Indent marker looks much like an hourglass.
- Place your pointer at the bottom-half of the Hanging Indent marker. Holding down your left mouse button, drag the Hanging Indent marker within the ruler to the 0.5” mark. When doing so, the top-half of the Hanging Indent marker also drags to the 0.5” mark. To reposition the top-half of the Hanging Indent marker to the 0.0” mark, place your pointer on the top-half of the marker and drag it back to the 0.0” position. When completed, 0.5” hanging indents are created for the Works Cited section.
Sorting Paragraphs
According to the MLA documentation style, the works listed within the Works Cited section need to be listed in alphabetical order. Rather than cutting and pasting the works into the correct order, we can select paragraphs and sort them in alphabetical order. While our Works Cited section is still selected from creating the hanging indents, we can easily sort the works in the correct order. To sort paragraphs in alphabetical order, follow these steps:
- With the Works Cited section selected, click the Tools menu and select Sort from the menu options that appear.
- When the Sort window appears, select Key 1 by clicking within the checkbox provided. This indicates the first sort order you are specifying for the selected text.
- For the Key Type, select Alphanumeric within the popup menu provided.
- Finally, choose Ascending Order within the Sort Criteria selection area by clicking within the radio button provided. Once the appropriate selection criteria have been specified, click the OK button.
Using Word Count
Often times when receiving a research paper assignment, the instructor will provide a list of requirements that the final paper must meet. One of the most common requirements specified for a research paper if for it to have a minimum number of words. OpenOffice.org Writer has a word count feature that can assist users in determining the number of words contained within a document.
To use the word count feature, simply click the Tools menu and select Word Count from the menu options that appear. The word count feature will display the number of words within a document or selected text, as well as the number of characters typed within the document. To close the Word Count window, simply click the OK button.
Checking Document Spelling
One of the most important steps in completing a research paper is to check the document for grammatical and spelling errors. Although OpenOffice.org currently does not have a grammar check tool, you can speed up the process of checking for document errors within Writer by utilizing the Spellcheck tool. To check for spelling errors within this research paper, follow these steps:
- If you wish to spell check a specific word or sentence, select the text you wish to spell check. Otherwise, proceed to Step #2.
- Go to the Tools menu and select Spellcheck from the menu options that appear. You may also press the F7 key on your keyboard to begin checking for spelling errors.
- If any potential spelling errors appear, OpenOffice.org will indicate the potential error and give you a list of possible suggestions to correct the spelling.
- If you see a spelling suggestion that would correct the error, select it from the Suggestions list and click the CHANGE button.
- If you believe that the word in question is spelled correctly, you can click the IGNORE ONCE button to proceed to the next potential spelling error. If the word in question is spelled correctly and you use it often when creating documents, you may click the ADD button to add it to the Spellcheck’s dictionary.
When you have completed checking for potential spelling errors, click the CLOSE button to exit and return to the document.
Saving the Document
Now that the research paper has been completed, it is time to save the document. To save the document to your computer’s hard drive or removable disk, follow these steps:
- Click on the File menu and choose Save As from the menu options that appear.
- A window will appear and prompt you to choose a location to save your document. Choose the location you want to save a document to in the Save In popup field.
- In the field File Name, type the name you would like to save the file as.
- In the Save As Type popup menu, select the file format you wish to save the document as, including the OpenDocument Text (.odt) or Microsoft Word (.doc) file format.
- Click the button SAVE to complete the operation.
(NOTE: If you are given a window prompt that warns you about saving the document as a Microsoft Word file, click the YES button. The OpenOffice.org development team has gone to great lengths to help ensure that your document saved in the Word format will open properly with Microsoft Word. However, because the programming code utilized to create the Word file format is proprietary and not available to the OpenOffice.org team to view for ensuring full compatibility with Microsoft Word, not all of your document’s formatting may open up 100% correctly when it is opened using the Microsoft Word application.)
Exporting the Document in the PDF Format
As mentioned in the previous lesson regarding creating a resume, one of the many useful features OpenOffice.org has built-in to the office suite is the ability to export documents as a Portable Document Format (PDF) file. Saving a research paper as a PDF file has a number of possible advantages, including being able to share the document as read-only, making it difficult for others to alter the contents within the paper. Moreover, a research paper saved in the PDF format could be read by anyone who has one of a number of free PDF reader applications, as opposed to saving the document in a format that requires a specific application to read it. Remember, however, OpenOffice.org cannot edit a document that has been saved as a PDF file. Therefore, if you wish to save a document for editing at a later date, save the document in its Native OpenDocument file format.
To save a document as a read-only PDF file, follow these steps:
1. Click on the File menu and choose Export As PDF from the menu options that appear.
2. When the Export As PDF window appears, OpenOffice.org will provide you with some additional options for you to select. Among these options are the page range and image compression quality. If you choose Lossless Compression, the file will be exported in the highest quality possible but the file size will be larger. Sending large file sizes via email, for example, will result in longer receiving and download times. You also have the option to select JPEG compression to decrease the file size and, therefore, reduce the amount of time it takes to upload and download a file. OpenOffice.org allows you to use the popup menu provided to select the compression quality on a scale from 1% to 100%, with 1% being the lowest quality. After you have selected your additional export options, click the EXPORT button.
3. A window will appear and prompt you to choose a location to save your document. Choose the location you want to save a document to in the Save In popup field.
4. In the field File Name, type the name you would like to save the file as.
5. In the File Format popup menu, make sure Portable Document Format (PDF) is selected. Then click the button EXPORT to complete the operation.
Printing the Document
The final step in completing a research paper assignment is to print the document. To print the document within OpenOffice.org Writer, follow these steps:
- With the file open within OpenOffice.org, click on the File menu and select Print from the menu options that appear. You may also hold down the CONTROL (CTRL) key and press P on the keyboard to prompt for the Print window.
- If you have more than one printer that your computer can send print jobs to, select the printer you wish to send the document to in the Printer selection area.
- In the Print Range selection area, use the radio buttons to select which pages you wish to print. If you choose the Pages option, enter the page range you wish to print (example: 1-5 will print pages one through 5; 1,2,5 will print pages one, two and five). If you choose the Selection option, OpenOffice.org will only print the text you have selected (highlighted) within your document.
- In the Copies selection area, enter the number of copies you wish to print of the document.
- If you wish to customize the print job, click on the OPTIONS button and select or deselect the print options you wish to choose. If you do not want to customize any print settings, skip to Step #6.
- Once you have completed specifying your print settings, click the OK button to begin printing.