Build up a personal list of hintsMore effective word processing
Everyone uses a word-processing program, the commonest being Microsoft Word. However, a number of scientists, particularly those from disciplines such as mathematics and physical sciences, use other programs. An example is LaTeX, which provides excellent typesetting functions for formulae. Often, word-processing programs provide useful and labour-saving functions of which their users are unaware.
Build up a personal list of hints
The tips in this section will get you started. You will undoubtedly discover many more from colleagues, articles in computer magazines and manuals, and online. Books such as the Idiot’s Guide and … for Dummies series are also informative and user-friendly.
Get to know your own program
A little time spent practising and experimenting will pay long-term dividends, by making your writing more efficient and freeing you to concentrate on other tasks. Here are a few ideas with reference to Microsoft Word (2013 version) used on a PC.
Use AutoCorrect or AutoText to finish complicated words or phrases
If you program AutoCorrect, Microsoft Word can automatically complete the word or phrase after you type a few characters unique to that chosen word. For example, every time you type ‘fluv …’ it can finish the word as ‘fluvoxamine’. Similarly, if you insert a word or phrase into the Quick Part Gallery (as AutoText or saved to Quick Part Gallery), then pressing [F3] after the first few letters will finish the full word or phrase.
Use pre-programmed keyboard shortcuts to perform functions or insert special characters
There are many pre-programmed keyboard shortcuts to perform functions quickly, or insert special characters that are not available on the keyboard. For instance, entering [CTRL+C] will copy a selected block of text, and [CTRL+V] will paste that block. With a separate numeric keypad, entering [CTRL+numeric keypad minus sign (-)] will insert an ‘en dash’ (–), the ‘extended hyphen’ that should be used to denote a range between two numbers (e.g. 11–20). Microsoft’s website provides a comprehensive list of preprogrammed keyboard shortcuts for a wide range of functions.
To insert a symbol you often use, consider assigning a simple keyboard shortcut or programming AutoCorrect
Microsoft Word provides a huge range of symbols that can be inserted by navigating to the ‘Symbol’ group, scrolling to the appropriate symbol and inserting it. This is time consuming but the keyboard shortcuts provided for each symbol can be just as complicated, if indeed you can remember them. For instance, to insert ‘β’ you will find that the Symbol facility offers the keyboard shortcut [03b2 followed by ALT+X]. If you intend using this symbol frequently, however, within the Symbol facility you can change this keyboard shortcut to something much simpler. For instance, you could opt for [ALT+SHIFT+B], or program AutoCorrect to insert ‘β’ whenever you type ‘beta’.
For more complex tasks consider creating a macro
A macro is a series of commands that you would normally perform one after the other but instead program Microsoft Word to perform all commands automatically. After creating the macro, the sequence can be assigned to a keyboard shortcut or by inserting a dedicated icon on the Quick Access Toolbar. Macros are useful to speed up routine editing and formatting, particularly if you cannot remember the sequence or particular menu items you need to select. For instance, if you commonly change the paragraph formatting of paragraph and text to [spacing before paragraph = 0 pt, spacing after paragraph = 6 pt and multiple line spacing = 1.15], all these settings can be programmed into a macro, to be run by a single keyboard shortcut.
Use the right spell checker
If you are writing for a US publication, use the US English spell checker. Use the UK English spell checker for a UK publication. In UK English, some words can have more than one correct spelling, such as ‘randomise’ or ‘randomize’. In such instances, be consistent, and adjust your spell-checker dictionary accordingly.
Customise your dictionary
When you use a technical word that your spell checker does not recognise, you can add it to your dictionary. That way, it will recognise the word in the future. However, be careful to avoid having in your customised dictionary words, acronyms or abbreviations spelt in different ways or with inconsistent capitalisation. If you have ‘told’ your dictionary that multiple spellings and ways of capitalising words are ‘correct’, such inconsistencies will remain in your document after a spelling and grammar check!
Use your grammar checker selectively
Grammar checkers are useful under some circumstances. For example, you may find it helpful to assess the readability of your writing and percentage of active versus passive voice using the Readability Statistics function. However, grammar checkers are no substitute for careful reading by a native speaker. They do not pick up all mistakes, and sometimes indicate a mistake where none exists. It can take a frustratingly long time to check a long document.
Customise your tool bars
You can customise your tool bars (Quick Access Toolbar and the Ribbon in Microsoft Word 2007–2013) so that functions you use frequently can be accessed quickly and easily.
Get to know the tables function
The tables function can save you hours of time. Not only can you format tables in a wide range of styles, you can also use tables as mini-spreadsheets. Check the journal’s Instructions to Authors regarding the formatting of tables.
Get a fresh view
Changing the way in which you view your document may help you to write more effectively. For example, even if you are writing a manuscript that must be double-spaced, you may prefer to work on it single-spaced, so that you can see more of the text. Double spacing can then be specified at a late stage, when you are happy with the rest of the document. When polishing your document, viewing it in whole-page mode (also known as Print Layout) will enable you to detect problems such as headings that appear on the last line of the page, with their associated text on the next page.
Use Comments to write notes to yourself
When writing any draft, you may want to insert notes and queries (as Comments) to remind you to address certain issues later. If you do use Track Changes and/or leave Comments, remember that you may not want others to see this editing history if you share electronic copies or print off the document. Therefore, accept or reject changes and delete Comments for electronic sharing, or print the document after selecting No Markup. The same applies to submitting a manuscript to a journal.
Apply a style to headings … cautiously
You can automatically apply a built-in style to headings, subheadings, sub-subheadings and so on. This is particularly useful in long documents with many headings, such as a thesis. However, be aware that some journals like you to put in as little formatting as possible. This is because there may be an incompatibility between your word-processing program and their publishing software. Check the Instructions to Authors to see whether headings should be underlined, emboldened or otherwise distinguished.
Generate contents lists automatically
An advantage of applying built-in styles to headings and subheadings is that you can quickly generate a table of contents, which is formatted to show section and sub-section titles – again, a useful feature in long and complicated documents.
Use templates for standard documents wherever possible
Some journals supply templates for papers (also available in reference-management software).
Be your own desktop publisher
For documents that are not going to be formatted by a journal, but simply distributed or printed in your institution or office (for example, a thesis, report or manual) use the many desktop-publishing features of the program. This will enable you to produce smart-looking documents without having to go to the trouble of learning to use a specialist desktop-publishing program. Microsoft Word provides a range of standard formats for reports, letters, theses and newsletters. Note that universities will have their own requirements for formatting theses, and usually a very simple layout is specified (e.g. no columns, or a specific line spacing). Do not make your thesis layout unnecessarily complicated.