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Documents: Formatting for Reports

Documents: Formatting for Reports

When writing professional or academic reports, both Microsoft Word and Google Docs contain helpful tools and features. From using styles to create a table of contents to correctly aligning images, the following pages will show you how to create attractive documents that are accessible to all.

This course will cover formatting reports in both the desktop version of Microsoft Word and Google Docs. While most of these features are available in both programs, there are slight variations in interface and terminology. These differences will be described as necessary throughout the course.

This course won Best of Category: Instructional Materials in the 2021 ACM SIGUCCS Communication Awards.

Learning Objectives

Work with styles
Place an image in a document
Link elements from other programs (Excel or Sheets)
Align text
Create and modify a list
Create a table of contents
Use page and section breaks
Add page numbers
Insert footnotes
Create a list of figures (Word only)

Prerequisite Skills

Open and save files
Switch between windows
Add and delete text in a document

Expand Course Available

View course in Expand

Important note for participants not affiliated with IU

This course contains training material only.
Participants who are not affiliated with Indiana University will need your own access to installed and licensed software, according to the training topic. This will allow you to follow along and participate in the hands-on exercises.
If you do not have access to the needed software, you can still enroll in the online course and read the course content.

More information about this course

This online course is free to everyone and available for enrollment through IU Expand.

This course consists of a series of short lessons, examples, demonstrations, practice quizzes, and hands-on exercises.

To complete the course content, you will need:

a web browser and internet access to use the course material on IU Expand.
a copy of the software relevant to the training installed on your computer.

Documents: Formatting for Reports Contents

Expand the accordion folds to see a detailed description of the content.

Explore the contents of Documents: Formatting for Reports:

Documents: Formatting for Reports Google Docs modules

Documents: Formatting for Reports Word modules

Documents: Formatting for Reports Google Docs modules

Introduction to the course and goals.

See the full content for Introducing advanced formatting for reports.

Introduction to inclusive design considerations.

See the full content for Considering inclusive design.

Apply and modify styles throughout the document.

See the full content for Working with styles.

Learn how to insert inclusive images into your document.

See the full content for Working with images.

Explore how to link and embed a chart from another program.

See the full content for Linking to external data.

See how to adjust spacing and indent text.

See the full content for Aligning text.

See how to utilize numbered and bulleted lists.

See the full content for Working with lists.

Explore how to use the heading styles to create and update a table of contents.

See the full content for Creating a table of contents.

Explore how to use page and section breaks to format a document.

See the full content for Inserting breaks.

See how to add and format page numbers across different document sections.

See the full content for Adding page numbers.

See how to insert footnotes in Google Docs.

See the full content for Inserting footnotes.

Back to Documents: Formatting for Reports Contents

Documents: Formatting for Reports Word modules

Introduction to the course and goals.

See the full content for Introducing advanced formatting for reports.

Introduction to inclusive design considerations.

See the full content for Considering inclusive design.

Apply and modify styles throughout the document.

See the full content for Working with styles.

Learn how to insert inclusive images into your document.

See the full content for Working with images.

Explore how to link and embed a chart from another program.

See the full content for Linking to external data.

See how to adjust spacing and indent text.

See the full content for Aligning text.

See how to utilize numbered and bulleted lists.

See the full content for Working with lists.

Explore how to use the heading styles to create and update a table of contents.

See the full content for Creating a table of contents.

Explore how to use page and section breaks to format a document.

See the full content for Inserting breaks.

See how to add and format page numbers across different document sections.

See the full content for Adding page numbers.

See how to insert footnotes in Microsoft Word.

See the full content for Inserting footnotes.

Explore how to caption images and create a list of figures in Microsoft Word.

See the full content for Creating a list of figures.

Back to Documents: Formatting for Reports Contents

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