Double spacing is a crucial aspect of many academic writing assignments, particularly when submitting essays, research papers or dissertations. This formatting technique has been widely accepted as a standard for academic writing, particularly in higher education, and should be adhered to by students and professionals alike. In this article, we’ll cover how to set double spacing in various programs, including Microsoft Word and Google Docs.

What is Double Spacing?

Double spacing is the process of adding a blank line between each line of text, providing additional space between paragraphs and making it easier to read the content. This ensures better readability and makes it easier to indent subsequent paragraphs, which makes the overall text appear more polished, and gives it a professional look.

Applying Double Spacing in Microsoft Word

Microsoft Word has been around for decades and is widely used as the standard for writing documents, particularly for academic purposes. To enable double spacing in Word, first open the document you want to format. Select the text you want to double space by highlighting it with your cursor. Next, click the Line and Paragraph Spacing option, located in the Home tab near the top of the screen. From the drop-down menu, select the desired spacing option, either “Double” or “2.0”. This will double space the selected text.

Alternatively, if you want to double space all of the text in the document, go to the “Home” tab, click “Select” and choose “Select All.” Then, navigate back to the “Line and Paragraph” spacing option and select “Double.”

When working with footnote and endnote references, it is necessary to apply double spacing only to the body text and not to the notes themselves. To achieve this, click the “Line and Paragraph Spacing” option and select “Line Spacing Options”. In the “Line Spacing tab,” under “Spacing,” choose “Multiple” and set the value to “2.0”; for the “Before” and “After” values, set to “0”. This will apply double spacing to the body text only.

How to Apply Double Spacing in Google Docs

If you want to use Google Docs instead of Microsoft Word, don’t worry, double spacing is also easy to apply. To get started, open the Google Docs file you want to format, highlight the text you want to double space, and click on the “Line spacing” option in the toolbar at the top of the screen. Choose “Double” from the drop-down menu that appears.

You can also double space the entire document by clicking on the “Line spacing” drop-down menu in the toolbar, then click “Double.” This will double space the entire document with just one click.

If you prefer hotkeys to save time, hitting the “Ctrl+2” keys simultaneously will double space the selected text or document.

Why is Double Spacing Important?

Double spacing is an essential component of academic writing in a variety of ways. First and foremost, it improves readability by instituting a clear differentiation between paragraphs. It is also an effective way of ensuring that there is sufficient space for comments to be added between lines, such as notes from professors or peers.

Double spacing also creates more space for proofreading, which is crucial in ensuring the writing is of high quality and free from errors. Double spacing also makes it easier for readers to take notes, which can be beneficial for students who are studying for exams. Moreover, numerous academic institutions have specific guidelines on formatting, including the use of double spacing, and adhering to these guidelines is essential to score high in coursework.

Conclusion

Double spacing is an essential formatting technique for academic writing, and it is relatively easy to apply in any word processing software. By following the steps outlined above, you too can learn how to set double spacing in Microsoft Word and Google Docs quickly and efficiently. So, the next time you’re submitting a paper, essay, or thesis, don’t forget to use double spacing to improve your readability and ensure you’re adhering to the academic formatting guidelines.

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