Typing Conventions

When word processing documents, there are some conventions it is worthwhile following for clarity of reading:

• There should be no spaces before commas, full stops, exclamation and question marks, colons and semicolons.
• No space should be placed after an opening or before a closing parenthesis.
• Paragraphs may be indented, or blocked (all beginning at the same point on the left) or hanging (the first line of each paragraph beginning at the left-hand margin, with subsequent lines indented).
• A blank line must be left between paragraphs - proportionately more if the lines are double-spaced.
• Open punctuation may be used (as in June 23 1937, BSc, eg ie) or closed punctuation (as in June 23rd 1937, B.Sc., e.g., i.e.). However, the style of punctuation must be consistent throughout each document.
• When non-proportional fonts are used, use the following spacing conventions:
  • One space should be left after a comma, semicolon or colon.
  • Two spaces should be left after a full stop, exclamation mark or question mark.

Evaluation
After you have completed your word processing task, it is worthwhile looking at it to evaluate its clarity and how easy it is to read and how attractive it appears. It is also worthwhile listening to the feedback from others (colleagues, students etc.) to ensure you are getting your message across.

Contents: Word Processing

Skill Check: Word Processing