Word Processing & Microsoft 365

…quick tips to using school technology to create professional quality academic papers and reports

by Earliana McLaurin

Earliana McLaurin

Instructional Technology Specialist

• Technology Training
• Helps Teachers Use Technology
• Technology Use Updates
• Evaluates New Technology

How will this workshop help me?

This workshop will help you learn about creating college quality academic documents. Don’t reduce the quality of your learning due to formatting and organization issues!

Using Microsoft 365

Access to Word Processing Software

Word Processing refers to the act of using a computer to create, edit, save and print documents. In order to perform word processing, specialized software is needed. Luckily, Morton offers every student access to the FULL Microsoft Suite for free! This includes:

Access to Word Processing Software

1. Go to www.microsoft365.com
2. Log in with your Morton Email and Password (If you do not know this information, please contact the Morton Helpdesk for assistance in resetting your password. You MUST have this information to get access!).

Access to Word Processing Software

Install the following apps (if they are not already on your device!):

• Once logged into microsoft365.com, click INSTALL APPS

Creating Documents in Word Online

Once logged in to Office 365, create and organize documents in one step by going to ONE DRIVE first!

1. Once logged into Microsoft 365,click on the dots at the top left
2. Click ONE DRIVE
3. Click ADD NEW
4. Select the type of document you’d like to create
5. Start creating!

Saving Documents to OneDrive (Cloud Computing)

Files are AUTOMATICALLY saved every 3-4 seconds!

Formatting Professional Papers

“Why do teachers want my typed work to look a certain way?”

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Unless otherwise stated by your professor, all typed assignments at Morton College should use the MLA writing style!

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Formatting: The First 5!

Unless otherwise stated by your professor, every typed assignment you turn in at Morton College should use the MLA writing style. In the upper left-hand corner of the first page:

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1. Your First and Last Name
2. Instructor's First and Last Name (Don’t forget to use “Dr.” if they have a PhD)
3. Course Name and Number
4. Date
5. Title (Do not underline, italicize, or place your title in quotation marks. Write the title in Title Case (standard capitalization), not all capital letters.)

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Formatting: General Guidelines

Unless otherwise stated by your professor, every typed assignment you turn in at Morton College should use the MLA writing style:

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• Double-space entire document
• Use a legible font (e.g. Times New Roman).The font size should be 12 pt.
• Leave only one space after periods or other punctuation marks (unless otherwise prompted by your instructor).
• Indent the first line of each paragraph one half-inch from the left margin. Use the “Tab” key as opposed to pushing the space bar five times!!!
• In the header, number all pages with your last name, followed by a space with a page number, all aligned to the right (Note: Your instructor may ask that you omit the number on your first page. Always follow your instructor's guidelines.)

Formatting: General Guidelines

How to Add Page Numbers in Word (MLA Style)

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1. Go to INSERT
2. Click Page Numbers
3. Click the image with the number in the upper right corner
4. Click into the Header and type your last name (Word will automatically add numbers)
5. Click OPTIONS
6. Select “Different first page”
7. Delete your last name!
8. On the “Other pages” tab, your last name should stil be present.
9. Click outside of the header. Now per MLA guidelines, properly formatted page numbers will appear on every page except the first one!

Citing Sources

Citing Sources: Work Cited Page

All academic work that utilizes sources outside of the student’s original thoughts, should be properly cited at the end of every academic assignment. An MLA formatted Works Cited page should page should look like this:

Citing Sources: Formatting Your Work Cited Page

Basic Guidelines

• “Works Cited” should be capitalized and centered
• Sources listed in alphabetical order by Author LAST NAME
• A “source” can be a book, online article, video, image, or set of data!
• Put “Accessed on” for all online resources—especially ones that do not have a publication date!
• See the Purdue Online Writing Lab (OWL) for more guidelines!

Citing Sources: Guidelines and Online Tools

Works Cited

MLA general format . General Format - Purdue OWL® - Purdue University. (n.d.). https://owl.purdue.edu/owl/research_and_citation/mla_style/mla_formatting_and_style_guide/mla_general_format.html

Rodrigo, Alexis. unformatted-report. 11 Nov. 2019. How to Quickly Format Basic Text Styles in Microsoft Word Documents, https://business.tutsplus.com/tutorials/quickly-format-basic-text-styles-microsoft-word--cms-34133. Accessed 1 Dec. 2023.

Word Processing. Essential Computer Skills. (n.d.). https://w.sunybroome.edu/basic-computer-skills/functions/word_processing/1word_processing.html#:~:text=Word%20Processing%20refers%20to%20the,applications%20are%20also%20widely%20used.

Image: https://business.tutsplus.com/tutorials/quickly-format-basic-text-styles-microsoft-word--cms-34133

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