Formatting your written assignments correctly is an important part of submitting polished work. One common formatting requirement for essays and papers is double spacing. Double spacing provides more white space between lines of text, making it easier for readers to view and understand. It also leaves room for handwritten notes and comments. Though a simple adjustment, ensuring your document is properly double spaced takes some care. Let’s explore the steps to make sure your essay has the correct double spaced formatting.
First, it’s important to understand what qualifies as double spaced. Double spacing means leaving two blank lines, or the equivalent of two blank lines of text, between each line of your essay. The spacing between lines of text should be twice the single spacing. In a standard font like Times New Roman size 12, single spacing has a uniform height of spacing equivalent to 12 points. Double spacing should then have 24 points of spacing between each line.
Whether you are writing your essay in a word processing program like Microsoft Word or Google Docs, or in a basic text editor, the process to set your document to double spacing is similar. The key is adjusting the line spacing or paragraph spacing option in your chosen writing software. Let’s go through how to do this in some common programs:
In Microsoft Word:
Open your Word document and ensure your cursor is not currently selecting any text.
Go to the Home tab at the top of the screen and locate the Paragraph section.
Click the small arrow next to Line Spacing to expand the drop-down menu.
Select Double from the line spacing options.
You may also select “Double” from the Line Spacing drop-down in the Paragraph section to apply it to the entire document at once.
In Google Docs:
Open your Google Doc and ensure no text is selected.
Click the three dot menu in the top right of the toolbar and select Line spacing.
Select Double from the line spacing options.
You can also go to Format > Line spacing > Double to apply it document-wide.
In a basic text editor:
Open your document in a plain text editor like Notepad on Windows or TextEdit on Mac.
Press Ctrl + A to select all of the text.
While holding shift, press the enter key twice to create empty lines between each line of text. This manually sets double spacing.
It’s important to test that your line spacing looks correct after making these adjustments. Check that there are uniformly two lines of space between paragraphs and lines of text. You can also measure the spacing height between lines using a ruler to ensure it equals about 24pt as is standard for double spacing.
A neat trick is that you can set different spacing options for different parts of an essay independently. For example, you may want 1.5 spacing for block quotes and double spacing for the main body text. Word and Google Docs allow setting line spacing format at a paragraph level.
Additionally, be aware of default paragraph spacing settings when starting a new document. Some templates may initialize as 1.5 spacing by default. Always check spacing looks right after creating or opening a file before writing your essay content.
Always remember to save your changes after confirming the document is properly formatted in double spacing. Now you’re ready to start adding and composing your essay with the correct spacing between lines for easy reading and evaluation by your professor or grader.
One final formatting check is important before submitting assignments. Print a draft copy of your essay in the same formatting it will be turned in, such as PDF. Review the hard copy to verify spacing still appears correctly adjusted when transformed to a static digital or paper file. You want to avoid awkward formatting issues getting in the way of evaluation of your actual writing and ideas.
With care adjusting line and paragraph spacing options as outlined above, you can ensure any written assignment is professionally presented meeting standard double spaced formatting requirements. Taking the few extra minutes to check spacing will leave a polished impression on readers and give your ideas room to shine through clearly on the page. Now you’re equipped to format future essays correctly in double spacing.