Should I Double Space My Essays? The Pros and Cons Explained
One common question many students have when writing college essays is whether they should format them with double or single spacing. Double spacing is when there is two times the standard spacing between each line of text. While single spacing is the standard spacing most commonly seen. As with many formatting choices in writing, there are reasonable arguments on both sides of this issue. Let’s take a deeper look at the pros and cons of double spacing essays to help you decide what is best for your specific assignment.
The Case for Double Spacing Essays
Easier for Readers
Double spacing makes essays much easier for professors and graders to read. With single spacing, lines of text are crowded very close together on the page. This can cause eye strain over many pages and make it difficult to easily find where one paragraph ends and another begins. Double spacing provides much needed white space between lines so the reader’s eyes do not have to work as hard scanning back and forth. It creates a more breathable reading experience.
Room for Comments and Feedback
When professors grade papers, they often like to write comments, questions, and corrections directly on the pages. Double spacing leaves room for this valuable feedback. With single spaced text, there may not be enough room in the margins or between lines for handwritten notes. Leaving double spaced lines allows graders to neatly write their thoughts and suggestions, which can help you better understand how to improve.
Formatting Conventions
Many style guides, like the MLA and APA, recommend double spacing for essays and research papers. Following proper formatting conventions shows your instructor you took the time to learn the standards of academic writing in your field. While single spacing may save paper, it does not align with common writing protocols and could potentially irritate those grading your work. Sticking with double spacing ensures your work will look polished and professional.
The Case Against Double Spacing Essays
Wastes Paper
Obviously, single spacing takes up less paper than double spacing. In an age where saving trees and reducing paper use is important, single spacing allows you to fit more content on each page. This makes your paper shorter and more compact. For longer assignments especially, cutting down on paper helps lessen environmental impact. Professors may appreciate students demonstrating consideration for conservation in this small way.
Saves Time
While the difference may seem small, single spacing does allow you to type content faster than double spacing. You do not need to press the return/enter key as often to advance to a new line, speeding up the writing process marginally. For students on tight deadlines or working on multiple long assignments concurrently, that extra efficiency could mean squeezing in more writing or editing time. It takes less time to single space, freeing up precious minutes that add up over many pages.
Custom Expectations
In some disciplines and classes, instructors may explicitly request single spaced papers instead of double. This could be due to particular style preferences, wanting to limit paper consumption, or other custom pedagogical reasons related to their course. Checking assignment instructions carefully is important. Even if double spacing is recommended by style guides generally, following your professor’s specified formatting shows you carefully read and abided by their outlined expectations.
Electronic Formatting Issues
While double spacing may aid hand-written feedback, in an increasingly paperless academic world it creates unnecessary length in digitally submitted assignments. Many learning management systems automatically space text with a standard single spacing that adequate room for comments within the submission. Forcing double spacing through Word or similar programs can create awkward line breaks and formatting oddities when exported to other systems without maintaining the extra white space. It is usually simplest to stick to single spacing for online submissions.
Deciding on Single or Double Spacing
So in summary—double spacing promotes easier reading, leaves room for feedback, and aligns with common writing conventions but uses more paper and time. Single spacing saves paper and minutes but may not provide the clearest presentation or space needed for annotations. The best approach is usually to carefully consider your specific assignment guidelines or professor’s preferences. In general:
For long papers submitted on paper, double spacing is recommended.
For shorter assignments, single spacing is acceptable if it allows fitting the work on fewer pages.
Always check and honor any customized spacing requests made explicit in assignment details.
For online submissions through systems like Blackboard or Canvas, single space is preferred to avoid digital formatting issues.
Discussing the spacing preference with your instructor before the due date is also wise to verify they have no strong objection to either approach for their class. Following instructions and verifying expectations is key, but double spacing long written work generally provides a cleaner, more reader-friendly appearance and leaves maximum space for feedback. Just be sure to save examples of your work in both single and double spaced format in case you need to modify spacing for any reason. With care and common sense, you can select the most suitable option for each of your writing projects.
In the end, the content and quality of your ideas will always matter far more to evaluators than minor formatting details like line spacing. But presenting written work in a neat, easy-to-digest structure helps reinforce your message. Always thoughtfully consider your reader’s experience and take the time to ensure guidelines are properly followed. That shows respect for their role while allowing your substance to shine through clearly.
Andrew Stroud