How To Fix Common ETDR Word Problems

Computer Configuration

• First, set these Microsoft Word configurations to use with the K-State ETDR template provided at https://www.k-state.edu/grad/etdr.  Some settings are part of the Word template that you'll be using but not all.  These settings will make it easier to identify and fix problems.
• Enable the Word Navigation Pane
  • Used to navigate through a long document by providing a visual menu of your document.  In Word go to the View > Show > and then select the Navigation Pane check box.
• Enable Display Field Shading
  • This shows the parts of the template you should not edit by shading them gray. In Word go to File > Options (or Word > Preferences on Mac). Then Advanced > look for the option: Show document content - Field shading.  Set this to Always.
• Launch the Word Styles Pane
  • This shows you the Styles for Chapter Headings 1-5 and Appendix headings 6-9 so you can easily apply them to your section titles.  Enable this on the Word Home bar.  In the Styles group, there is a small button to open the Styles pane. Click that to launch it and move it to a desired location on your screen.
• Toggle the Show/Hide Formatting icon
  • This allows you to see the formatting details such as blank lines, page breaks and section breaks, etc. This is helpful to ensure you keep all the required section breaks and can adjust formatting as needed to control your layout.
     

Page Numbers

Problem: Page numbers are not in the proper format.

• There needs to be a Section break between the Abstract section and the Table of Contents.  This defines that it should go from no page numbers to showing lower case Roman numerals.
  • If there is not one, Insert a Section Break (Next Page type) before the Table of Contents
  • There also needs to be one before the start of Chapter 1 to define the page number changes from Roman numerals to standard Aarbic numbers starting at 1.  
• Once the Section Breaks are in place, you can enable the page numbering.  This step is not necessary if a number is already present.
  • Double click in the footer section at the bottom of the Table of Contents page and also the first page of Chapter 1 to open the page number editing options.  On the Word bar on the left use the Page Number button to insert the page number.
    Use the Page Number button then Format Page Numbers to set lower case Roman or Arabic number format and Page numbering starts at 1.
  • You can then close the Header/Footer toolbar
  • Summary:
    • Title page through Abstract – pages are counted, but numbers are not displayed.
    • Table of Contents through Dedication – Page number formatting set to lower case Roman numerals and set to continue from previous section.
    • Chapter 1 to end – set to regular Arabic numbers and to start from 1.
       

Table of Contents 

Problem: Chapter headings and subheadings do not appear in the Table of Contents, or items are appearing that should not be in the Table of Contents.

• To display in the Table of Contents the template Word styles of Headings 1-5 must be applied to your section titles.
  • Put your cursor on the line of your heading text
  • Go to the Word Styles Pane and choose Heading 1 for Chapters and Headings 2-5 for section titles. Heading styles 6-9 are reserved for use in appendices.
  • Click the style you want and your text title formatting will be updated to the heading style
  • Go up to your Table of Contents and do the Update Field process to update your table and see your new addition(s).
  • Summary:
    • Chapter headings use Heading 1.
    • Section subheadings use Heading 2 - 5
    • Appendix titles use Heading 6
    • Appendix subheadings use Heading 7-9
    • Paragraphs use Body text. Note use the provide style and do not modify unless explicitly needed.
    • Captions use Caption
    • To change the style of any text, select that text in the document, then click the desired style from the Styles Pane.
       

Table and Figure Captions

Problem: Captions do not appear in the List of Figures or List of Tables.

You must use the proper captioning process to ensure they appear in the lists.

• To caption a figure or table make sure the item is selected with box around it to ensure you are connecting your caption to that item.
• On the Word menu choose References > Insert Caption or right click (2 finger click on Mac) and select Insert Caption
• In the Caption box, select the desired label, Figure or Table.
• Make sure you have it set to the proper formatting which includes the chapter number in the caption
  • Click Numbering and check the Include chapter number box.
  • For separator, select the period (.) option.
  • Chapter Starts with style must be set to Heading 1.
• Do not type you caption text in the Caption box.  Ensure it is the proper label, chapter and item number such as Figure 1.3 or Table 2.4 and then click OK
• Once that label is added, type another period (.) and then 2 spaces and the type your caption text.
• Then ensure you update the List of Tables/Figures.
  • Right click in the list, chose Update Field, then the option Update entire field, then click OK and your new captions should show up.
     

Create a Landscape Page With Correct Page Numbering

Problem: You have a table or image that should be landscape instead of portrait to display well. You must use Section breaks to isolate the page and set only that page to be landscape.

• Insert a Section Break (Next Page type) at the first and last of the page(s) of the document to be in landscape orientation
• Use Layout > Breaks > Section Breaks (Next Page)
• To make the page landscape, go to the Word menu Layout > Orientation > Landscape
• You must also adjust the page numbers to ensure they keep the proper flow
  • Double-click in the footer section at the bottom of the page to open the page number editing options. On the Word bar on the left, click the Page Number button then Format Page Numbers and select Continue from Previous Sections
     

Adding Image or Tables - General Guidelines

• Don’t copy/paste images. Instead use Word Insert > Picture > Picture from file.
• Use .jpg or .png. Only use .tif if very high resolution is needed.
• Make sure text is not wrapping around the image. They should always be in their own space. If it is wrapping:
  • Click on the image to select it
  • Use the Word Layout menu then Wrap Text > Inline
• Format any data tables in Excel and then copy and paste into Word or use new tables in Word using the Insert > Table building tool
• To select a table for adding a caption or to resize the whole table, hover your cursor over the table and then select the small 4-way arrow icon that appears at the upper left hand corner of the table
   

How Big can an ETDR File be to Import into K-REx and ProQuest? 

• The file size can be up to 10 GB

Resources

ETDR website
https://www.k-state.edu/grad/etdr/
ETDR Handbook, download templates, tips for working with the template, deadlines, etc.

Tips.net
https://wordribbon.tips.net/index.html
Search this site for help with solving tough Word problems.