S
Seamus
Microsoft Word, as a very effective and usable word processor, lacks one
large ability that I think should be addressed. To follow any certain
academic style for research papers (which includes margins, source notation,
page numbering, cover pages, font size, subject headings, etc..., all in one
bundle) one has to set all these parameters manually. This makes it very
difficult to write a paper since the constant duress of using proper style
and format is hovering over one's mind. It makes the process much longer,
tedious, and stressful than it should ever be. In fact, Microsoft Word seems
to resist certain style rules, such as long footnotes which it tries to
spread across more than one page by default. Even though one can change a
setting to cause Word to keep notes one page, it can still take hours (I am
not exaggerating) to get the footnotes into the style that Turbian demands
since Word continually tries to auto-format what you have done, thereby
undoing what you are really trying to accomplish. Skipping to the point,
word processors do exist that allow for special academic styles, but they are
obscure and expensive. Why should Microsoft not serve this need and corner
this niche? Most students use Word for all their work, why should they have
to turn elsewhere for the really important papers? If Word could accomodate
specific academic styles, even if this was a reasonably priced add-in, it
would meet the real needs of today's students and academians. Please add
this ability to Microsoft Word!
large ability that I think should be addressed. To follow any certain
academic style for research papers (which includes margins, source notation,
page numbering, cover pages, font size, subject headings, etc..., all in one
bundle) one has to set all these parameters manually. This makes it very
difficult to write a paper since the constant duress of using proper style
and format is hovering over one's mind. It makes the process much longer,
tedious, and stressful than it should ever be. In fact, Microsoft Word seems
to resist certain style rules, such as long footnotes which it tries to
spread across more than one page by default. Even though one can change a
setting to cause Word to keep notes one page, it can still take hours (I am
not exaggerating) to get the footnotes into the style that Turbian demands
since Word continually tries to auto-format what you have done, thereby
undoing what you are really trying to accomplish. Skipping to the point,
word processors do exist that allow for special academic styles, but they are
obscure and expensive. Why should Microsoft not serve this need and corner
this niche? Most students use Word for all their work, why should they have
to turn elsewhere for the really important papers? If Word could accomodate
specific academic styles, even if this was a reasonably priced add-in, it
would meet the real needs of today's students and academians. Please add
this ability to Microsoft Word!