Fonts
With few exceptions, all textual elements in your document will share the same font--that is, both typeface and size should be consistent. The font typeface refers to the kind of font you are using, like Verdana or Times New Roman, whereas font size refers to how large the font is.
If your reviewer has noted an issue with fonts in your document, they may be referring to either typeface or size--check both to ensure they are consistent with the font used in your body paragraphs in your chapters.
Consistent font can most easily be achieved by using styles within Word.
Contents
- Formatting Requirements
- Troubleshooting
- Clearing formatting
- Showing formatting markup
- Inconsistent font
- Kerning
- Links
Quick Answers
Formatting Requirements
If you are writing a doctoral dissertation or a master’s thesis, ProQuest requests that you embed all fonts when you convert your disquisition to a .pdf file. This is to help ensure the quality of your pdf file. For more information about how to embed fonts, refer to the instructions provided here.
Troubleshooting
Compliance issues--such as font typeface or size being inconsistent--are most easily solved by using consistent styles in Word. If you are having technical issues with fonts, such as fonts appearing differently between Word and the printed PDF, you may have success using one of the methods below.
Clear Formatting
One of the quickest ways to fix formatting issues is to clear all formatting.
- Select the problematic text.
- Home > Clear All Formatting (the eraser icon) or press Ctrl+Spacebar.
Once cleared, you can attempt to reapply the appropriate style. Always check the printed PDF afterwards to ensure the formatting has been applied correctly.
Show/Hide Formatting Marks
Viewing formatting marks can help identify hidden formatting issues.
- Click the paragraph symbol (¶) on the Home tab or press Ctrl+Shift+8.
- Look for unexpected paragraph marks, section breaks, or spaces. Section breaks in particular can affect the way fonts are presented.
Inconsistent Font Problems
Inconsistent font often becomes an issue if styles have not been used in the document.
- Select the affected text.
- Home > Font dropdown to select your desired font.
- To prevent future issues, use styles instead of directly formatting the text.
While colored fonts may be used under certain conditions, all text in the document should generally be black. If you have copied content from elsewhere, be mindful of different colored fonts; grey font is a common side effect of copying from other documents or websites. Use the "Keep Only Text" option when copying text from other locations to strip it of formatting, or select your text and apply the black/automatic font color once you've finished copying text.
Note that selecting all of the text in your document and applying the same font may cause as many issues as it fixes, since pages like the Disquisition Approval page must necessarily use a different font.
Character Spacing Issues
The spacing between words is called kerning. If the kerning in your document does not appear to be correct, causing text to be compressed or stretched, try the following.
- Select the affected text.
- Home > Font dialog box launcher (small arrow in bottom right corner).
- Click the "Advanced" tab.
- Adjust "Spacing" from "Expanded" or "Condensed" back to "Normal".
Resources
-
Walk-ins are welcome at the IDC in the Quentin Burdick Building (QBB), 150 G
-
Your issue may be caused by a recent bug; this page has a list of current issues.
|
Disquisition Site Map |
|
---|---|---|
Preparing to Graduate |
Graduate School Policies • Pre-submission Requirements • Submission Checklist • Guidelines & Templates | |
Formatting Wiki |
General Requirements | Font • Headings • Page Numbers • Line Spacing |
Prefatory Material | Title Page • Disquisition Approval Page • Table of Contents • Prefatory Lists | |
Disquisition Body | Tables, Figures, Schemes, etc. • Bulleted & Numbered Lists • Equations • References / Citations | |
Appendices | Using Appendices • Tables, Figures, Schemes, etc. in Appendices |