Gilbert 1

MLA THESIS FORMATS IN STARSUITE 6.0


  1. We will use an adapted MLA style in the below thesis formats. Adaptations:

      1. Word hyphenation

      2. Italics substitute for underlining

      3. Full-justification (the paragraph body extends evenly to the left and right margins)

      4. Margins (margins are set to fit the thesis book-binding, and are: TOP=2.5cm, BOTTOM=2.5cm, LEFT=4.0cm, RIGHT=2.0cm)



  1. We will use these standard MLA styles in the below thesis formats:

      1. Page numbers at the upper right corner of each page, following the author's last name

      2. Double spacing

      3. Paragraph formatting

      4. Quotation formatting

      5. Heading formats

      6. Notes, Citations, Works Cited, Endnotes, Footnotes, and all other format styles



How to set up StarSuite:



  1. SET UP BASIC PAGE FORMATS

      1. Open the StarWriter program, and open a new document, if necessary.

      2. Format > Page > Left-Click


      3. Click on “Page” Tab

      4. “Page”: Margins: LEFT=4.0cm, RIGHT=2.0cm, TOP=1.25cm, BOTTOM=2.5cm.

      5. (The TOP margin is half of the total (2.5cm) needed. The Header will occupy another 1.25cm of space. See below.)


      6. Click on “Header” Tab

      7. “Header”: CHECK BOX=“Header on”

      8. “Header”: LEFT=0.0cm, Right=0.0cm, Spacing=0.0cm, Height=1.25cm


      9. Click OK to exit dialog box.

      10. In your Document, click in the “Header” box

      11. Click “Right Justify” icon on the toolbar


      12. Type in your last name + one space


      13. Go to: Insert > Fields > Page Numbers > Left-click.



      14. Your header setup is complete.



  1. SET UP YOUR SERIF TYPEFACE, FONT SIZE and DOUBLE-SPACING


      1. Set font to Times New Roman (or other English serif font) Size=12




      2. Set Double-space: MOUSE Right-click > Paragraph > Left-Click


      3. “Indents & Spacing” Tab: Line Spacing > Select “DOUBLE”





        You Are now ready to enter text, such as headings, flush with the left margin.
        To create normal body paragraphs you need to set
        the paragraph indent, automatic hyphenation, and set full justification:



  1. SET UP BODY PARAGRAPH FORMATTING


      1. Set line spacing to double-space: as in 4.c) above

      2. Set first-line indent: Right-click > Paragraph > Left-Click, as in 4.b) above

      3. SET “Indents & Spacing” Tab: FIRST LINE > to 1.27cm


      4. “Text Flow” Tab: Check “Widow Control” and “Orphan Control”


      5. Turn on automatic hyphenation: “Text Flow” Tab: Check “Hyphenation” box


      6. Do not forget to fully justify your paragraph body-text.




SAVE YOUR DOCUMENT!!
You now have a usable template for your thesis.

You can SAVE the document in Microsoft WORD 97/2000/XP form: look carefully at the "Save Options" in the SAVE dialog box. The lower box allows you to save a document in different word-processor formats. Click on the arrow on the right side of the box to open it, then select the format you want to save in.



A STARSUITE 6.0 document (typically saved as "yourfile.swx") CANNOT be opened in Microsoft Word. To open in Microsoft Word, you must SAVE AS a "yourfile.doc" type. Also important: any Microsoft Word document CAN be opened in STARSUITE 6.0. If you have further questions about saving documents, please ask myself or Prof. Ohno. To save a document in more than one format, use the "SAVE AS" feature, on the FILE menu:




Students who need to do homework, research, or thesis writing at home are allowed to install a copy of StarSuite on their home computers. (You may not copy or keep the CD-ROM of StarSuite, but may borrow it and install the software.) Please contact myself or Prof. Ohno.


  1. WRITING YOUR ESSAY:
      1. To create a paragraph use the ENTER key on your keyboard, otherwise NEVER press the ENTER key at the end of a line. New lines are produced automatically by the software. The only exceptions are for creating short lines, such as when quoting poetry. Each new paragraph is indented automatically. A paragraph is removed by clicking just before the first letter in a paragraph, and then pressing the "Backspace" key. To create different types of paragraphs, for instance, double-intented paragraphs for quoted text, you will need to either change the paragraph settings or apply Styles. Online instruction is located in the Help section of the StarSuite software. StarSuite is designed to be used with Style settings, so it may be worth your time to explore how to use more advanced Style functions.

  1. COUNTING THE NUMBER OF WORDS IN YOUR ESSAY

      1. Select: FILE > Properties > Statistics




      2. Essay word counts include only your body text. The title, as well as "Works Cited" and "Appendices" sections, if they exist, must be either absent from the body, or their count subtracted, when doing word counting.




      3. Save Smart:
        Choose a short filename for your thesis draft, and then number each successive draft. This way, if you make a mistake or lose data, you can return to the previous draft. It may help as well to use your last name. Use the "SAVE AS" command (in the File menu) to save a draft you are working on, under a new name. Here are three examples of filename styles:


        a)      kurosawa1.doc         (name and version #)

        b)      kurosawa2.doc

        c)      kurosawa3.doc         (etc.)


        a)      KurosawaThesis1.doc    (name, description and version #)

        b)      KurosawaThesis2.doc

        c)      KurosawaThesis3.doc    (etc.)


        a)       Kurosawa-4-10.doc      (name and date)

        b)      Kurosawa-4-22.doc

        c)      Kurosawa-5-6.doc       (etc.)



        SAMPLE PAPERS in strict MLA style can can be found here (in .PDF Acrobat form):
        http://www.dianahacker.com/resdoc/humanities/sample.html
        http://www.bedfordstmartins.com/hacker/papers.htm


        NOTES:

      4. Templates and Sample Papers:

        http://owl.english.purdue.edu/handouts/research/r_mla.html#additional

      5. How to set up Standard MLA Formats in Microsoft Word:

        http://www2.gasou.edu/facstaff/jwalker/tutorials/mlaword.html


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