Hi all,

I'm sitting here, writing up my dissertation, and I realise that I've got next to no idea how to correctly do some things...
Currently, I have two questions:
1) When should I indent a paragraph?
2) When should paragraphs have space between them? (The difference between using shift+return and using just return)

Thanks very much,

Ben

Indent when a paragraph is hand written. Don't when using a word processor.

Spaces should be between all paragraphs when word processed and not when hand written.

HTH

I agree with CC.

I was always taught that indents and spaces do not go together. Use one or the other.

I didn't know about the hand writing vs word processing rule though

Cool, thanks guys

Did you never learn this in English? I remember covering it in Year 7, along with other basic skills such as letter writing and essays.

When it comes to State schools, YMMV.

Looking through some of my research papers, the format seems to be that all paragraphs are indented by three or four spaces and there are no blank lines between paragraphs. Different sections are separated by a couple of blank lines and section titles are centred with a blank line before and after. However, some papers don't bother with indentation.

How do you get to your dissertation without knowing this already?

Mark

It also depends on what you are writing. Generally, I agree with CC. But companies, for example, often have specific definitions, such as double line spacing or a specific number of points between paragraphs, numbering styles, fonts, page numbering, indents, page margins etc.

I've worked for companies with positive and negative indents on paragraphs and some with block paragraphs, others with left justified... If you are writing your dissertation, you should probably check that your Uni doesn't have its own preferred style. It would be a shame to have it rejected or marked down, because you didn't use the Uni style guide...

Edit: For manuscripts and for people who have to make lots of notes, double line spacing used to be preferred, the lines didn't run together, when you were reading hundreds of pages a day and you also have space to scribble notes and corrections...

As others have said - indent for written, new-lined for typed. Or just go with whatever LaTeX gives you. (8-D)

You shouldn't need to put an extra line between paragraphs if you set the WP up properly and tell it to add extra space before or and after each para.

I'll be doing my dissertation this year. The course is in I.T and Business and as such doesn't really have a lot to do with the correct formatting of paragraphs.

So you haven't written any other essays during your time on the course?

Mark

I've never been taught how to write an essay, or a letter for that matter...Just sort of told to get on with it and you'll get it one day....First class teaching in Wiltshire don't ya know


In a WP you set it up so when you hit return you create a new paragraph. But if you press shift+return, you don't get any white space...What's that for?


That's pretty much what I'm going with, it just threw me as I don't usually indent, but in the article class, I've got to suppress indentation, whereas in the report class it doesn't seem to indent by default.



I haven't on my course. I've done "write-ups", which have been essay-like, but not what I would call full blown essays...Then again, I'm not sure I'd know an essay if it hit me in the face!

Yes, but I've always used templates which do everything for you... except write the content, obviously