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Chicago Manual of Style Formatting Guide for Microsoft Word: Spacing

This guide provides a step by step overview of how to set up documents for Chicago style in Microsoft Word. The guide also reviews the tools available in Microsoft Word and how they might be useful in a student's paper.

How to Double Space a Paper in Microsoft Word

The Chicago Manual of Style indicates that papers should be double spaced. These instructions will show you how to change the line spacing in Microsoft Word.

To change the line spacing before writing a paper:

1. Navigate to the Home tab.

 

2. Locate the “Paragraph” section. 

 

3. Click on the small arrow next to the lines with the up and down arrows. Select 2.0 for double spacing. Also, remove the spacing after paragraphs. 

To change the line spacing after writing a paper:

1. Select all of the text within the paper. HINT: Holding down both the Ctrl key and the A key will select all of the text.

 

2. Proceed with the directions for changing the line spacing (found in the section above).

© 2017 by Lindsay Blanken & Jess Cornn