Microsoft Word is, without a doubt, one of the best programs for writing texts. We are talking about all kinds of documents of this nature, short, long, literary, scientific and even with illustrations.
However, each of these classes have a particular structure and mode that characterizes them. Especially, academic texts must meet certain standards to be considered as such.
One of them is that they have to include a cover at the beginning of the document. Luckily we can do this and all other requirements with a single software. If you want to learn more about how to create cover pages in Microsoft Word, Do not miss this article.
What is a document cover and what is it used for in Microsoft Word?
Long texts such as academic or scientific ones they need an order in their content. To do this, they use chapters, volumes, indexes, etc. In addition to them, they must include a cover page on each document. Is is a page that is placed at the beginning of a texteven before the index.
It serves as first impression and beginning of introduction to the content. It is worth mentioning that of her will largely depend on the desire to continue reading.
How should a cover page be created in a document written according to APA Standards?
As we mentioned at the beginning, there are some regulations when writing a professional, academic or scientific text. In the international arena, the APA Standards are usually taken as a drafting standard.
Its initials mean American Psychological Association. Since its creation is attributed to this institution. The same They establish by agreement norms for all types of text documents of research or scientific promulgation. The purpose of these rules is homogenize the structures in extensive bodies, so that it can be indexed and studied anywhere in the world of orderly and systematic way.
One of them states that The document must have a cover. In turn, it must contain these elements:
- A title, is the name of the work carried out, whether it is a thesis, research or an informative essay. he himself must summarize the concept of the text in such a way that the reader can identify the content at a glance.
- You must of course include the personal data of the creator. We refer to the name and institutional affiliations. As a recommendation you should take this form “First Name, Middle Initials and Last Name”. Refering to membership in institutions, is the academic establishment that contributed to the study. In the event that there is none, place the city of residence instead.
- You must not forget the year of publication. It is located at the bottom of the sheet and states the date the job was completed.
- Page number. It is located in the upper right corner of the cover, as it is an odd page. It must have a different nomenclature than the content pages. For example, the front cover (I), back cover (II), author’s notes (III), acknowledgments (IV), index (V) and from the page of the first chapter cardinal numbers (1, 2, 3, etc.) .
- An element that some people omit, but that according to the rules must appear, is the . It contains, like the title, the name of the work. But, if the latter is very extensive, a short version. In such a way that it has a considerable separation with the page number.
Steps to make a cover in Microsoft Word for your most important documents
Now that we know the elements that should compose our cover, it’s time to bring them to the screen. We want to emphasize that, to carry out this process, you will not need any additional software.
Just follow these steps to create your cover with Microsoft Word:
- Start Microsoft Word.
- On the main screen, press the button “To create” that appears in the side panel.
- Then do the same in “Blank document”.
- Once this is done, the first thing you should do is make sure that the size of the sheet is “Letter” (according to APA 2019 standards). To do this, go to the tab “Provision”in the section “Set up page” click on “Size” and choose “Letter” either “Letter” measurements should be 8.5″ wide by 11″ tall.
- First, we will place the title of our work. (You must take into account that all the elements, with the exception of the header and page number, must be centered on the sheet). To achieve this, in the tab “Start”press the corresponding button, within the section “Paragraph”.
- It is also important that this and all the text is written with font Times New Roman. Do this in section “Font”. In addition to this, the title should be bold and 2 points above the size of the rest (14 is recommended).
- Type the name of the job 3 or 4 lines below the beginning. This may vary depending on its extension.
- Once the title is defined, we have to place the header. To do this, we will go to the menu “Insert”. Then we will press “Header”.
- Choose the first option “In white”.
- Then write a Short version of the title.
- Following this, we will configure the page number. Remember that they must be different from those of content. In the example we use roman numerals at first.
- Press the space bar or the key “Tab” until the cursor is located at the far right of the header.
- Once there choose the button “Page number”.
- In the dropdown, choose “Actual position” Y “Raw Number”. Then, change the shape within this same window, but choosing “Page Number Format”. You should return to this window when you start to number the content ones.
- press “Close header and footer”.
- place the cursor in the end of the title.
- press several times “Enter” until you reach the bottom of the sheet.
- disable “Bold font” and reduces the size of the text by 2 points (in the example it remains at 12).
- write the authors’ names in the way that we indicated at the beginning. Keep in mind that, if there are several, should be ordered by importance downward collaboration.
- Underneath, place the academic membership in ascending order. That is, and as appropriate, the area, the faculty and the University.
- At the end write the year of publication or completion.
Tips to create the covers of your documents and make them look more attractive
if we talk about less complex documents than an academic text, the elements and additions that we can make become more flexible. In the case of a commercial project folder, a planning proposal and even a practical school project we can play a little with creativity.
Here are some tips to make your cover stand out:
Don’t stay in black and white
Word offers a great color palette applicable to a variety of items. Change the tone of the sheet, headers and body text. Always keep in mind that the contrast between these should be the largest possible. In this way you will earn impact without sacrificing readability.
If the color combination is not your thing, can you help from internet sites They offer palettes of all kinds.
Use other fonts
If you can’t find a font that meets your needs, search the web for other free download fonts, even a pack of them. Use different types for titles and body text. But do not vary within them. This will give you an identity own to your cover.
Use WordArt
You may think that this tool may be a bit overkill. But the truth is with the latest versions of Office, the options are more than useful. In addition to having a greater variety than its predecessors, can be customized to a greater degree it’s components. Try a few of them and then tell us what you think.
An image says more than a thousand words
We live in a visual world, if you want to stand out from others or just enrich the cover, you must not forget the images. You can use a great illustration in background to help you set the scene for work. Also, if it’s a book, use some of the cover art within this first page.
Pictures within pictures
One resource that you should try are the boxes. frame the headers, titles or any element you want. This will make what they contain stand out. You can use the shadow tool or even the “insert a shape”.
List of Best Creative Cover Templates You Should Know
Another of the easiest ways to create a cover (apart from this post), is use a template. These are pre-built elements that can be applied to various themes, edited and customized at the same time. You will find some variety within the menu “Insert Cover”within the same Word.
In the event that they are not enough or do not meet your expectations, we recommend the following:
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