Specific Styles Question (re. Academic Writing)

[jbutle04]

Version: 2008
Operating System: Mac OS X 10.5 (Leopard)
Processor: Intel

I'm editing a long formal document (academic dissertation), and I have it pretty well-organized with styles. Here's a specific problem I'm having with block quotations.

I use Style: Normal for default paragraph text, based on No Style, and modified for automatic indent at the start of a new paragraph. Have modified Style: Block Text as I like, and it's applied to all block quotations. Style: Block Text is set to be Followed By Style: Normal. Since most block quotes come in the middle of a paragraph, this results in First Line Indent after all Block Text, given that the block quote is followed by a paragraph break. What's the best way to get rid of the first line indent after Block Text, without having a whole new paragraph style that applies only to text following Style: Block Text?

 

[Clive Huggan]

Since you are burdened with the limitations of Word 2008, you can't make a
macro (maybe there can be an Applescript, but I don't use Word 2008 or
Applescript -- sorry).

That said, I think you came up with the answer: "having a whole new
paragraph style that applies only to text following Style: Block Text".

I'm a bit mystified why having a new, non-indented style in that instance
would be a problem: the number of styles in no way affects the reliability
of Word documents.

You can always change a style quickly, and if you use keyboard shortcuts
instead of the Formatting palette, it's very quick to apply the style you
want.

Professional document developers tend not to use Normal style, to minimize
the chances of corruption. Therefore, if I were formatting the document,
which is probably similar to the strategic plans and policy papers I
prepare, I would have a custom style, "bt" (standing for "body text") that I
would use for non-indented paragraphs (rare though they may be in your
dissertation) and style "body text indented,bti" for the same thing only
indented (the "i" standing for indented.

You'd apply it by keying Command-Shift-s followed by bt (or bti) followed by
Return. Voila!

If it's of interest: I discuss this in more depth in an article 'Use a body
text style, not Normal, in long documents' on page 100 (including the panel)
of some notes on the way I use Word for the Mac, titled "Bend Word to Your
Will", which are available as a free download from the Word MVPs' website
(http://word.mvps.org/Mac/Bend/BendWordToYourWill.html). Also see the bottom
of page 96 concerning suffixes in style names (illustrated in the "body text
indented,bti" example above).

[Note: "Bend Word to your will" is designed to be used electronically and
most subjects are self-contained dictionary-style entries. If you decide to
read more widely than the item I've referred to, it's important to read the
front end of the document -- especially pages 3 and 5 -- so you can select
some Word settings that will allow you to use the document effectively.]

Post back if I'm missing your point. ;-)

Cheers,

Clive Huggan
Canberra, Australia
(My time zone is 5-11 hours different from the Americas and Europe, so my
follow-on responses to those regions can be delayed)
====================================================

 

[mercillavince]

https://practice.ac/course/certified-academic-writer/