Formatting Word 2007 Documents Correctly

Who does this help?

When sending Web Communications updates properly formatted content speeds up the process in which updates can be changed. When a document is received that is formatted properly, the Web Developer or Student Developers copy the word document and paste it into DreamWeaver.

When a document is not properly formatted the Web Developer or Student Developers copy the document, paste it into simple text (to remove junk code), and then paste it into DreamWeaver. Once in DreamWeaver the Developer must add the appropriate styles.

Formatting your documents properly also helps when a document is turned into a PDF. Users who are blind use screen readers to access content. These screen readers indicate to the user why type of content they are reading. I.E. is the content a heading, paragraph, list, link, image, et cetera.

Using Headings

Headings indicate the hierarchy of a page. The page title is marked as Heading 1. On this page the Heading is "Formatting Word Documents Correctly". There is only one heading 1 per page. Headings 2-6 can be used as many times as they are needed.

  • An example of a Heading 2 on this page: "Basic Word Formatting"
  • An example of a Heading 3 on this page: "Using Headings"

These Headings can be defined in Microsoft Word.

Under the `Home` tab locate the styles section:

Styles Section

If you scroll down in this section you will also see Heading 2. If you click on Heading 2 and Heading 3 will appear to the right. Keep clicking and Heading 3 and heading 4 will appear:

Headings

Using Lists

If you have a list of items, such as URL's organize them as a list. There are two kinds of lists:

  • Ordered Lists -These use numbers, letters, or roman numerals. Example:
    1. Item 1
    2. Item 2
    3. Item 3
  • Unordered Lists - These use bullets. Example:
    • Item 1
    • Item 2
    • Item 3

To define a list, select the content that you would like turned into a list and select either unordered or ordered list from the "Home" tab in the `Paragraph` Section:

Praragraph Section:

Providing Alternate Descriptions for Images

Providing Alternate Descriptions for images is the easiest way to help blind users navigate a site. When a screen reader comes across an image it will read the Description of the image. More information on ALT tags can be found under the Web Authors section.

Once an image has been placed in Word, right click on the image and go to "Size". Then click on the "Alt Text" tab:

Alt Text

The text should be as descriptive as possible. Using the word "picture" or "student" is not descriptive enough.

Adding Links

Links can easily be added into a word document. Select the text that you would like to be linked and press [CTRL]-[K]. The "Insert Hyperlink" box will appear:

Insert Hyperlink box from Microsoft Word

In the Address bar (on the bottom) type in the URL where you would like the link to point to. In this example, I wanted my link to go to Google so I typed in: http://www.google.com.

Accessibility and Links

Make links descriptive so they can be understood out of context. For example, rather than "click here” for a list of staff, use ‘list of staff" as a link. This will help blind users who use screen readers to access content.