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The Graduate School

ETD Help

ETD Info and Technical Help

ETD Reviewer Contact Information

etd-reviewer@ncsu.edu
(919) 515-4497

Microsoft Word Questions

How do I create a PDF file using Microsoft Word?
(there are many ways to create a PDF file, we are simply suggesting ONE method).

  1. In the Word toolbar, go to File and choose Print
  2. Select the “Adobe PDF” printer in your drop-down printer list (remember, you must have Adobe Acrobat installed for this to work)
  3. Select a file name and location where you want to save your file, then click the save button.

In Microsoft Word, how do I align the page numbers and connecting periods to end in the required straight line if I manually created my Table of Contents?
*Note, each student’s file will have different tab settings depending on the various levels outlined in the Style Guide used. The numbers shown in the example below may not work for all students. This is just an example to demonstrate how to format the tabs. Remember- The Table of Contents, List of Tables and List of Figures page number listings are to be aligned just to the left of the right 1″ margin.

  1. Delete any current manual connecting periods that are currently in the Table of Contents.
  2. Highlight the entire Table of Contents that you wish to format.
  3. With the Table of Contents highlighted, right click and select “paragraph”
  4. Select “Tabs” in the paragraph box.
  5. Set the correct “Tab Stop Position”
    Set the “Alignment” to Right
    Select the “2 …….” leader for the required connecting periods.
    Click “Set”
    Click “OK”
  6. Now, when you use your tab key it will now right-align your page numbers with the connecting periods. Remember you may need to reset your tab for use in other parts of your document.

How do I change a page to landscape orientation, while only including a specific table or figure?

If you have a table or figure that is too wide to fit legibly on a portrait-oriented page, you will need to change the page orientation to “Landscape.” However, doing this in the middle of the document, for a specific table or figure, requires a few extra steps.

  1. Select the entire table/figure and all of the associated text that you want to appear on the landscape page.
  2. In the “Layout” tab’s first section, “Page Setup,” click on the options arrow in the bottom right hand corner. This will open the “Page Setup” pop-up screen.
  3. Under the “Orientation” section of this pop-up, select “Landscape.” In the “Apply to:” drop-down option, choose “Selected text.”
  4. Click OK.

The above steps should properly orient the page with your selected text on the page. However, there are few adjustments to page numbers that may be necessary.

  1. Adding a page number. If this is the first landscape page you’re creating in this document, it may not have a page number. If so, select your page header, navigate to the “Design” tab, and insert a page number in the proper location by using the “Page Number” drop down menu.
  2. Page number location. Make sure that the page number on this landscape page is in exactly the same location as your previous page. If your page number is at the top of the page, your “Header from Top” setting should be the same as on your portrait-oriented pages.
  3. Consecutive page numbers. Creating a landscape page may disrupt the page numbers’ consecutive count. After inserting a page number on the landscape-oriented page, open this page’s header settings once more. From the same “Page Number’ drop-down menu, click “Format Page Numbers…” and make sure “Continue from previous section” is selected. You may also have to do this for the first portrait-oriented page that appears after this new landscape page.

Once the page is in proper sequence, check for the following formatting consistency:

  1. Content should not violate the required 1 inch margin.
  2. There should still be the standard amount of space between the table or figure and its associated title and caption.

Adobe Acrobat Questions

How do I combine multiple PDF files?
(there are many ways to combine PDF files, we are simply suggesting ONE method)

  1. Open one of your PDF files in Adobe Acrobat (Note – this will not work with Adobe Reader)
  2. In the Adobe Acrobat toolbar, go to Document and choose Insert Pages
  3. Select the file you want to insert, then determine where you want to insert the file
  4. Repeat the steps to insert as many files as needed
  5. Once you have inserted all files, make sure to do a “save as” and name your file either “draft.pdf” (if this is your draft file for review) or “etd.pdf” (if this is your final submission)