MS word lab manual

Lab 1: Getting Started - Creating and Saving Documents

Introduction: This lab introduces you to the basic interface of MS Word, how to create new
documents, and save them.
Instructions:
1. Opening MS Word:
o Locate the MS Word icon on your computer (Start Menu or desktop).
o Click the icon to launch MS Word.
o A blank document should open (or choose "Blank document" from the start
screen).
2. Typing Text:
o Begin typing some text. For example, type a simple sentence like "This is my first
MS Word document."
3. Saving Your Document:
o Click on the File tab (top-left corner).
o Select Save As.
o In the dialog box, choose a location to save your file (e.g., Documents folder).
o In the File name field, type a name for your document (e.g.,
"MyFirstDocument").
o Click Save.
o You should notice that the file name now appears at the top of the document
window.
4. Closing and Reopening a Document:
o Click the File tab and select Close to close your document.
o To reopen the document, click File -> Open, navigate to where you saved it, and
select the file name.
Practice Exercises:
1. Create a new document and type a short paragraph about yourself.
2. Save the document as "AboutMe".
3. Close the "AboutMe" document and reopen it.

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 4. Make a change to the reopened "AboutMe" document.
5. Save the changes using File -> Save.
Tips and Notes:
• You can use the keyboard shortcut Ctrl + S to save your document quickly.
• Make sure to save your work often to prevent losing it.
• The Save As function is useful for making copies of your document with different names.
Lab 2: Basic Text Formatting
Introduction: This lab covers the basics of how to format text, such as changing font, size,
color, and applying styles like bold, italics, and underline.
Instructions:
1. Select Text:
o Type a short sentence or paragraph into a blank document.
o To select the text you want to format, click and drag your mouse over it.
2. Changing the Font:
o With your text selected, go to the Home tab.
o In the Font group, click the dropdown menu next to the font name (likely Calibri
by default).
o Select a different font (e.g., Arial, Times New Roman).
o Observe the change in your selected text.
3. Changing the Font Size:
o With the text still selected, click the dropdown menu next to the font size number
in the Font group.
o Choose a different size. Observe the change.
4. Applying Styles (Bold, Italics, Underline):
o Select a portion of your text.
o Click the B (bold), I (italics), or U (underline) buttons in the Font group to apply
the respective styles.
5. Changing Font Color:
o Select the text you want to change.

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 o Click the dropdown menu next to the letter A with a color bar underneath (also in
the Font group).
o Choose a new color.
Practice Exercises:
1. Type a sentence about your favorite color.
2. Change the font of this sentence to "Comic Sans MS" and the size to 14.
3. Make the word "favorite" bold and underlined.
4. Change the color of the word "color" to your actual favorite color.
5. Type a sentence about your favorite food, make the sentence italics and change it to Arial
font.
Tips and Notes:
• Keyboard shortcuts can also be used to apply styles: Ctrl + B (bold), Ctrl + I (italics), Ctrl
+ U (underline).
• Experiment with different fonts and sizes to see how they change your document's
appearance.
Lab 3: Working with Paragraphs
Introduction: In this lab, you will learn to format paragraphs by aligning text, adjusting line
spacing, and creating bulleted/numbered lists.
Instructions:
1. Type Paragraphs:
o Create two or three short paragraphs in your document.
o Press the Enter key to start a new paragraph.
2. Paragraph Alignment:
o Select the paragraph you want to align.
o In the Home tab, look for the Paragraph group.
o Click one of the alignment buttons:
▪ Align Left (left-most button).
▪ Center (center button).
▪ Align Right (right-most button).
▪ Justify (button to the right of right-align).

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 3. Line Spacing:
o Select your paragraphs.
o In the Paragraph group, click the Line and Paragraph Spacing button (a
vertical line with arrows above and below it).
o Choose a line spacing option (e.g., 1.5, 2.0).
4. Bulleted Lists:
o Type a few lines of text that you want in a list.
o Select these lines.
o In the Paragraph group, click the Bullets button.
o Choose a bullet style.
5. Numbered Lists:
o Type a few lines of text for a new list.
o Select these lines.
o In the Paragraph group, click the Numbering button.
o Choose a numbering style.
Practice Exercises:
1. Type a short article about your favorite hobby with a title and two paragraphs.
2. Center the title, and justify the text in both paragraphs.
3. Increase the line spacing to 1.5 for all the content.
4. Create a bulleted list of the top 3 activities you do for your hobby.
5. Create a numbered list with steps on how to do a part of your hobby.
Tips and Notes:
• Experiment with different alignment and line spacing options to see which you like best.
• Bulleted and numbered lists can be used in many different documents to create a
structured outline.
• You can create more complex lists with sub-levels by indenting the lines.
Lab 4 and Beyond:
This manual can be continued with other topics such as:
• Inserting Images

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 • Inserting Headers and Footers
• Working with Tables
• Page Layout and Margins
• Spell Check and Grammar Tools
• Using Styles

Lab 1: Mastering Document Structure with Table of Contents

Introduction: This lab explores how to automatically generate and maintain a table of contents,
which is essential for long and complex documents.
Instructions:
1. Applying Heading Styles:
o Create a document with multiple sections and subsections.
o Apply heading styles (Heading 1, Heading 2, Heading 3, etc.) to your section
titles (found in the Styles group on the Home tab).
o Ensure that higher-level headings have a larger style number (Heading 1) than
subheadings (Heading 2, 3, etc.).
2. Inserting a Table of Contents:
o Go to the location in your document where you want the Table of Contents to
appear (usually at the beginning).
o Click on the References tab.
o Click on the Table of Contents button (far left).
o Select either an automatic table style or a custom table style.
o MS Word will generate the table based on your heading styles.
3. Updating the Table of Contents:
o Make changes to your document (add or delete headings, or move sections
around).
o Click anywhere inside the table of contents.
o Click the Update Table button that appears above the Table of Contents (or right-
click and select "Update Field").
o Select the update option you want (Update page numbers only or Update entire
table).

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Practice Exercises:
1. Create a document about a topic of your choice, with at least three main sections and a
couple of subsections.
2. Use appropriate heading styles throughout the document.
3. Insert a table of contents at the beginning.
4. Add a new section and subsection.
5. Update the table of contents to reflect these changes.
6. Change the table of contents design
Best Practices and Tips:
• Always use Heading Styles for your headings, do not just use bold or increase font size.
This allows Word to generate Table of Content automatically.
• Keep your heading styles consistent across all documents to maintain a professional look.
• Regularly update your table of contents whenever you make significant changes to your
document structure.
Lab 2: Managing Figures and Tables with Captions and Lists
Introduction: This lab focuses on inserting captions for figures and tables and then
automatically generating lists of figures and tables in the document.
Instructions:
1. Inserting Captions:
o Insert an image or a table in your document.
o Select the image or table.
o Click the References tab.
o Click the Insert Caption button.
o Choose "Figure" or "Table" from the label dropdown menu, and type a caption.
o Set the position of the caption (above or below the image/table).
o Click OK.
2. Inserting a List of Figures/Tables:
o Go to the location in your document where you want to insert a list of figures
(usually after the Table of Contents).
o Click the References tab.

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 o Click the Insert Table of Figures button.
o Select 'Figure' or 'Table' in the caption label.
o Click OK.
3. Updating the List of Figures/Tables:
o Add or remove figures or tables in the document.
o Update the captions, if needed.
o Click anywhere inside the list of figures/tables.
o Right-click, select "Update Field"
o Choose to update the whole table or just the page numbers.
Practice Exercises:
1. Add three images and two tables to your document.
2. Insert appropriate captions for each image and table.
3. Insert a list of figures and a list of tables at the beginning of your document (after the
Table of Contents).
4. Add one more table and update the list of tables.
5. Change one caption and update the list of figures.
Best Practices and Tips:
• Captions should be concise but descriptive.
• Using cross-referencing (References > Cross-reference) to refer to a particular figure or
table within the document will link to them and will update automatically in future.
• Make sure to update the Lists whenever you change the location of figures and tables in
your document.
Lab 3: Advanced Formatting - Spacing, Indentation, and Alignment
Introduction: This lab covers more advanced formatting options beyond basic alignment, using
indents, space between paragraphs and lines.
Instructions:
1. Paragraph Indentation:
o Select a paragraph.
o Go to the Home tab and locate the Paragraph group.

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 o Use the indent buttons (increase or decrease indent) or by specifying spacing in
Paragraph settings.
o Or, right click and choose Paragraph, in "Indentation" section you can control
indent before text or after text
2. Spacing Between Paragraphs:
o Select paragraphs.
o In the Paragraph settings (or Paragraph group in Home tab, then line and spacing
option). In that window use Spacing before and after option to configure spacing
between paragraphs.
3. Advanced Alignment Options:
o Select your paragraphs.
o In the Paragraph group, use justification options and specify first line indent in
the paragraph settings.
o You may also choose to enable and configure widow controls, and keep with next
options.
Practice Exercises:
1. Create a document with at least three paragraphs and heading of your choice.
2. Add left indent of 1cm for one paragraph, add right indent of 2cm for another paragraph
and indent the first line of a third paragraph by 1.5cm
3. Increase the spacing after paragraphs to 12 points.
4. Use different justification options for each paragraph.
5. Use indentation to simulate a dialogue.
Best Practices and Tips:
• Use a combination of justification and indents to structure your document effectively and
give it a professional appeal.
• Use paragraph spacing to increase readability.
• Be consistent with spacing, indentation, and alignment across your document for a
polished look.
Lab 4: Mastering References and Citations
Introduction: In this lab, we will explore how to manage citations and generate a bibliography
using MS Word's reference tools.
Instructions:

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 1. Adding Sources:
o Place your cursor where you want to insert a citation.
o Go to the References tab.
o Click the Insert Citation button.
o Click Add New Source.
o Fill in the source information, such as Author, Title, Journal, Year.
o Select the type of source (book, journal article, website etc.).
o Click OK.
2. Inserting Citations:
o Place your cursor where you want another citation.
o Click on the Insert Citation button again.
o Select the source from the list of existing sources.
o Repeat as necessary.
3. Generating a Bibliography:
o Go to the location in your document where you want the bibliography (usually at
the end).
o Click the References tab.
o Click the Bibliography button.
o Choose a bibliography style (e.g., APA, MLA, Chicago).
4. Editing Sources:
o In the Reference tab, use the "Manage Sources" button. You can edit current
sources, and also copy sources between documents.
5. Customizing Style:
o In the Reference tab, you can choose the citation style.
Practice Exercises:
1. Create a document about a researched topic with at least three references.
2. Add sources to your document using the Add New Source tool.
3. Insert citations in the text where you have used the source material.
4. Generate a bibliography at the end of the document.

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 5. Modify a source and note how changes are reflected when you update the bibliography.
Best Practices and Tips:
• Always provide accurate details for your sources to avoid plagiarism.
• Use Word's reference management tools to keep your citations and bibliography
consistent.
• Choose a citation style that is appropriate for the type of document that you are writing.
Lab 5 and Beyond
This manual can be continued with other topics such as:
• Cross-referencing
• Customizing Styles
• Track Changes and Collaboration
• Master Documents

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