Shortcuts for Writing Research Papers in Word & Google Docs

Formatting your Works Cited / References page

Put each reference in its own paragraph and select the entries you want to format. In Word, apply a hanging indent with Ctrl+T on Windows or Cmd+T on Mac; use the Paragraph dialog's Special: Hanging setting when you need an exact measurement such as 0.5 inch. Apply double spacing with Ctrl+2 or Cmd+2. Set paragraph spacing before and after to the value required by your style guide, commonly zero for a uniformly double-spaced list.

In Google Docs, select the references, choose Format > Align & indent > Indentation options, set Special indent to Hanging, enter the required amount, and choose Apply. Then choose Format > Line & paragraph spacing > Double and remove extra paragraph spacing if your instructions require it. Do not create a hanging indent with spaces or repeated tabs. Alphabetise and proofread the references separately: formatting does not check authors, dates, titles, or missing citations.

Use the current research tools

Google's Explore tool has been retired, even though some older shortcut lists still show its keys. Use Tools > Citations for supported citation workflows and Tool finder to locate current commands. A citation generated by software still needs checking against your assignment's style requirements. Voice typing requires a supported browser and microphone permission; review its punctuation and transcription carefully before submitting work.

Check the document before submission

Use a page break rather than repeated blank lines when a section must start on a new page. Run Find and Replace carefully: a global replacement can also change quotations and references. Open the exported PDF to check page breaks, superscripts, indentation, and links. Keep an editable copy so that corrections do not require rebuilding your paper from the PDF.