Academic papers have distinctive styles and formatting laws that pupils should follow. Without adhering to these norms and such, marking on that particular paper isn’t possible. Because there is some prescribed academic rule which should be abided by at any cost. For instance, if the assignment demands APA citation style, the text should be double-spaced, a one-inch margin has to be there, and vice versa.
So, here in this blog, we will ease weary pupils’ queries and unleash the top 6 tools to perfectly format your academic paper.
What is Academic Formatting?
Several academic formatting styles are certified by the governing body of academicians. The most commonly used ones are:
- APA
- MLA
- Chicago
- CMS
These referencing styles are widely accepted by schools, and papers usually demand APA mainly. Plus, many dissertation writing services also by default use APA editions when the option isn’t available for usage. The reason formatting is emphasized so much is that it is a podium where the paper communicates on behalf of the candidate. The simple things composition follows are margin, in between space among the lines, size of the font, type of the font, alignment, and a number of headings.
Amazing Platforms Where You Can Set Up Your Paper
Microsoft Word
This is one of the most common and widely used software accepted by entire universities worldwide. Most probably, windows users are familiar with this because it is by default built-in for the purpose of typing and storing files. Since its inception, MS Word has been the most voted and loved interface by the pupils. It even has surfaced in the google application store by offering a free download button that is quite handy when it comes to last-minute alterations. This system has almost all the knobs that are used to compose a well-reputed paper. It has a plug-in where you can link your third-party apps like Grammarly, or else you can fetch information or synonyms directly without using the internet.
All in all, if you are just stepping into the research game. Then MS Word is your safe bet because it is user-friendly and has no pop-ups.
Google Docs
You can say Google Documents is like a half-brother of MS Word because it mostly has all the features, just like the latter. But one thing which makes this portal super friendly is the sharing option. You can amend, edit or give rights to the external user to add comments. Just a tiny URL can make thousands of miles ratio, snapped into seconds of time. The sharing option is pretty handy, as it allows the sharing with others without letting your paper be downloaded by them. It would not be wrong to say that this is the best tool for academic writing.
Grammarly
Many of you must have made the notion that Grammarly is just for grammar correction purposes. But let us burst your bubble; it is equally helpful for aligning your paper. This online application’s add-on feature is pretty neat and easy to follow. Plus, it can hyperlink your text without making it lose the authenticity reference. Another praiseworthy factor is you can use heading styles, like h1 or h2, without taking the hit of fonts and such.
Though Grammarly is free, additional perks have to be purchased, like, sentence correction, tone detection, and plagiarism checking. Another amazing thing is that if you select the academic tone, it opens the feature to choose the formatting style from APA, MLA, and Chicago.
Ref-N-Write
This software is indeed a hidden gem in all the chaos. Those who already know about ref-n-write must know its value in the academic world. Not only does this portal align and format your essay, but it is also powered by AI to remove plagiarism. Isn’t this something unique? All you need to do is compute the referencing style you have chosen and the link to the available research.
This podium is going to diminish all the flaws of your essay. For instance, if the sentence is grammatically incorrect or suggests an answer to questions like, “what is an abstract in a dissertation“. But, all these unique features come at a price, full version lifetime license is around $37.5. If you are pursuing degrees like a Ph.D. or MS, then purchasing this will be helpful for you.
WPS Office
This portal is like a clone of MS Word, truly identical by all means. But, the only different feature about WPS Office is that it allows more than one document to be opened on the current tab. Plus, WPS has its own cloud system, which is free of cost and quite useful when you want to save and are on the go. The essential editing options are the same as other software. It also has an application available on the play store by Google. By downloading it, you can avail entire package like slide making, note gatherer, and writer’s board.
Authera: Publish Cutting-Edge Research
Authera is listed among the most powerful of all online. This interface offers collaborative writing, live chat during the writing process, citation searching, reference formatting from the available list, and data publishing. Many academic agencies like HelpDissertation.Co.UK use this gateway for working or publishing any research journal. Other uncommon options are, change tracking, publishing styles suggestions, putting; figures, equation, and also live source coding can be done too. Though students can use this plinth for free if they want to unlock other added features, so there is a fee attached.
CONCLUDING THOUGHTS
Formatting is one of the hectic jobs when compiling academic homework and papers; there are many things that a student has to be careful about while composing it. Because, who knows, it might affect your grading or score. Just like an introduction is necessary for the commencement, the same goes for font family and size. Though at the start, you would think about what all this means, as you prosper and grow, you will get hooked on it.
So there you go! A refined list of the top 6 tools to perfectly format your academic paper. Most of them are free of cost, but some features can be unlocked for an additional amount. You probably must be familiar with the likes of MS Word and Google Docs. So, give it a try, as each one offers a unique attribute.
