Formatting Documents for VOD

Formatting Documents for VOD

In addition to the guidelines specific to each of the documents described in VOD’s Guidelines for Preparing Submissions, all documents in VOD should be formatted consistent with the following principles:

  1. Electronic files should be submitted in Word.doc format.
  2. All text should be Times New Roman 12 pt. typeface. All four documents should be single-spaced, as specified in the Guidelines for Preparing Submissions.
  3. First-level internal headings in all documents should be centered and bold-faced. Second level headings should be flush left and italicized.
  4. Distinguish between the hyphen (-, also ‘en dash’), which occurs in compound words, separation of characters, and between numbers (e.g., thermo-nuclear, a-t-o-m, and 1953-1954) versus the dash, which marks breaks in thought, explanations, and amplifications (for example, “. . . suggested—and I quote—that . . .”). Typographically, enter hyphens (and en dashes) with one strike of the hyphen key, dashes with two strikes of the hyphen key. There should be no spaces before or after dashes, and hyphens should always be connected without a space to the letters that precede and follow them.
  5. Titles, emphasis, etc., should be indicated by italics, not underlining.
  6. Acronyms: Spell out full titles at first mention, followed by the acronym in parentheses. Set acronyms in all caps (YMCA, AFL-CIO, etc.).
  7. Capitalize official titles when they immediately precede a name (e.g., President Obama) but not when they follow a name or are used in place of a name (e.g., “A president bears that responsibility.”).
  8. Dates: Write out as month, day, year (e.g., March 10, 2016, not 10 March 2016). Spell out references to centuries (e.g., the twentieth century, eighteenth-century history). Do not use apostrophes when referring to decades (e.g., 1890s, not 1890’s).
  9. Numbers: Spell out numbers one through ten, use numerals 11 and above (this is an exception to Chicago). Very large numbers may be expressed in numerals followed by millions or billions spelled out (e.g., 2.3 million). Always spell out a number that begins a sentence (e.g., “Twenty-seven percent voted no.”).
  10. Websites: Provide full citation for articles followed by the URL with date accessed in parentheses (e.g., Andy Barr, “Liberal Arizona Sheriff Clarence Dupnik Sees Causes of Violence,” Politico, November 11, 2011, http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0111/47293.html (accessed October 14, 2014).
  11. Documentation of sources (except the featured speech that is being quoted) should be done with endnotes (use ‘insert’–>’endnote’ to enter endnotes into the text). Endnotes should be formatted consistent with The Chicago Manual of Style 17th ed.