guidelines • file management • printing

GUIDELINES:

1) Choose an appropriate wordprocessor:
Microsoft Word is available for your use at all campus labs at Bates College. Microsoft Word as our standard wordprocessor because current versions are available for both the Mac and Windows platforms, and it is fully supported at Bates College. Our license with Microsoft prohibits the installation of its products on student owned computers, however you may buy a personal license for academic use from Sales & Service, x6376, 110 Russell Street.

2) Using personally owned computers to write your thesis:
Other word processor files may not open in the campus labs, and it may be difficult to print to the laser printers. Students living on-campus can print to networked printers from a personally owned computer, however the computer must be set up correctly, so make sure it works with your computer before you rely on it for your thesis. Students living off-campus cannot access network printers, although files can be transferred to Paris, or brought to campus to print, or taken to a copy shop like Kinko's.

3) Translation may be required to use other wordprocessors:
If you use a word processor other than Word, you may have to translate your thesis in order to access it or print it from the campus labs. Translation can often ruin formatting and the placement of charts, graphs, tables, diagrams and images. If you choose to use any other word processor, work only with the text, and then from the File menu: Save As... Text only as the file format, which will enable you to open it with Word in the campus labs. The Help Desk x8222, Ladd Library, can assist with some translations using special software, although it is always best to use the source application to provide translation.

4) Leave the formatting until last:
Compose the text of your thesis and get all of the content and information finished first, planning and acquiring the materials for charts, graphs, diagrams and images, and marking the locations with text descriptions. By working with only your text at first, your document will be much smaller, file errors will be less likely, and it won't be difficult to save and back up your data. Finally, using the computer and software from which the paper will be printed, add your graphics, format the text, add headers and footers, and format your footnotes or endnotes. Different computers have different fonts and printer page size settings, so your paper will look different on screen and print differently depending on the computer from which the file is opened. All campus lab computers at Bates College have standard fonts and settings, by platform.

5) Check with your thesis advisor or department about formatting guidelines:
There is information available at the Ladd Library website about different methods for citing sources in your thesis, as well as the guidelines recommended by various departments. http://www.bates.edu/Library/resources/reference/citation.shtml

FILE MANAGEMENT:

1) Save your work frequently:
You may set Microsoft Word to create temporary AutoRecover files at any given time increment. While this does not take the place of actually saving the file, if your system crashes, or the application unexpectedly quits, it can help you recover data created since your last save. To set this feature, go to:
   Tools menu: Preferences(Mac) Options(Win): Save tab:
   Click the checkbox: AutoRecover info every: and set the number of minutes. Do not set it for less than 5 minutes.

2) Save your work carefully:
If you are ever uncertain for any reason about saving over an existing file, DON'T! Create a copy using File: Save As... and change the name in order to keep your last version as a backup. You can always go back and delete the less useful file, but if you save over the previous version it is gone. This is especially useful if you are about to try out major changes on a file that is at a point that is reasonably acceptable.

3) Save your work reliably:
DO NOT SAVE TO THE DESKTOP IN ANY CAMPUS LABS!
Use Paris for storage of your important files. Paris is accessible from any networked computer on campus, and is backed up nightly. Thus no more worries about lost or damaged floppies, and if something happens to a particular file, the previous day's version may be recovered, so no more than a day's work may be lost.
All Servers on campus (including Paris) are subject to periodic maintenance, which results in the server being unavailable for short periods of time. Scheduled network interruptions are always posted to the Announce list well in advance.
FILES MAY NOW BE DIRECTLY OPENED FROM PARIS!

4) Save your work systematically:
You may also want to back your files up on a flash drive or save them on your own computer. Be systematic about naming, saving, and backing up so that you are certain which is your most recent version. Final2.doc won't mean much later!

5) Save your work in useful sections:
Thesis files tend to be quite large, therefore we recommend that you save each chapter as a separate file while you are working on it. If a file becomes lost or damaged, then only a chapter is at risk, rather than your entire thesis. The separate files can be recombined before printing to properly align foot and endnotes. In Microsoft Word, open your first chapter: File menu: Save As... give it a unique name, then move your cursor to the end of this chapter, and Insert menu: File and select your next chapter from the pop-up dialog box. Repeat the process until all chapters have been assembled.

6) Save your work before printing:
Always save your file before you attempt to print it. Problems can occur when printing that can cause the loss of any unsaved changes.

PRINTING:

1) Plan to be finished a week in advance of the due date:
The best advice is to have your document ready to be printed the week before it is due. If something goes wrong, then there will be time to fix it. The copy stores also report lines at thesis time. There will be many honors theses to print, and they are all due at the same time. The honors committee has declared that computer problems will not be accepted as a late excuse.

2) Preview your thesis before printing:
Review the document for conformation to the formatting and submission guidelines required by your thesis advisor and department before you send it to be printed in order to avoid wasting paper by reprinting for minor errors. Check for spelling errors with Microsoft Word in the Tools menu: Spelling & Grammar. Check footnotes and endnotes for proper formatting and placement by viewing the paper using the View menu: Page Layout. Final checks may be done from the File menu: Print Preview.

3) Know where you are printing:
Always print from the File menu: Print command, and verify what printer your document is being sent to at the top of the print window.

4) Color printing:
If you have pages that require color printing, you can have them printed at a copy shop, borrow a friend's inkjet, or go to the Help Desk in Ladd Library for a limited number of color laser prints. You can also purchase color copies from Print and Mail Services in Lane Hall. It is best to print your thesis first to a regular laser printer, then re-print only the pages that require color on a color printer. This saves time and avoids long lines at the only color laser printer. To print single pages, use the File menu: Print command, and specify from page X to X.

5) Print jobs may be sent from any networked computer:
All lab computers are capable of printing to networked HP laser printers. You can also set your personal computer in your dorm or residence to print to a network printer. Be certain you have selected an appropriate printer in a location that is accessible. Pick up your output promptly.

Mac: Applications: Utlities: Printer Setup Utility:
click Add, select Appletalk, select zone, then printer
   Coram Zone: (located at Ladd Library)
      •Ladd IR, Ladd Ref1, Ladd Ref2
   Pettengill Zone:
      • Pettengill 227, LJ 4100 • Pettengill 329, LJ 4100
      (NOTE: the Pettengill printers may be inaccessible during scheduled classes!)

Win: (you must log into MS networking to print!)
   Network Neighborhood: China:
   Ladd IR • Ladd Ref1 • Ladd Ref2 (located in Ladd Library)
   Pgill 227 • Pgill 329 (located in Pettengill Hall, by room number)

6) To duplex or not to duplex:
The new HP laser printers available in the Ladd Library and Pettengill Hall are capable of printing on both sides of the page in order to save paper. It is up to the student and thesis advisor to determine if this is an appropriate option for submission. If you will be printing on both sides of the page, and are required to have an uneven margin for binding purposes, then mirror the margins in your document:

Mac:
Format menu: Document: Margins tab: click Mirror Margins
Win:
File menu: Page Setup: Margins tab: click Mirror Margins