When typing a paper, proper indentation is crucial for readability and organization. One of the best ways to achieve this is by creating an automatic first line indent for every paragraph.
To do this, start by hitting enter/return after your title and left align your next line. Instead of manually hitting tab and starting to type your paper, come up to the ruler at the top of the page. If you can’t see the ruler, go to View and check the ruler box.
With your cursor left-aligned, come up to the very top wedge or marker on the ruler, which is called the first line indent. Hover over the marker, and when you move it over half an inch, it will automatically indent the first line of every paragraph.
Now, when you start typing your paper, the first line will be automatically indented, and every subsequent line will not be. Even if you hit enter/return to create a new paragraph, it will recognize this and automatically indent the first line.
But let’s say you forgot to do this and have already typed half of your paper manually hitting the tab key. You can backspace to delete those manual indentations and highlight all the paragraphs in the paper (excluding the title or heading). Once you have highlighted the paragraphs, go up to the ruler and move the first line indent wedge to half an inch. It will automatically indent the first line of every paragraph it finds.
By following these steps, you can ensure that your paper has proper indentation and is easy to read and understand.