How you present content can affect whether (and how) someone reads your work. Just like cooking a meal, presentation can affect whether someone wants to consume your work (the meal) and what they think of it overall.
Ultimately, you are aiming for a professional looking document where: (1) the presentation does not distract you from the content (i.e. not too ugly or too overstyled), and (2) the content is presented in a way that ‘matches how users read‘ (Style Manual – How People Read).
In addition to complying with Syle Guide requirements (see Style Guides Part 1), you may also want to consider:
- Font type and size – fonts with serif (tails) are harder to read, while readibility varies with font size (Arial 12pt is much larger than Times 12pt)
- Italics – minimise their use as they are difficult to read (see also When to use/not use italics)
- Text alignment – text aligned left is easier to read than text aligned full
- Line spacing – too large/small affects readibility
- Margin settings – if publishing online only, do not mirror margins as this can be nauseating
- Margin size – while your research application may well comply with page limits with margins set to 0.5cm, this fools no one – worse still, will be missing if printed out
- White space – too little makes text hard to navigate, too much may look like a glossy magazine
- Headings – needed to help navigate content without causing interruptions
- Figures and tables – need to be legible, and include Alt-text* if the content is used online.
Do not take my word for this – experiment: take a page of text, have a play with any of the above, and see how it changes how you view the content.
Adjusting the presentation can show your content in a new light – a good trick when editing your own work.
Truro Consulting 
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