• Font style: Choose one font to use throughout your document.
  • Use sans serif fonts. Research has shown that these fonts are easier to read, particularly on a screen. Examples of sans serif fonts include Ariel, Corbel, and Tahoma.
  • Avoid serif fonts. Serif fonts are fonts with an extra stroke on the letter which can impact the readability of your document. Examples of serif fonts include Times New Roman, Palatino Linotype, and Georgia.
• Font size: To ensure that your document is readable, you want to avoid fonts smaller than 12-point. Headings and subheadings should be one to two sizes larger.

It is important to have consistent spacing throughout the document to increase readability. The presence of white space helps the reader focus on the words in your document. At a minimum, use 1.0 line spacing.

1. Go to Home > Line and Paragraph Spacing 
2. Specify your spacing options.

When using graphics, keep in mind the following:

1. Any text on the graphic should be readable (12-point font size at a minimum).
2. Pay attention to the color contrast between the document and the graphic. For example, if the background of both your document and the graphic are white, add a border to help students identify it as a graphic:
   1. Add picture borders
   2. Add table borders
3. All graphics should include alternative text. The purpose of alternative text is to provide a description of graphics to students with visual impairments. To create alternative text:
   1. Right-click on the graphic.
   2. Select Edit Alt Text.
   3. Enter a description that includes details about the graphic. If it is a chart or graph, discuss relationships between variables.
   4. If the image is decorative (i.e., non-essential for comprehension), check the Mark as decorative
   5. Select OK.
4. When possible, avoid overcrowding a page with too many graphics. Ideally, you do not want more than two on a page.

To ensure accessibility of tables, make sure they are clearly labeled. If a cell is left blank, a screen reader may read the cell as zero, which is misleading. You should delete unnecessary blank cells.

Tables within tables or nested tables can make navigating a table difficult. By avoiding nested tables, or merged or split cells inside of tables, you can make the data predictable and easy to navigate. If you are unsure about the navigability of a table, test it by tabbing through it. If you can easily tab from cell-to-cell, then it is likely accessible to your students.

If you must merge or split cells within a table, highlight the cells you want to manipulate, right-click, and select Merge or Split Cells.

Finally, make sure your table has alternative text:

1. Right-click on the table and select Table Properties.
2. Select the Alt Text tab and add a description and a title if necessary.
3. Click OK.

Using hyperlinks can help provide more information to your students. Hyperlink text should give a clear description of where the link leads, and you should avoid using URLs as the text (e.g., Suffolk University Office of Disability Services versus https://www.suffolk.edu/academics/advising-student-services/disability-services).  To add a hyperlink to your document:

1. Highlight and right-click the text you would like to make a hyperlink.
2. Choose Link.
3. Type or copy/paste in the address of the hyperlink.
4. Click Insert.