A hanging indent is a style used primarily in formatting reference lists. A hanging indent is when each line after the first line of a paragraph, or reference entry, is indented 0.5". There are two ways to achieve this effect in Microsoft Word.
- Highlight all your reference entries, then go to the ruler bar. If you can't see your ruler bar, view these directions on how to "show the ruler."
Click on the Hanging Indent marker, which is the triangle above the Left Indent marker. While clicking on it, drag it to the first notch to the right. Your highlighted text should automatically be formatted as a proper hanging indent now.
- The second way to achieve the effect is to highlight your references, then open the Paragraph dialog box. When it opens, locate the Indentation section, then underneath Special, click on the dropdown menu, and select Hanging. Press OK to close the Paragraph dialog box, and your highlighted text should automatically be reformatted.
There are different directions for other word processors: Google Docs and Pages for Mac.