Last Updated: Jun 27, 2023 Views: 2637

Many citation styles, such as APA 7th edition,  MLA 9th edition, and Chicago 17th edition, require users to use hanging indentations when creating a reference list. 

  1. Open your citation list in Microsoft Word
  2. In the "Home" tab, select the Paragraph Dialog Launcher
  3. The paragraph options will open, make sure you are on the "Indents and Spacing" tab
  4. Under "Special," select "Hanging"
    • You can adjust the depth of the indent if needed
  5. Select "OK"

For more information check out the Create a hanging indent page on MS Office's support site.

You can create a hanging indentation by following these steps (please note that there may be slight variations depending on your settings and version of Word):

  1. Open your citation list in Microsoft Word
  2. Go to the "Design" tab
  3. Click on "Paragraph Spacing"
  4. Select "Custom Paragraph Spacing"
  5. Under the "Paragraph Position" area (near the middle of the box) open the drop down under "Special" and choose "Hanging"
  6. Click "Ok"

You can create a hanging indentation by following these steps (please note that there may be slight variations depending on your settings):

  1. Open your citation list in Google Docs
  2. Place your cursor at the beginning of the line you want to indent
  3. On the ruler (if the ruler isn't visible, click on “View” and make sure “Show Ruler” is checked) drag the "Left Indent" symbol (inverted triangle) to the right as far as you want the indent to go
  4. On the ruler drag the "First Line Indent" symbol (rectangle) to the left​

For more assistance creating a hanging indent, check out the video tutorials available in the Hoonuit database (you will be asked to log in using your mySNHU credentials) or contact the IT Help Desk at 1.855.877.9919. 

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