Hanging Indents: The Basics

Hanging indents are a fundamental aspect of document formatting, particularly in academic and professional writing.

They refer to a style where the first line of a paragraph starts at the left margin, while subsequent lines are indented to the right.

This indentation creates a “hanging” appearance, where the text seems to be suspended from the first line. 

Our blog will show how you can create hanging indents in popular word processing software like MS Word and Google Docs. 

How To Create Hanging Indent in MS Word 

Creating hanging indents in Microsoft Word is a straightforward process. There are two ways to create them. We’ll discuss them both. 

Using Paragraph Dialog Box for Hanging Indents 

Follow these simple steps to use the paragraph settings method for creating hanging indentation: 

Step 1. Select Your Text: Highlight the paragraphs or lines for which you want to create hanging indents.

Step 2. Access the Paragraph Dialog Box: There are different ways to access the Paragraph dialog box:

• Right-click on the selected text and choose “Paragraph” from the context menu.
• On the Home tab, find the Paragraph group and click on the small arrow in the bottom right corner.

Step 3. Set the Indentation: In the Paragraph dialog box, navigate to the “Indentation” section.

• Under “Special,” select “Hanging” from the dropdown menu.
• Specify the amount of indentation you desire. Typically, a hanging indent is around 0.5 inches.

Step 4. Apply Changes: Click “OK” to apply the changes.

Using Ruler Feature for Hanging Indents 

In the second method, you can also use the ruler feature to create hanging indents. Here's how:

Step 1. Show the Ruler: If the ruler is not visible, go to the “View” tab and check the “Ruler” option.

Step 2. Set the Hanging Indent:

• Click on the small rectangle marker on the ruler (it looks like an inverted triangle) for the top indent.
• Then, drag it to the right to set the hanging indent.

To create a hanging indent of 0.5 inches (1.27 cm), place the upper triangular marker at the document's edge, then move the lower triangular marker to the initial mark after 1 cm.

Using either the Paragraph dialog box or the ruler feature, you can easily create hanging indents in Microsoft Word to enhance the presentation of your documents.

Creating Hanging Indent: Google Docs

Google Docs also offers an easy way to create hanging indents. Follow these simple steps:

Step 1. Select Your Text: Highlight the paragraphs or lines for which you want to create hanging indents.

Step 2. Access the Indentation Options:

• Go to the “Format” menu at the top of the Google Docs window.
• Choose “Align & indent” from the dropdown menu.
• Then, select “Indentation options.”

Step 3. Set the Indentation:

• In the “Indentation options” dialog box, locate the “Special indent” section.
• Choose “Hanging” from the dropdown menu.
• Specify the amount of indentation you desire.

Step 4. Apply Changes: Click “Apply” or “OK” to apply the hanging indents to your selected text.

By following these simple steps, you can easily create hanging indents in your Google Docs documents.Common Citation

Formats That Require Hanging Indents 

Hanging indents are used in the reference list entries of some popular and widely used citation styles, such as:

• MLA
• APA
• Chicago

Let’s move on to some examples of using hanging indents in different citation formats.

MLA Work Cited Entries

In MLA work cited page, the references should be double-spaced, and if the reference takes two lines, use the hanging indent for the next line and onwards. 

Here are some examples of hanging indent in MLA references:

APA Reference Entries 

In the APA style reference page, the hanging indent is used in the same way as it is used in the MLA style.

Here are some examples:

Chicago Bibliography Entries 

Just like APA and MLA format, after the first line of each bibliographic page, the subsequent line is indented 0.5 inches from the left.

Take a look at these hanging indent examples of Chicago references:

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