Direct vs Styles Formatting

 

Direct vs Styles Formatting

Direct Formatting	Styles Pane Formatting
Not accessible to any assistive technology such as screen readers Can’t create a Table of Contents Can’t create navigation to different sections in a document Huge barriers!	Provide structure and make document accessible Easier to modify existing formatting Accessible to screen readers Create and update a Table of Contents Quicker navigation to different sections in a document Retain document structure when export to PDF Save time and save lives!

What is Heading Styles?

Headings are styles to give a document structure by category or topic. Without headings, a person using assistive technology like a screen reader cannot navigate by sections, subsections, or scan section titles to understand the document structure.

Heading Styles (Heading 1 through Heading 6) in a logical sequence. Do not skip heading levels i.e. Heading 2 to Heading 4, headings should be in order.)

• Heading 1: Document title or main content heading/title (just one)
• Heading 2: Major section heading
• Heading 3: Sub-section of the Heading 2
• Heading 4: Sub-section of the Heading 3, and so on, ending with Heading 6
• Normal: Paragraph

You can right-click on any style and choose "modify" then customize font, color, size and more...

Note: Title in Word won't recognize when converting to a PDF. Start with Heading 1 for the document title.

Using heading styles means you can also quickly build a Table of Contents, reorganize your document, and reformat its design without having to manually change each heading's text.

Table of Contents

• Headings structure will automatically populate a table of contents and provide accessible for screen readers rely on headings structure to navigate a page quickly.
• Adding Table of Contents to any documents or syllabus over 8 pages to make it easier for readers to go directly to a specific section in the document. 
• Recommend to insert page numbers in the footer.
• To create Table of Contents, select the References tab, Table of Contents drop-down list, select Automatic Table 1
• If you made further changes in your document after insert Table of Contents, select the References tab, select Update Table, Update entire table, OK.