Marcio Cunha
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ABNT standards in Word: step by step

Formatting academic papers often feels like an endless chore, but setting up Microsoft Word correctly from the beginning saves hours of frustration. This practical guide walks through the exact rules needed to make your thesis or dissertation compliant with official Brazilian technical standards without losing your sanity.

Marcio Cunha•8 min
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Summary
  • Setting up Microsoft Word margins and fonts before writing prevents tedious manual fixes later.
  • Applying specific rules for long quotes, such as a four-centimeter indent and smaller font, ensures compliance with citation rules.
  • Organizing the document into pre-textual, textual, and post-textual elements keeps the academic structure properly aligned.
  • Starting the page numbering count on the title page while displaying the actual numbers only from the introduction satisfies structural requirements.
  • Reviewing the final checklist helps verify that line spacing, paragraph indents, and reference orders match official specifications.

Overview

ABNT defines academic formatting standards in Brazil, acting like a universal rulebook for research papers. This guide shows how to configure Microsoft Word properly for papers, theses, and dissertations so you do not have to fix everything manually at the last minute.

Main ABNT standards

  • NBR 14724 — Academic papers presentation
  • NBR 6023 — References
  • NBR 10520 — Citations
  • NBR 6027 — Table of contents
  • NBR 6028 — Abstract

Basic settings in Word

1. Page

  1. Layout → Margins → Custom Margins
  2. Top: 3 cm | Bottom: 2 cm | Left: 3 cm | Right: 2 cm
  3. Orientation: Portrait | Paper: A4

2. Font

  1. Select all (Ctrl + A)
  2. Font: Times New Roman or Arial
  3. Size: 12 (body text)

3. Spacing and paragraph

  1. Paragraph → Indents and Spacing
  2. Alignment: Justified
  3. Special indent: First line 1.25 cm
  4. Line spacing: 1.5

Element specifications

  • Body text: 12, 1.5, justified
  • Section title: 12, bold, 1.5
  • Long quote: 10, single spacing, 4 cm indent
  • Notes/captions: 10, single

Academic structure

  • Pre-textual: cover, title page, abstract, TOC
  • Textual: introduction, development, conclusion
  • Post-textual: references, glossary, appendices

Citations

Short direct quote (up to 3 lines)

According to Silva (2023, p. 45), "education is the foundation".

Long direct quote (over 3 lines)

  • 4 cm left indent
  • Font size 10
  • Single spacing
  • No quotation marks

Page numbering

  1. Counting starts at the title page
  2. Numbers appear at the Introduction
  3. Top right corner, 2 cm from edges
  4. Font size 10

Final checklist

  • Margins 3 cm (top/left) and 2 cm (bottom/right)
  • Font size 12 for body text
  • Line spacing 1.5
  • First line indent 1.25 cm
  • Long quotes with 4 cm indent
  • TOC updated
  • References alphabetical order

Conclusion

With Word configured from the start, you avoid last-minute formatting. Standardization is the key.