Adding Sidebars

In publishing, sidebars are used extensively in some page designs. You often see them in magazines and sometimes in books. A sidebar is generally a short, concise treatment of a subject related to the main text, but which is called out in a boxed format to the side of the main text. Sidebars are generally digressions from the main topic of the text, and if they were included in the main text they would distract from the information being conveyed.

In Word, the usual way of creating sidebars is to use a text box that contains text. To create a sidebar, follow these general steps:

1. Switch to Print Layout view, if you are not already in that viewing mode.
2. Display the page on which you want to place the sidebar.
3. Decide whether you want the sidebar on the left or right side of the page.
4. Add a text box that will contain the sidebar text.

Your sidebar has been placed, and you can type text in the box that defines the sidebar. You can also format the text box, using tips provided in other issues of WordTips, to appear exactly as you want it to.