How to Teach Master Documents in Word

Master documents are used to manage large documents in Microsoft Word. When teaching this concept to students, emphasize the importance of working with one main document and several subdocuments and demonstrate how the master document helps manage file size and organization. A good example to use when teaching master documents is that of a team collaborating on a book project. When each person completes their section, the final project is assembled by inserting subdocuments into the master document.

Instructions

1. Open Word 2010 and click the "View" tab. Select the "Outlook" icon in the "Master Document" group. Make sure the students understand that this is where they initiate the master document. Click the "Show Documents" icon, which displays the master document tools available.

2. Begin to build the master document by clicking the "Insert" icon. Browse the files and locate a document. Click on the document and select the "Open" button. The document is inserted as a subdocument. Continue to add more documents to the master document. Click the "Collapse" icon to see the different subdocument file links. The Collapse icon toggles as the Expand icon when selected. When "Expand" is selected, the document contents are displayed again.

3. Review the options on the ribbon for the master document. Reduce the lines of text displayed by checking the "Show First Line Only" option. Review the text without the formatting by unchecking the option "Show Text Formatting."

4. Save your master document when prompted. Click the "Save" icon on the Quick Access Toolbar. If prompted that the subdocuments contain two different styles, click "Yes." The master document will ensure all subdocuments contain the same consistent style.

References

• Dummies: How To Organize A Large Document In Word 2010

Resources

• Microsoft: Word How To & Help