Word Default Formatting
Apply the default Word formatting standard for this workspace when the user wants a Word document but has not provided a different style guide. This skill has two layers:
- a general default layer for formal Word documents;
- a Chinese paper profile for academic papers.
It does not replace the general DOCX workflow and it does not specialize in equation writing.
When To Use
Use this skill when:
- the task is to create or edit a
.docx file;
- the user explicitly expects the usual house style, says to use the default Word format, or gives no competing template/style requirement;
- the user wants consistent Chinese/English typography, heading hierarchy, paragraph spacing, and page layout;
- the task may later be extended to other format profiles such as paper style or referee-response style, but currently should use the default profile.
Do not use this skill alone for:
- non-Word outputs such as PDF-only, LaTeX-only, or plain text;
- tasks centered on editable Word equations; for those, also use
word-formula-writing;
- cases where the user has explicitly provided another template, journal style, school format, or custom layout requirement that overrides the default;
- requests that mention the default profile only to reject it, avoid it, or compare it against a provided template.
General Default Layer
Unless the user states otherwise, apply the following rules to formal Word documents.
Typography
- Chinese text:
宋体
- English text and Arabic numerals:
Times New Roman
- Word equations:
Cambria Math
- default font color: black unless the user or template explicitly requires another color
Body Text
- body size:
12 pt (小四)
- line spacing:
1.5
- first-line indent:
2 Chinese characters
- default alignment: justified
Structure
- split title, headings, body, and formula paragraphs into separate styles
- do not force the whole document into one
Normal style
- keep formula paragraphs separate from body paragraphs
Headings
- document title: centered, bold, larger than body text
- first-level headings: left aligned, bold, no first-line indent
- second-level headings: left aligned, bold, no first-line indent
- third-level headings: left aligned, bold, no first-line indent
- when a heading immediately follows a display formula or a table, increase the heading's
space_before locally instead of loosening heading spacing everywhere
- as a practical default, start from about
10 pt before a heading after a formula and about 12 pt before a heading after a table, then adjust slightly if the page looks too tight or too loose
Formula Placement
- short or medium formulas may appear as standalone display equations
- long formulas should be manually split instead of relying on Word auto-wrap
- formula paragraphs should use a dedicated paragraph style rather than body style
- if a display formula is followed immediately by a heading, leave a visibly comfortable gap so the heading does not look glued to the formula block
Page Setup
- preserve the user's template if one is provided
- otherwise use A4 and a formal academic/professional page layout
- keep the visual hierarchy stable across title, headings, body, and formula blocks
Chinese Paper Profile
When the user is writing a Chinese academic paper and has not given another journal or school template, use this profile by default.
Page Setup
- paper size:
A4
- margins: top
2.54 cm, bottom 2.54 cm, left 3.18 cm, right 3.18 cm
- default layout: single column
Fonts
- Chinese body text:
宋体
- English text, Arabic numerals, variable names, and reference metadata:
Times New Roman
- Word equations:
Cambria Math
- abstract and keywords body may use
仿宋
- abstract and keywords labels may use
黑体
- default text color remains black unless an external template or explicit instruction overrides it
Title And Front Matter
- paper title: centered, bold,
16 pt
- author line: centered, usually
12 pt
- abstract label:
【摘要】, bold
- abstract body:
12 pt, formal academic prose
- keywords label:
【关键词】, bold
- keywords body:
12 pt
Body Text
- body size:
12 pt
- alignment: justified
- first-line indent:
2 Chinese characters
- line spacing:
1.5
- paragraph spacing:
0 before and after unless a template overrides it
Heading Hierarchy
- first-level heading: centered, bold,
12 pt, typically 一、二、三……
- second-level heading: left aligned,
12 pt, typically (一)(二)(三)……
- third-level heading: left aligned,
12 pt, typically 1. 2. 3. or short inline labels
- headings do not use first-line indent
Figures And Tables
- figures and tables should be centered
- figure captions use the form
图1:……
- table captions use the form
表1:……
- captions should be visually separated from surrounding body text without excessive blank space
- if a heading comes immediately after a table, widen the heading's top spacing slightly more than in ordinary heading transitions so the table block and the next section remain visually distinct
Equations
- equations must remain editable Word equations
- use
Cambria Math
- display equations should be placed in dedicated equation paragraphs
- long equations should be manually split
- if equations are present, also use
word-formula-writing
References
- section title:
参考文献
- reference title is a standalone heading, preferably centered, bold,
12 pt
- reference entries use
12 pt
- line spacing:
1.5
- do not force first-line indent for reference entries by default
- keep mixed Chinese-English font handling inside each reference entry
- prefer numbered references such as
[1] [2] [3] unless the user or target journal requires another style
Notes
- this profile extends the general default layer; it does not replace it
- this is a default Chinese paper profile, not a journal-specific template
- if the user provides a journal, school, or conference format, that external format overrides this profile
- if the document contains formulas, combine this profile with
word-formula-writing
Workflow
1. Determine whether the default profile applies
Check the user request and source files first.
- If the user provided a template, inherit the template unless it conflicts with an explicit instruction.
- If the user named another style standard, do not apply this default profile blindly.
- If the user explicitly wants a Chinese paper and there is no override, apply the general default layer and then activate the
Chinese Paper Profile.
- If there is no override and the task is not clearly a paper, use the general default layer only.
2. Split the document into style layers
At minimum, separate the document into:
- title
- heading levels
- body paragraphs
- formula paragraphs, if present
Do not force the whole document into a single Normal style and patch individual paragraphs ad hoc.
3. Apply mixed Chinese-English font rules carefully
When writing runs or paragraph styles:
- set western fonts to
Times New Roman
- set East Asian fonts to
宋体
- keep math font separate from body font
- set the default text color to black unless the source template explicitly requires another color
The default requirement is mixed typography, not a document-wide single font.
Use formatting_helpers.py beside this skill when applying fonts through python-docx; setting only run.font.name is not enough for Chinese text because Word also needs w:eastAsia.
from formatting_helpers import set_run_mixed_fonts, set_style_mixed_fonts
set_style_mixed_fonts(document.styles["Normal"])
run = paragraph.add_run("中文 ABC 123")
set_run_mixed_fonts(run)
After generating a document, inspect word/document.xml or word/styles.xml and confirm w:rFonts has w:ascii, w:hAnsi, and w:eastAsia.
python3 tests/docx-smoke/test_default_formatting.py
4. Preserve structure before decoration
Prioritize:
- correct section order
- clean paragraph hierarchy
- stable indentation and line spacing
- font consistency
- local visual refinements
- use local spacing overrides for special transitions such as
formula -> heading and table -> heading instead of changing the global heading style unless the whole document needs a looser rhythm
Relationship To Other Skills
This skill can be used alone or together with other skills in office-docx-skills.
- Use with
word-formula-writing when a Word document needs both default formatting and editable formulas.
- Use with
docx-tracked-changes when edits should appear as Word-visible revisions.
- If the user's environment has a separate general DOCX production skill, it may be used as an optional companion, but it is not required by this package.
Calling Rules
Use the following routing logic.
- General
.docx creation or editing with no special format request and no provided template:
use word-default-formatting, and apply the general default layer
.docx creation or editing with formulas:
use word-default-formatting + word-formula-writing, and apply the general default layer
- Chinese academic paper with no journal-specific template:
use
word-default-formatting, apply the general default layer, and then activate the Chinese Paper Profile
- Chinese academic paper with formulas and no journal-specific template:
use
word-default-formatting + word-formula-writing, apply the general default layer, and then activate the Chinese Paper Profile
.docx creation or editing with a user-provided non-default template or journal style:
do not use this skill unless the user explicitly asks to apply, compare, or merge the package default profile
- Formula-only question without Word output:
do not use this skill
Future Extension
This skill should stay layered. Keep the general default layer short and stable. Add document-specific profiles separately. If the user later needs other profiles such as:
- paper submission format
- referee response format
- school application format
- course handout format
add them as explicit alternative profiles rather than diluting the default profile.