Reviewed: 02/02/2021
When submitting an essay online, we ask for all written work to be in the .pdf format. This is because a .pdf file will retain consistent formatting across all devices on which it is viewed. This is in contrast to other file types (for example, .doc, .docx, .txt etc) which can lose their formatting when viewed on certain devices.
Many computers available to you already have PDF creators installed (for example the PC Clusters). Below are instructions on how to create PDFs on the most commonly available platforms:
How to make a .pdf when using Microsoft Word 2010 (available on University PCs)
It is also possible to convert a Word document to a PDF via Office 365.
If you wish to download a PDF creator to your home PC, these can be readily found on the Internet. However, you need to ensure that the software you choose does not insert a branded watermark onto your final PDF file, as these could cover vital aspects of your work.