How to check the word count of a MS Word document
In the tool bar Go to the Review Tab, then click on word count and it will show after it is calculated. This is an easy way to check the count while writing the article.
If you have the FK feature enabled (instructions below) the word count will be displayed with the FK value.
How to turn on FK score in MS Word
In the tool bar Go to “Tools”, “Options”,” Spelling & Grammar”, select “Check Grammar with Spelling”, select “Show Readability Statistics”, select “OK”. Once this feature is enabled, the FK score will show in a pop up like window after you do a spell check on your document.
On a MAC the first two steps are different. Instead of “Tools”, “Options”, Go to “Word”, “Preferences”. Once you get there the instructions are the same:
” Spelling & Grammar”, select “Check Grammar with Spelling”, select “Show Readability Statistics”, select “OK”. Once this feature is enabled, the FK score will show in a pop up like window after you do a spell check on your document.
- Readablity Resources
- Read-Able Tool
The Readability Test Tool provides a quick and easy way to test the readability of your work. It is the most flexible readability software for assessing readability formulas.
You can test all, or part of a web page, or simply type in your text. Link directly from your page – it will compute the results for the referring page.
Who It’s For
Whether you’re a developer, copywriter, marketer, usability assessor or SEO expert, chances are you already have plenty on your mind. The Readability Test Tool saves you the hassle and will help streamline your workflow. Thanks to The Readability Test Tool‘s simple interface, novices and experts alike will enjoy using it.
What It Does
The Readability Test Tool takes the text on your web page and gives a score for the most used readability indicators.
- Flesch Kincaid Reading Ease
- Flesch Kincaid Grade Level
- Gunning Fog Score
- Coleman Liau Index
- Automated Readability Index (ARI)
- Stock photos sources for your presentations, brochures, advertising and websites;
- About Images
- Bibliography Formating Tool
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Find out what any acronym, abbreviation, or initialism stands for
- Copyright Information
- Microsoft
- Wikipedia
- US Copywright Law
- Fair Use
- Wikipedia
- Electronic Frontier Foundation have useful descriptions of fair use.
- Stanford University’s Fair Use Resources Page
- Public Domain
- Creative Commons
- CopyScape to check for Plagiarism
- These external web sites provide advice on dealing with web content plagiarism:
- An introduction to web plagiarism: Web Site Content Theft
- How to avoid web copyright infringement
- General information about copyright: What is Copyright Protection?
- Copyright Links: Stanford Copyright Resources
- Copyright on the web: Legal Articles for Web Site Owners
- Legal environment for the Web: Rights Online
Copyright laws vary from place to place. Here is some information for specific jurisdictions:
- Worldwide: World Intellectual Property Organization
- Australia: Intellectual Property Office, Copyright Info
- Canada: Intellectual Property Office, Copyright Info
- France: Intellectual Property Office
- Germany: Intellectual Property Office
- Italy: Copyright Office
- Japan: Intellectual Property Office
- United Kingdom: Copyright Office
- United States: Copyright office
- These external web sites provide advice on dealing with web content plagiarism:
- AWAI American Writers & Artists Association
- Learn to maximize Acrobat PDF documents
- Streamline Your Author Blog for Maximum Impact Course
- ISBN Directory
- Caption Services
- CaptionAccess Captioning the world, one word at a time. – Meetings, Classes, Webinars and Videos
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McClatchy content. PARS International Corp.
the authorized reprint, permissions / licensing agent for The McClatchy Company. We offer a full suite of products and services ranging from hardcopy and electronic reprints to plaques, posters, and permissions / licensing, including photocopies.
- Writing for Publication in Nursing and Healthcare: Getting it Right
- Writing Skills in Nursing and Healthcare: A Guide to Completing Successful Dissertations and Theses
- Writing for Publication in Nursing and Healthcare: Getting it Right
- Writing for Publication in Nursing, Second Edition (Oermann, Writing for Publication in Nursing)
- Links to dozens of types of online calculators for skills, research & documentation
- Newslab’s Getting the Numbers Right
- Journal of Resource: Math for Journalists
Covers some of the basics: mean, median, etc. Also has links to other tools. - Robert Niles: Statistics Writers Should Know
An excellent reference primer from the LA Times’ Robert Niles on stats for journalists.Start here with several math tutorials! - Math Competency Tests for Journalists
Online quizzes galore. - The Megapenny Project
Help readers visualize large numbers in terms of pennies. Great for graphics. - Inflation Calculator
From the Bureau of Labor Statistics. - Currency Converter
Universal conversion tool.Census: Statistical Abstract of the United States
The complete abstracts going back to 1995, mostly .PDFs of the book pages. - Currency Converter
- Global Rich List Database
- Research Statistical Terms Primer for Journalists
Great primer from Harvard. - Math Mistakes
Common errors by reporters, advertisers, politicians and activists. - American Math Society: What’s New in Mathematics
Includes a ‘Feature Column’ monthly essays on mathematical topics), ‘Math in the Media’ (highlights of math news from science literature and the current media), ‘Math Digest’ (summaries of articles on mathematics), and the ‘AMS Public Awareness Office'(press releases, contacts for journalists, and more). - Eric Weisstein’s World of Mathematics
- News U: Math for Journalists Free Class
- Matt Baron’s “Go Figure” Site
Great tips for handling stats. - Center for Investigative Journalism: Statistics for Journalists
A 12-page tipsheet. - Exploring Data
A resource for educators who are teaching introduction to statistics, with some basic instruction that could be helpful to journalists. - Newslab’s Internet Resources for News with Numbers
This site includes links to helpful online calculators. - Newslab’s “Getting the Numbers RightMath for Journalist Course
- Zillow: Mortgage Calculator
Combines comprehensive outputs, showing a mortgage payment in full, with a smooth interface and attractive usability. - Phil Meyer’s Mathematics Competency Test for Journalists
- Project for Excellence in Journalism’s “Using Numbers”
- Geneva International Forum
A listing of international organizations located in Geneva. The database is searchable by keywords. - MSNBC: Estimating Large Crowds
Steve Doig of Arizona State University uses a process to estimate large crowds. He uses Obama’s Presidential Inauguration as an example. - Online Conversion Tool
- Calculate Me
- Mortgage Calculator
- Salary Calculator
- Distance Finder Calculator
- Cost-of-Living Calculator
- Currency Exchange Rates
- Universal Currency Converter
- How Much Is That?
A database of facts regarding various monetary values, etc. Good for conversions. - Investopedia: How the Dow Jones Is Calculated
- FinanceCCH.com: Retirement Planning Calculator
- AOL Retirement Planning Calculator
- Columbia University: Writing About Derivatives
- John Allen Paulos: Mathematics
John Allen Paulos is a great source for math for journalists. He is a Professor of Mathematics at Temple and is a regular columnist on ABCNews.com. - History of Mathematics
Lots of solid background information. - Newsengin.com
Created by reporters, this site offers free computer tools, including cost-of-living calculators that adjust for inflation. - Online Conversion Tool
Site has more than 8,100 calculators and conversion tables. - Aneki.com
Rankings and statistics on hundreds of topics and countries. The world?s cleanest country, the country with the most mobile phones per capita, etc. - SalaryExpert.com
A free provider of salary information from a veteran compensation and benefits consulting firm. It site shows pay data for over 30,000 jobs and displays pay data for more than 45,000 U.S./Canada cities. - Stats.org
Explores how journalists can use statistics. - WebMath
More than 1,000 pre-solved problems, many with free answers, for geometry, trig, algebra, etc. A very handy site for journalists. - Salary Wizard
Compare what you make with sports, entertainment stars. - ExploreMath.com
Animated equations show you how the variables change. Great for working out problems. - Pew Research Center: The Daily Number
Daily stat “that highlights an important finding or trend.” - Statistics.com
- Online Conversion
Offers thousands of calculators of various kinds. - QUData.com: Data Mining Tools and Library
Data mining and knowledge for journalists or anyone needing online calculators. The site features online tools and library resources. - Molecular Weight Calculator
Just input the formula, and it returns the molecular weight to 13 decimal places. - News Lab’s Online Calculators
- Disability Insurance Needs Calculator
- Math for Journalists This $29.95 Self Directed Course is free of charge thanks to the support of Knight Foundation
- NewThinkingMath for Journalists-Shaky on percentages? Ratios? Rates? Averages? Take Jack Robinson’s refresher course
- Homefair.com
This site also has a good salary calculator. - Distance Converter
- Currency Converter
A great site, but always double-check your findings against another calculator. - QUData: Data Mining Tools and Library
A great collection of online calculators, data mining, knowledge discovery online tools and library resources. - Historical Inflation Data
- NewsEngin Inflation Calculator
Calculate increases in prices over the years. - Inflation Calculator
- Bureau of Labor and Statistics Inflation Calculator
- FDIC: Electronic Deposit Insurance Estimator
This interactive application that can help you learn about deposit insurance. Calculate the insurance coverage of your accounts at each FDIC-insured institution. - West Egg Inflation Calculator
Calculate increases in prices over the years. - Percentage Calculator
- Auriton Solutions
Calculators figure your cost of credit and the size of a mortgage you can afford. - Bankrate.com Gas Price Calculators
- CalculateWhat Online Calculators
- UnitsConverter.net Measurement Converters
- University of North Carolina: Math Test for Journalists
- KitchenMath.com
Conversion tables for cooking measurements. - Convert-Me.com
“Interactive calculators for many measurement systems both commonly used like metric and U.S. Avoirdupois and quite exotic like Ancient Greek and Roman. - Writing With Numbers (Thank you to )
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- Math Tools for Journalists Book
Written by veteran educator Kathleen Woodruff Wickham Ed.D., “Math Tools” explains math concepts in layman?s language and shows how these concepts apply to situations journalists face every day. - Interest Calculator
Determine compounded daily interest. - Interest Calculator
Track the difference a small percentage change in interest can make on an investment over time. - Universal Currency Converter
Contains currency information on 180 currencies in over 250 geographical locations. - Check Your Weight on Other Planets
- The Original Tipping Page
Lists acceptable amounts for specific situations. - DeathClock.com
How many seconds do you have left? - Days To Pay Calculator: How Long Until You Pay It Off?
Enter the cost of an item and other information compute how long it will take to pay off the item you want to purchase. Helpful for writers doing consumer spending stories. - U.S. Census Bureau: U.S. and World Population Clock
Database allows you to search releases, warnings and news from the Food and Drug Administration. - CNN Money-How Far Will My Salary Go
Compare the Cost of Living in Two Cities - Speriling’s Cost-of-Living Calculator The comparison includes food, housing, utilities, transportation and health cost of living numbers.
- USA Today: State-by-State Population Growth (1790-2000)
- Center for Environment and Population
CEP partners with leading experts and organizations to link science, to policy, and public outreach to better understand and address the issues. It helps compile, assess, and advance current knowledge and emerging trends on population and the environment. - US & World Population Clock
- Other sources of other data from the Census Bureau, other Federal agencies, and private organizations
- Guide to Sources
- Federal Agency Statistical Reports
- State Abstracts
- Robert Niles: Writing with Statistics
- Grammar Girl Quick and Dirty Tips for Better Writing
Tips on writing, punctuation, grammar, usage, etc. Great podcasts where GG answers user-submitted questions. - Guide to Grammar and Writing
- SensibleUnits.com
This site converts measurements, distances, weights, etc. into objects that people can relate to. For example, four acres equals three football fields or 13 Olympic-sized swimming pools. Very handy for developing graphics and writing about sizes of buildings and lots. - Historical Currency Conversions
- WeirdConverter.com
A great site for analyzing numbers and coming up with odd facts and figures for stories. It’s great for comparing sizes, weights and gives the reader some perspective. - History of Mathematics Archive
Searchable, and browsable by topics. - Good Math, Bad Math Blog
Blog on consumer math, economics, etc., from computer scientist Mark C. Chu-Carroll. - Employee Benefit Research Corp.: Savings Rate Analysis
Projects savings/investments over periods of time. Click on “Ballpark Estimate” tool. - T. Row Price: Retirement Calculator
- National Credit Union Administration Deposit Insurance Estimator
- FDIC: Electronic Deposit Insurance Estimator
- Ultimate Unit Converter
- Bureau of Labor Statistics: Consumer Price Index Database
Select an item (gas, food, etc.) and track price increases nationally over time. Great quick reference for stories. You also can track it by region or major metropolitan area by using the image map and pulldown menu on this page - Bureau of Labor Statistics: Inflation Calculator
- Encyclopedia of Mathematics
More than 8,000 entries. - Science U
A spinoff site from the Geometry Center at the University of Minnesota, this site explains science in basic terms. - Institute for Analytic Journalism
- Learner.org: Math in Daily Life
- Water Calculator
Form helps you determine how much water you use in a day. - CPI Inflation Calculator
- TaxMama.com
Fun with tax statistics. - Mathematics of Tsunamis
The math and physics rules that govern them. - Statistical Abstract of the US – 2012
- Census Bureau
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We wanted to share a good example of how to put some large numbers or obscure measurements into context that the average reader can relate to:
Q. Is there some way to put 488 acres into context, i.e., what is that as big as?
A. One acre is equivalent to 43,560 sq. feet or 4,840 sq. yards. One football field is equivalent to 57,240 Sq. feet. So one acre is 76% the size of a football field. In the Midwest, farms were homesteaded and also sold by the railroads in quarter sections. A section is 640 acres. A section is also one square mile. A quarter section is 160 acres. Three quarter sections add up to 480 acres. Where I am from in Iowa the farmers often talk in terms of how many farms a person has. If the farm was 488 acres the farmer would call that three farms or 3/4 of a section. Or just 488 acres.
- Math Tools for Journalists Book
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- Links to dozens of types of online calculators for skills, research & documentation