Have you ever submitted a homework assignment to your teacher and they could not open it?
Or when they did open it, it looked horrible?
Have you been told to submit your assignment in a different format or else it won’t be graded or considered “turned in”?
Well, if you were submitting your assignments using PDF, you likely wouldn’t be having these issues since PDF files look the same on everyone’s computer.
In case you aren’t familiar with it, let’s explore what is PDF and what the differences are between a PDF file and a Word document file.
What is PDF?
A PDF is a file that has been generated or saved in Portable Document Format. PDF was originally developed by Adobe Systems but is now an “open standard” used by many software developers.
PDF was originally created to share read-only files with anyone regardless of what kind of computer operating system they were using.
They also have the added convenience of being able to be read by most web browsers, too.
What is a Word Document?
A Word document is a document created and saved using Microsoft Word. Microsoft Word is a word processing software program.
The most common file extensions used by Word are .doc or .docx. Both indicate they are document files.
In order to view a Word document, you need to have either have Microsoft Word or another word processing program that is compatible.
Five Reasons Students Should Be Using PDF Instead of Word
Below are five good reasons for using PDF rather than Word to create, save and transmit your work to your teachers/professors or other students you may be working with. You’ll be glad you did.
1. PDF is a What-You-See-Is-What-You-Get Format
One of the most important things for a student is to be sure the work you submit to your teachers or professors arrives looking exactly as you intended.
PDF is a what-you-see-is-what-you-get (WYSIWYG) format. So when you save your file in PDF format, it retains all of the structure you built into your document, such as tables, columns, line spacing, and margins.
This means that whenever anyone views your PDF document, it always looks the same. It doesn’t matter what PDF viewer the user is using to view it.
This isn’t the case with Word and other word processing programs. Even for users using the same exact version of Word that you saved your document with, it may open looking different for them due to their own particular preferences they have set on their computer.
Or, worse yet, your file may not open at all, if the word processor you used and the word processor the recipient uses are incompatible.
2. You Can Combine Multiple File Sources into One PDF
Different assignments and projects require different software, content, and media to put them together in order to put your best foot forward.
For example, when using Microsoft Word, you cannot simply import pages from an Excel spreadsheet, or PowerPoint slides, or videos into your Word document.
But you can combine all of those documents (or even just the portions of each that you want) into one PDF file. You can combine them in whichever order you want the viewer to see them, too.
This also makes it easier to know that you are uploading or emailing all of the work in your project since it will all be in one file! It will make it easier for the recipient as well.
3. PDF Files Are More Secure
When files are created or saved in PDF, the program uses high-level encryption, making them more secure than a DOC file. They are also less likely to be tampered with by malware.
PDF files also allow you to control who can access your file. You can password protect your files so only those with the password will be able to view it.
Because of this security, if you decide to share your word with fellow students you are collaborating with, they will not be able to copy or edit your work as easily. They will, however, be able to use the comment feature (and other features) in Adobe to give you feedback and suggestions in regard to your work.
4. PDF Files Are Compressed
In this day and age, document files are oftentimes not just text. They include photos, images, graphs, and other elements which greatly increase their size when saved.
When document files are converted to PDF, the file is compressed, making the resulting file smaller. Smaller files are both easier and faster to upload, download and email.
5. PDF Files Are Easy to Create
PDF files can generally be created very easily using Microsoft Word. You can either choose to “Print to PDF” rather than print to a printer. Or you can choose to “Save as” and pick “PDF” as the format for your document to be saved in.
You can follow these same procedures using Excel, PowerPoint, and any of the other programs in Microsoft Suite. Then, as indicated above, you can combine all of these types of files into one PDF file, if you choose to.
How to Edit a PDF in Word
A PDF file cannot be simply opened in Word and edited.
If you have received or previously created a PDF file and now want to edit it using Microsoft Word, you will need to convert the file from a PDF file to DOC file.
You can do this easily by using a file converter. Just upload your PDF file and it will convert your file to a Word DOC.
Once your PDF is converted to a .DOC file, you will be able to open it and edit it just like you would with a file originally created with Microsoft Word.
Then, you can choose to save the new file as a Word document or back into PDF format (or both).
You may find it beneficial to save a copy in both formats. This will make it easier if you think you may need to do future edits to your Word document.
Start Using PDFs Today
If you want to make sure your teacher or professor will be able to view your work as you intended, start using PDF as your preferred file format today.
If you have any further questions about what is a PDF or how to get your file converted, please check out our blog.