Has leading changed over the last 15 years?

Question

When I was in primary school, I was told to use 1.0-line leading for papers; in secondary school, this jumped to 2.0 lines; in early tertiary school (i.e. college/university), I was told to use 1.5 line; and then, after my 3^rd/4^th year began, more and more I was expected to do 1.15-line leading.

In short,

• Primary School: 1.0 line
• Secondary School: 2.0 lines
• Early Tertiary: 1.5 line
• Mid-to-Late Tertiary: 1.15 line

Have expectations actually changed for academic papers, or is it that expectations have not changed but vary depending on the skill level? Or is it just combination?

Answer 1

Are you in the United States or elsewhere?

The United States colleges and universities favor a writing style called MLA or Modern Language Association -- they publish their own style guide which give extremely detailed instructions on how to format a paper for academic purposes.

After undergraduate work, most people involved in writing default to their field's standard format, or professional body's agreed conventions. Look up APA, Chicago etc. for more information.

Answer 2

I agree that 2.0 is the standard - at least for Humanities PhD production and academic writing. It is assumed then that a piece of work can be printed and commented upon 'in the space' surrounding the text. Gutters and margins likewise are typically specified.