How-to guides

Guides for word counts, grades, and formatting

Word count

How to Calculate Word Count

What counts as a word, how tools count differently, and how to count by hand.

Page estimates across common fonts, spacing, and formatting.

Setting a minimum, target, and maximum, and reading the progress indicator.

500 words as a page count across common academic formatting.

1500 words as a page count across common academic formatting.

2000 words as a page count across common academic formatting.

Whether a word limit covers your reference list, citations, and appendices.

GPA

The credit-weighted formula behind every GPA calculation, with a worked example.

The formula behind a high school GPA, and how weighted courses change it.

Combining a prior GPA with a new term into one updated cumulative figure.

What a 4.0 represents, and why it isn't defined the same way everywhere.

The practical difference, with a side-by-side worked example.

Grades

How weighted categories combine into a final grade, and how to solve for the score you need.

How category weights combine into a final course grade.

ECTS

The difference between ECTS credits and ECTS grades, and how the A–F scale works.

Thesis

A practical overview of standard thesis formatting requirements.

Citations

What to include, and how it differs across APA, MLA, and Chicago.

How the three most common citation styles differ, and which one you need.

Geometry

Placing the center, opening the radius, and basic constructions.