Solutions Should Now Be Saved in .Docx Format Only

Hey everyone: This week's tip is a big one, as it will be going standard in the next revision of the guidelines:

Please save all files as .docx. Simple as that.

Luckily, this update will probably save you a step, since you can now save all files as .docx rather than converting to .doc.

Please make sure you use only this file extension for all files going forward!

Tip of the Week Thursday: When to Send Revised Solutions

Image via: http://ashleyalece.blogspot.com/

Hi everyone! Just a quick check-in tip today, as this week at Chegg has been absolute insanity (in the best way possible, we promise).

Today's tip is about when you should return edited solutions to us after either first batch feedback or a send back. It's pretty simple really.

FOR ALL FIRST BATCH FEEDBACK: Turn this in to us as soon as you feel it's ready to go. The latest that it will be acceptable is along with your next regular batch of solutions.

FOR ALL SENT BACK SOLUTIONS: As with anything, the sooner the better. If you need more time, please just make sure to turn them on or before your next deadline.

That's all, folks! Have a great weekend.

How to Write True/False, Multiple Choice, and Matching Solutions

A debate for another day...

Ryan and I have been getting a ton of questions from the expert community about the best way to approach those darned multiple choice, true/false, and matching questions. This post in particular was inspired by two business experts who were stuck with true/false and multiple choice problems in their discipline. It would seem so simple to just write the answer and be done with it. However, students looking for help on questions of this type need context for your answer. You're there to save their day (or night, as we know students often working into the wee hours of the morning), and we know you are up to the task! 

To help you do your job, here are best practices for answering these tricky question types.

True/False
The below solution is a perfect example of how to approach a True/False solution. The expert details the main idea behind the question (what a monopoly is) then goes on to define the key terms needed and use examples to elaborate on what the question is really getting at. Then the author concludes with a sample statement, "The provided statement is false". Notice she even boxed the final answer at the end. Beautiful!

The main things to keep in mind for true/false questions are:

• Don't simply write "True" or "False". We will reject these solutions.
• Don't simply write one sentence saying "This statement is true". 
• At the VERY least, write "This statement is true because...". Then add a sentence or two to elaborate on why it's true. Refer to other relevant concepts or use an example. Students will thank you!

A Lovely True/False Example

Multiple Choice
These can be a bit trickier and they do require a bit more time. However, once you get the hang of these (they usually come in bunches in a textbook), you can get a solid template going and get moving quickly. You need to go over each and every option provided. Simply stating that the correct answer is "A" and defining what "A" means is NOT enough. If a student needs help with a problem of this type, they need more context than that.

The main things to keep in mind for multiple choice questions are:

• Don't simply write "A" or "B" and the answer. 
• Include definitions (in your OWN WORDS) of the other options. Perhaps talk about why that is not the correct answer.
• Conclude with the correct option and box it. You can either box just the letter answer or, if the option is short, box both the letter and the answer option. You'll want to explain this one a little more in-depth, perhaps with examples, to enlighten the student further.

A Wonderful Multiple Choice Example

Matching
I am not including a matching example here, as they are so similar to multiple choice. Except these are actually even easier, since you have the same answer options for a whole set of questions. That means you can create a template and re-use it. Just make sure that you always end with the correct letter answer and explain a bit more in-depth why it is correct.

The main things to keep in mind for matching questions are:

• Again, never simple state the answer without explanation.
• Always include all answer options with a short definition/explanation for each.
• Make a template! You will save yourself worlds of time!

I hope these tips help. As always, email either me or Ryan if you have further questions. Many of our blog posts come from questions from our experts, so keep 'em comin'!

Tip of the Week Thursday: Using Equation Editor 3.0

Here's a question I get a lot: "I have Equation Editor 3.0 in my version of Word and I used it. Why am I getting the comment that I am not using it properly?"

The answer to this query lies in the fact that there is a difference between "Insert Equation" in Word and "Insert Equation Editor" object. Lots of people don't know that, which is why I'm here with the weekly tip!

This is NOT what you should be doing:

Rather, use Equation Editor this way:

First, go to "Insert" on the Task Ribbon.

Second, choose Object. Once you're in that window, choose "Microsoft Equation 3.0"

Hit "OK" and then you're good to go. 

Tweet Tuesday, Tip of the Week Thursday

All right, everyone. We're getting super mega organized over here. Starting over the next few weeks, we'll be rolling out two regular content updates so you can always count on receiving relevant, inspiring, or crazy-helpful posts from us. Here's how it will work:

Tuesday: Re-Tweet Tuesday. We'll be re-posting our favorite Tweets from students who use your content to study and do well in school! I'm sort of in love with this feature, as students should be driving force behind everything we do here. Helping them do well gives us a reason to keep on truckin'.

In addition, follow me on Twitter! I'm @carriemejones. I'll be re-tweeting these posts all the time.

Thursday: Tip of the Week. We already do these posts a lot, but now we'll be bringing them to you on a weekly basis.

We'll also do some posts in between, but these will be our main focus going forward.

MathType Tips: How to Remove Italics

Just a quick Thursday tip for all of your writers who use MathType, which I happen to know is most of you...

You may have noticed that we often tell you not to italicize units in MathType or we ask you kindly to add a space between the unit and the value, but maybe you're not sure how to un-italicize them because you're stuck in "Math" mode. Well, here's how to easily fix that issue. No more italicized units or weird formatting problems.

Italicized units look like this screenshot, and you'll confuse students if you randomly italicize something like "feet", "meters", or "inches" for no good reason.

 To fix this, just double-click on the Mathtype and the editing box will open. Then highlight the right side of the equation (you want that L' variable to remain italicized, so leave that little guy alone). From there, go to "Style". You'll see that "Math" is selected by default. This automatically assumes you're typing equations so it will italicize everything and will not allow you to input spaces at all. Instead, click "Text" style.

Voila! This screenshot below is exactly what you want to see:

Then when you exit out of the box, make sure to hit "Save". Your answer will now look proper and lovely and have the correct italics or non-italics. 

Now, on to the next solution... 

How To Create a Template in Word (.dot)

Happy Friday! We're bringing you another helpful tip on authoring today to close out the week.

This week's tip is a HUGE time-saver. We're teaching you how to create templates in Word. Do this now and save yourself hours and hours of boring formatting work over the long run! That means more solutions written, more productivity, and more money for you. That's good all around.

Now, let's get started. We'll go over what a template is, how to create one, and how to save it. If you have further questions, ask them here on the blog or on the LinkedIn group.

What is a template?
A template is a document that saves all of its formatting (fonts, delimiters, margins, page size, headers) so you can easily duplicate your solution format again and again. Imagine all the tedious time saved! A template saves in a .dot format, so make sure that when you finish each solution and save it, you change the name and convert this to .docx. More on that in the final part of this tutorial.

How do I create a template?
It's super easy. For our purposes, you can actually use our template document that we send you when you start a project, and then just go to File>Save As>Word Template. Alternatively, create your own template for certain types of solutions (i.e. maybe you have a lot of similar discussion questions or accounting questions with similar tables). Now, each time you open that file, it will preserve all formatting so you can start fresh with each new solution. Voila!

How do I save each solution?
Now, you know you'll need to change certain things in each file, like the chapter ID and problem ID, possibly the date (unless you also make that update automatically too, smart idea.). Then you're all done writing the solution. You can't simply hit Ctrl+S. You'll need to go to the file menu and Save As. Just hit .docx, update the file name to reflect your BookID-ChapID-ProbID, and then you're all set.

It's as easy as that. Imagine how much time that will save you in the long run if you set that up now. In solutions authoring, time really is the same thing as money, so we recommend you do this today!

For more information on this, check out Microsoft's tutorial on their website. Have a wonderful weekend, everyone!

Templates for Solutions Using Maple, Mathematica, Matlab, TI

If you're working on a textbook where you are using any of the following software programs to write your solutions, then you are in luck! We're providing you with templates for exactly how to write these problems. The templates include solutions to problems using:

Maple
Mathematica
MATLAB
TI Graphing Calculator

Download the files by clicking the link above. Then solve away!

Tips on Diagrams and Graphing

Too bad all of your graphs
can't be this simple...

Another round of helpful tips for all of you authors working on books that contain a lot of diagrams, tables, etc. These can be a pain, we know! To help out, we've created a list of (1) rules, (2) recommended software, and (3) templates for referring to diagrams/figures/tables

General rules to follow for how to deal with diagrams and graphing:

• For all tables over 15 rows, you need only recreate the first 15 rows or simply describe the table. Otherwise, just recreate it, making sure it fits within the page margins. Center it.
• If a diagram is far too complicated to re-create AND you will not be needing to manipulate it to solve the problem, simply refer to the diagram. There are very specific ways to do this. More on that below.
• Center and make sure all diagrams are "in line with text". 

Top recommended software for creating diagrams and graphs:

• DrawPlus
• Geogebra (for geometry)
• Avogadro (for 3D chem diagramming)
• CorelDraw (chem diagramming)
• Maxima (for 2D and 3D graphs)
• Aepryus (graphing)
• Skitch (for marking up screenshots). This program is a part of Evernote, which I also highly recommend for a variety of purposes.

How do you refer to a diagram, figure, or table?

The easiest way to refer to a diagram is to describe it briefly. Do NOT mention page numbers, figure numbers, problem numbers, chapter numbers, as these things can change from one edition to the next. Instead, saying something like:

For Diagrams:

"In this problem, we are given a diagram of a box with a length of 10cm, a width of 5 cm, and a height of 4 cm. We are asked to calculate the area of this box, so first we must use the formula for calculating area..."

For Tables:

"To solve this problem, refer to the table that lists the monthly spending of Company C in USD from January 2010 to February 2012."

Staying Motivated During the Whirl of the Holidays

Photo via Escobar's Highland Farm

What is it about the holiday season that has us feeling so spirited and excited at home and so dull and lifeless at work in the evenings? In the morning, I stop by my local coffee shop and grab a pumpkin-spice-cinnamon-caramel-whatever-else-tastes-like-Christmas latte before my commute, and I'm practically skipping down the street, loving all the fall colors and feeling so grateful and caffeinated. And then by 3 PM, I'm about 15 degrees from lying down in my office chair. All I want to do is sit in front of a fire and decorate my Christmas tree and eat sugar cookies.

It's a great conflict that I'm sure you're all facing as the holidays approach and the weather gets colder. I know we can all use a little motivation sometimes, so I'm sharing some of my tactics  for staying motivated and on-task when it seems only visions of sugarplums or cinnamon lattes or egg nog will dance in your head:

1. Make a to-do list at the beginning of each day. I usually do this after the coffee has kicked in, so I feel more ambitious. Then my to-do list contains items like "5. Fix everything ever having to do with the QA of solutions" and "6. Build a massive treehouse from scratch outside of the Chegg office. Make sure to include an elevator and multiple restrooms for visitors."
2. Save the snacking for specific times. Just say no to that plate of cookies that is sure to make you feel lethargic.
3. Have a plan of action for each task. If you're writing a solution, set up the template, write a quick draft, and then get to typing everything up. Write a really messy first draft and then come back to it later.
4. Take Facebook breaks. I kid you not. I have a reflex where I take about 30 seconds every hour to look at Facebook and see that nothing new has been posted. Then I get back to it.
5. Take real breaks in addition to the Facebook breaks. Take time to have a good lunch and see the people who matter to you. 
6. Set up alerts. Whether you use Outlook or Any.do or Google calendar, set up alarms for yourself and allocate specific amounts of time for each task you need to complete.
7. If you're studying for exams right now, make sure you prioritize that above all else. You can't take back a bad grade, but you can certainly fix other mistakes. Yes, even writing textbook solutions for pay. You can re-do a solution, but you can't take back a bad grade.
8. Sleep. I should probably take my own advice more often with this one, but sleep will work wonders on your productivity. Supplement with exercise. 
9. If all else fails, coffee works for a few hours. Coffee will carry you through quite a lot. 

If you've got any suggestions of your own, feel free to share. 

Very happy holidays from the Chegg Homework Team! 

How To Box Your Answers in Word

Many of you have asked me or Ryan how you go about boxing answers in Word without MathType. In MathType, it's simple. You just highlight the text you need, and you click the box option, like so:

But if you don't use MathType (because you use Word's Equation Editor 3.0 or because your text isn't equation-oriented), there is another option for you in Microsoft Word. To box the answer, you just highlight the final answer and click “Outside Borders” in the Paragraph menu.You should not box with a text box. This is way easier anyway, so I'm not so sure why you'd even want to! :-)