Creating a new document with the Scribe Template is easy:

1. Start MSWord.
2. Click on Scribe on the menu bar. (The Scribe menu will open).
3. In the Scribe menu, click on New Scribe Document. (A new document will be created with a preformatted title page, table of contents and introduction page).
4. Save your new document.

Each of the elements of the preformatted document is described below.

The title page contains a preformatted space for you to type the title of your document. Delete the word Title (and the brackets) and type the name of your document in this space.

The title page also contains a preformatted area for the version number of your document. Version numbering helps you keep track of successive versions of a document as you make changes. Version numbers start at 0.1 when you first create a document. Increase this number by 0.1 whenever you make a substantial change to a document. When you release the final version of a document, change the version number to 1.0.

The title page contains a space for you to add the date your document is produced. This can provide you with valuable information should you need to come back to a document in the future. It can also provide valuable information to a reader about the context or setting within which a document was produced. Finally, a date provides you with a reference point that enables you to compare documents produced before and after your document.

The title page also contains a space for you to add a document ID number. This number is used by Records Management staff when documents are filed and is also used to retrieve documents from archive. Enter the document ID number in this space.