This depends on two things:
- what the assignment is: this should be pretty straightforward/logical (i.e. of course you won't turn in a presentation as a document)
- what your professor wants: read the assignment and/or syllabus closely to see if they state a
preference required format
Generally speaking, you'll turn in work in the normal Microsoft Office formats: .doc or .docx, .ppt or .pptx, and so on, regardless of what actual program you created the file with. If your prof doesn't state any preference in either the assignment or the syllabus (check both!), you should err on the side of the non-PDF format.
What about PDF?
- Usually not, especially if you're just writing an essay that follows one of the usual style guides. PDFs are great for preserving formatting (hint: good idea for resumes!) but your standard MLA/APA/CMOS paper doesn't have anything exotic going on that needs that layer of preservation.
- It's more difficult to add feedback notes on pdfs, potentially, from the instructor side.
- However, some professors may only want PDF! In which case, by all means, ignore this advice and submit in that format.
What about .pages?
- No. Keep in mind, Macs still aren't the majority market for computers, and HP with Windows is the official set-up on LSC campuses. A Windows user can't open a Pages file in the .pages format... and if your professor specifically stated the desired format, you could run into losing points for late work if you've submitted a file that can't be opened to verify there's actually content.
- Pages can export to .doc.
What about Google Docs/Slides?
- Those can (and should) be saved/downloaded as .doc or .ppt.
