Why are a number of papers so tricky to work with? Fonts keep altering when you delete something, headers or footers disappear, and paragraphs won't place right on the page of dissertation and your hair pulling is starting to make a serious mess on your writing desk! You start to feel like there are gremlins on the pages, and that may not be so far fetched! For example, if you're working with a document that has had numerous authors, or that has had bits and pieces cut and pasted from other sources, there could be formatting troubles. Dissertation Format
The biggest offenders seem to be automatic numbering and bullets. Especially when there is multiple level numbering or bullet styles involved. Some documents can have so many formatting issues, it is actually faster to select the entire document (ctrl/a) and select the 'clear formatting' selection from the styles drop-down list on the formatting toolbar. That is an extreme measure when there are just too many conflicting formats and styles.