Ugly formatting in SQL*Plus

Increase the linesize, e.g SET LINESIZE 32000

or use SET WRAP OFF (but this will truncate long values)

SQLPlus is a simple command line tool. It's not really intended for pretty reporting. However, it does have some formatting commands, which are documented in the SQLPlus User's Guide. Find out more.

For instance you might choose to format the TITLE column to display only the first twenty characters and display the SUMMARY column in its entirety like this:

COLUMN title FORMAT a20 TRUNCATED 
COLUMN summary FORMAT a4o WORD_WRAPPED

This will allow you to see your query laid out more neatly without embedding formatting commands in its projection.

Alternatively, use an IDE such as Quest's TOAD or Oracle's own SQL Developer. These tools include a query browser which automagically displays our query results in a more pleasing grid. (Other similar tools are available).

Some may not like this advice (I can think of a few DBAs who LOVE SqlPlus), but you may want to use an IDE like Toad or SQL Developer. If you're new to Oracle, sqlplus will make you feel like you just jumped back in time! IMO, spend your time learning Oracle, not SQLPlus. (oh, and read the Concepts guide while playing around in your IDE of choice)