Format Helps.
I recently stumbled upon a blog from an editor who reads the slush pile and he said that he cared more that someone could create a good story than have everything else perfect.
That being said, sometimes having everything perfect does help. Or at least readable. The Science Fiction Writers Association wrote a bunch of articles from how to do a word count to the best method of space travel. Some of these articles are serious, some are humorous. Unfortunately, I have yet to find my favorite one about how to “properly send a manuscript to ensure its safety.” (They changed the site since the first time I found it, and I was stupid and never saved it.)
So anyway, here is the index of the SFWA Information Center, with a lot of useful articles, all waiting for you when you’re bored because I didn’t write anything long and interesting.