1 Copyright © 2007 M. E. Kabay. All rights reserved. Using the TRACK CHANGES Features in MS-Word M. E. Kabay, PhD, CISSP-ISSMP CTO & Program Director, MSIA School of Graduate Studies Norwich University, Northfield, VT
2 Copyright © 2007 M. E. Kabay. All rights reserved. Introduction One of the most useful features of MS-Word for students and teachers is the TRACK CHANGES function This tool allows people to collaborate in exchanging suggestions and edits on manuscripts without the tedious process of having to look for changes by comparing the original with the edited version. It also dispenses with the need to insert changes in the text using conventions such as [INSERT: new text] which require manual removal during the final editing stage
3 Copyright © 2007 M. E. Kabay. All rights reserved. MS-Word HELP The MS-Word HELP function provides you with full documentation about the TRACK CHANGES feature. Just get HELP (function key F1 for most users or menu item Help) and type in TRACK CHANGES to get the topics Read through the instructions for full details
4 Copyright © 2007 M. E. Kabay. All rights reserved. Fundamentals To start editing a paper so that all changes are distinctly marked, use the menu function Tools | Track Changes | Highlight Changes You can also make tracking and editing easier using a special toolbar Use the menu sequence View | Toolbars | Reviewing to make this toolbar appear. Reject change Next change Previous change Track changes
5 Copyright © 2007 M. E. Kabay. All rights reserved. Visible Display of Changes All changes will be highlighted in a different color of text or using strikethroughs for deletions Placing the cursor over a highlighted area brings up an explanation of the change and who did it: This was added into existing text Editors name, date & time: Inserted: This was added
Another way changes become visible is in normal mode (i.e., when showing the fully formatted page) If the TRACK CHANGES options include the options HIGHLIGHT CHANGES ON SCREEN, you will see something like this: Showing Changes on Formatted Pages
7 Copyright © 2007 M. E. Kabay. All rights reserved. Comments Anyone can also add comments to a text First, you highlight a word or a block of text Use the menu function Insert | Comment to create a new comment Or click on the appropriate button on the REVIEWING toolbar shown below to create (or delete) a comment These comments show up as colored boxes when the reader places the cursor over the highlighted areas Delete comment Next comment Previous comment Edit comment Insert new comment
8 Copyright © 2007 M. E. Kabay. All rights reserved. Visualizing Comments (1)
9 Copyright © 2007 M. E. Kabay. All rights reserved. Visualizing Comments (2)
10 Copyright © 2007 M. E. Kabay. All rights reserved. Accepting or Rejecting Changes You can accept or reject changes globally or individually Individual consideration: Place your cursor over each change (you can use the NEXT CHANGE button) Using the toolbar, select the Accept Change button or the Reject Change button
11 Copyright © 2007 M. E. Kabay. All rights reserved. Accepting or Rejecting Changes Another way to go through all the changes to decide which ones you like and which ones you dont is to use the menu choice Tools | Track Changes | Accept or Reject Changes This sequence brings up a menu box:
12 Copyright © 2007 M. E. Kabay. All rights reserved. The Accept or Reject Changes Box See all edits in color See all edits integrated into text See text without any edits visible For individual choicesTo process all edits at once Go to previous or next change
13 Copyright © 2007 M. E. Kabay. All rights reserved. Merging Edits from Multiple Editors A useful function for collaborative work is to combine suggestions / edits from several reviewers Everyone has to use TRACK CHANGES for this to work properly Use the menu selection Tools | Merge Documents This will bring up a file selection menu so you can merge a specific document into your current open document. All the different changes will be denoted using different colors in the text and will have indicators showing who made which change.
14 Copyright © 2007 M. E. Kabay. All rights reserved. Happy Editing!