Tracked changes in Word is crucial for editing and proofreading. It allows the author to see all the changes made by the editor and gives the author the chance to either accept or reject these changes.
In addition to this, it is also quite useful in making changes to manuscripts during the peer review process after submitting to a journal and for effective collaboration among scholars working on the same manuscript. In this article, I will show how to use this function and discuss its importance.
What are Track Changes?
Track Changes is a native program feature in Microsoft Word that allows you to view changes made to a document. It is convenient and its main advantage is allowing effective collaboration between the author and editor, as well as between colleagues.
It is quite popular in the editing industry. And it would be useful for both editors and authors to know how to navigate the program. Below, I provide brief instructions to follow to enable you to take advantage of this feature.
Turning Track Changes on
To turn Track Changes on you should go to Review on the Word panel.
Go to Review > Track Changes.
If Track Changes is on, the section will be highlighted. The program shows deleted material as being marked with a strikethrough. However, added material is underlined. The program also allows you to highlight changes made by different authors with different colors.
Turning Track Changes off means that the section will not be highlighted. This signals that the program has stopped indicating or marking changes. However, the material that has been deleted through strikethroughs and colored additions will still be visible in the document.
Accepting or rejecting changes
Word allows you to accept and reject changes one at a time or altogether. The instructions below show you how:
To reject changes one at a time do the following:
Click at where the document begins.
Choose the Review tab and go to Changes.
Select Accept or Reject. As soon as you accept or reject changes, Word will automatically proceed to the next change.
Repeat until all changes in your document have been reviewed.
To accept all the changes at once, do the following:
Go to Changes on the Review tab.
Select one of the following options:
Select Accept All Changes in the Accept drop-down list.
Select Reject All Changes in the Reject drop-down list.
Using track changes in editing
Track changes is quite popular in the traditional editing and proofreading industry. It is convenient, fast, and easy to use. For that reason, many professional editors and editing companies prefer working with documents in Word.
There are some editing services that will even charge you extra for choosing to edit your document in other formats besides Word. So why do editors prefer editing in Word compared to alternatives?
The advantages of using Word Track changes
Microsoft Word Track changes is cheap, efficient, and convenient. However, its main advantage is that it is ideal for editing. If you’re working with a professional editor, it would make life easier for both you and that editor, if you decide to work through Word Track changes.
Work Track changes has the following benefits for editing and proofreading:
It allows the author to accept or reject changes at their discretion.
It allows the author to see the changes made by the editor
It allows the editor to leave comments for the author.
This is mainly because all the deletions and additions made in Track are visible. Additions take the form of colored material, whereas deletions are highlighted as being struck through.
Using Track changes for journal manuscripts
Another important function of Track Changes is during the peer review process for journals. Journal reviewers usually request changes to your document in Word.
They typically expect these changes to be made using Track. This allows them to follow how well you were able to follow their recommendations and how well you were able to improve your work.
How EminentEdit can help with editing your manuscript
At EminentEdit, we understand the importance of completing and submitting your academic writing projects on time. We are a small team of editors experienced in both publishing our own academic work and helping dozens of academic authors get published. So, we know exactly what it takes to get your manuscript ready for submission.
EminentEdit provides editing and proofreading services that are:
More importantly, we are adaptable to your specific needs. | Get in touch with one of our representatives for help in editing your manuscript We know what you want to say. We help you say it better. |
Our services don't just start with proofreading the final product. It also includes help from the very start, such as editing and double-checking your thesis proposal. Our editing services include the following:
Developmental editing to make sure your proposal can be transformed into a manuscript ready for final submission
Substantive editing to improve the quality of your writing on a sentence level
Extensive commentary and recommendations to improve literature review, structure, and arguments
Proofreading to make sure your writing is grammatically correct with proper spelling and punctuation
Assistance in transforming your thesis into a published scientific paper
So feel free to get in touch through our contact page here: CONTACT US AT EMINENT EDIT. Good luck with your research writing!
Cite this EminentEdit article |
Antoine, M. (2024, November 15). Using Track Changes in Word. https://www.eminentediting.com/post/using-track-changes-in-word |
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