Editing a document can be hard work (as proofreaders, we know this better than anyone). But there are tricks you can use to make life easier, such as the ‘Track Changes’ function in Microsoft Word.
This is how we record corrections when you send a document to us for proofreading. But you can also use it yourself while redrafting an essay. In this blogpost, we explain why you should.
The aptly named ‘Track Changes’ tool in Microsoft Word automatically records any changes made to a document while it is turned on. As well as letting you quickly see where alterations have been made, this makes it easier to review and revert edits if you change your mind later.
As such, it can be a great time saver when editing an essay or dissertation chapter.
This tool is also very easy to use. In Word 2007 or later, to turn it on, simply:
Clicking the button again will turn the function off when you’ve finished making edits.
The other crucial part of the ‘Tracking’ section relates to how changes are displayed (i.e. the ‘markup’ options). These are accessed via a menu next to the ‘Track Changes’ button.
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In the most recent versions of Word (2013 and 2016), the options available here are:
In Word 2007 and 2010, the options available are similar but with different names:
To further customise the markup in your document, you can select specific types of edit (insertions and deletions, formatting, etc.) to display via the ‘Show Markup’ menu.
Once you’ve finished editing your document, you can go through the tracked changes using the ‘Previous’ and ‘Next’ buttons in the ‘Changes’ section of the ‘Review’ tab. You can also accept or reject individual changes using the corresponding buttons in this panel.
Alternatively, you can tackle all changes in a document at once by clicking the little arrow on the relevant button and selecting ‘Accept All’ or ‘Reject All’ as required.
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