Microsoft Office Word 2010 has several tools for editing documents and tracking those edits. This can be a lifesaver when you want to remember every change you made during the revision process. Some of these are especially useful when you are editing another person’s document, such as a peer-reviewed paper, or you are working on a single document as a team and want everyone to be aware of all the changes made during the review process.
Certain tools in MS Office are designed specifically for the revision process, but there are other methods, using basic editing tools, to make your changes more noticeable. When time is a factor, using those methods makes it easier to simply integrate them into the finished document and be on your way. This tutorial will help you choose the method most appropriate for your situation and guide you through it.
Be careful to make sure that when you are using the editing tools, the person you are sharing the document with is able to access and view the change indicators. Communicate to ensure you and your partner’s word processing software is compatible with tools specific to Microsoft Word 2007 before deciding on an editing method.
Part 1: MS Tools Specifically for Editing
When you want indicators of every edit you make to be big and obvious enough to alert yourself or other readers to what is different, use the following tools. Everything mentioned here is located under the “Review” tab along the top of the MS Word window. Remember: these tools may not be compatible with other editing software and are best used with MS Office 2007 or MS Office 2010.
Comments and Tracking Changes
The Comment tool allows you specify a system by which you can propose changes and leave commentary or annotations. There are three main ways to use the Comment tool which are default or close to default and easy to access in the software.
To change the appearance of the edits, including balloon color and the font of editing text, click the “Track Changes” dropdown menu on the Review toolbar, then select “Change Tracking Options.” A dialogue box will pop up and display options for formatting everything regarding comments features.
Selecting the “Reviewing Pane” drop down menu shows the cumulative changes to the entire document in each specific section in a vertical or horizontal sidebar, allowing you to travel directly to a specific edit.
- Highlight the word or phrase you want to make a comment on, then click the “New Comment” button. A red balloon will pop up on the left or right side of the document and a cursor will appear to show you where to type. Once you are finished, click outside the balloon to seal it. To make changes to the finished comment, simply click the mouse pointer inside the balloon to activate the cursor.
- To show change and comment indicators within the text rather than on the outside edges of the document in balloons, click the dropdown menu under “Balloons,” then select “Show All Revisions Inline.”
- The third option allows you to change text and show what the exact changes are, detailing what was deleted, in a balloon located to the right of the document. New text will appear in the color designated for edits in the inline text. To activate this tool, click on the upper half of the “Track Changes” button with the picture of the paper and pencil.
Part 2: Making Edits Using Basic Formatting Tools
The basic formatting tools can be effectively utilized for a simpler editing process. Not everyone uses the newest Microsoft Office software or has the patience or ability to access the more advanced editing options. All of the following tools can be accessed via the “Home” tab at the top of the software’s window.
Indicating edits with simple font changes is a good way to ensure that the edits are viewable on different computers with different word processing software. It’s not surefire, and you must save the document in a format compatible with versions of word processing software, so it’s wise to do a bit of research to see what works.
Using Different Fonts
Inserting text of a different font is a fast and easy way to grab your or someone else’s attention to a particular spot and either submit comments or changes. Access this tool in the “Font” box cluster by clicking the dropdown menu next to the button with an “A” on it to choose a new color for your edits. This is also particularly useful when you want to use different colors to indicate different types of edits or comments. To make these edits more conspicuous, you can utilize other tools such as Bold, Italics, Underlining, and Size, also located in the Font box cluster.
Using the Highlighter Tool
The Highlighter tool in Microsoft Office operates in exactly the same way a highlighter works on paper: it marks the text with a chosen color to make it more conspicuous. This is a handy tool to use for making edits stand out more amongst the rest of the text. To activate it, select the text you want to highlight, then click the button in the Font box cluster with the highlighter, located next to the font color button. Click the dropdown menu on the right side of the button to select alternate colors.
Sources:
Word Help – Included with Microsoft Office 2007 Word software
More articles about Microsoft Office 2007:
Formatting a Paper in Microsoft Office Word 2007
Amanda Braun - Amanda Braun is a graduate of Bowling Green State University with a BA in Geography and History, focusing on historical research, GIS, and ...
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