Tag Archives: MS Word

What Words Word Counts (compared to other software)

Word counts matter for estimating the finished length of a book, whether an article will fit in the layout, and how much time (and money) we’ll need for editing and design and other production steps. But not all words are counted equally, and even more so, perhaps lengthy words like sesquipedalian or phosphofructokinase should be counted as more than equivalent to cat or it. Such words can make technical texts considerably longer than an equivalent number of words in a novel.

What Is a Word

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Mac’s new Find in Document Pop-up for Word

Typing cmd + F now opens this Find in Document pop-up in MS Word for Mac. The pop-up works much the same way as this simple find always did. And clicking the kabob menu to the right of the Search field opens the drop-down menu shown, where you can launch the Replace window or the Search pane (sidebar) to see a list of matches for the searched characters.

Search field update!

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Q&A: Fixing lists in bulk?

QJust a few chapters in this book I’m editing have used a 1)a)i) structure for nested lists. Is there an easier way to make them match the other •o– lists without restyling them line by line?!

AYes! It involves the multilevel list button on the Home ribbon and (at best) Styles for each level in the list.

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How Much Did the Manuscript Change?

In a recent proofread, authors told me that they made “a few additional changes” as they uploaded content to the ebook system.

“OK,” I thought, “there’s always a few lingering typos, and looking at it in a new way (as happens when uploading) can reveal them.”

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Shortcut Changes for Format Copy–Pasting

New pasting shortcuts have been rolled out for working with Styles in MS Word 365. So if you’re used to the finger yoga for copying and pasting Styles, or for pasting “text only,” you’re going to have to revise your muscle memory. Gone is cmd + opt + shift + V to paste and match the new style, drop the shift from that sequence! Windows users, see the table below.

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Insert Ribbon Review: Pages Group

a map "locator pin" styled as the MS Word logo
For extensive detailed instructions on using breaks in a document, see Sections 9 & 43 of the book or sign up for the Essentials course!

The Pages group* on the Insert ribbon is where to turn to instead of repeatedly hitting enter to start a new page. And it does more! Below you’ll find a roundup of posts explaining the best practices for using breaks specifically in an editorial production workflow. These posts build on top of the explanations and guides found in the multimedia guide to Editing In Word 365.

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Home Ribbon Review: Styles Group

a map "locator pin" styled as the MS Word logo
For extensive detailed instructions on using Styles, see the weighty Sections 11 & 38 of the book or sign up for the Essentials course!

Styles is the Home ribbon group where some of Word’s mightiest power lies. Applying Styles is easy, but the tools they unlock are some of the best in Word. Below you’ll find a roundup of posts explaining the best practices for using Styles specifically in an editorial production workflow. These posts build on top of the explanations and guides found in the multimedia guide to Editing In Word 365.

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Home Ribbon Review: Paragraph Group

a map "locator pin" styled as the MS Word logo
For more detailed instructions on using the buttons in the Clipboard group, see Sections 9, 20 & 26 of the book, or sign up for the Essentials course!

Rounding up posts on the third grouping on the Home ribbon includes one of the most powerful tools: the pilcrow button. Below you’ll find a roundup of posts relating to this grouping in Word’s ribbon, explaining the best practices of using those tools specifically in an editorial production workflow. These posts build on top of the explanations and guides found in the multimedia guide to Editing In Word 365.

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