Once you know to turn on Track Changes in Word before you edit, you’re ready to start refining their use. These refinements will make it easier for everyone involved to see what changes were made and to accept those suggestions with a minimum of effort.
Continue reading Don’t Do That! Track Changes EditionTag Archives: Track Changes
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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New Feature: Track Change “Cards”
Thanks, I hate it!
Word’s latest unecessary change is to make what’s it’s calling “cards” for every tracked change. They’re just a version of the pop-ups we used to have but with added memory-sucking action.
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Q&A: How to edit Modern Comments
Q:The edit comment button has disappeared!
A:Look in the meatball menu.
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Q&A: Tracked Changes are hard to look at. Can’t we use something else?
QI find it hard to look at tracked changes; can editors use another method?
AIt’s an interesting question, and one that gives me feels, it seems. TL;DR — No! Don’t make other professionals put up with awkward kludges to assuage some initial discomfort. You get used to it, and let me share some better ways to ease the pain.
Why Publishing Pros Use Track Changes
Continue reading Q&A: Tracked Changes are hard to look at. Can’t we use something else?Changes Coming to Comments in Word
“Modern Comments” are rolling out to subscribed Windows users and Word for Web rather like a steam roller over rubber duckies. This new MS Word “feature” is interrupting workflow for many and may render some functions inside them inoperable (such as autocomplete and search). Here’s what to expect:
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Little-known Word Shortcuts
If you are using control + S to save like you’ve got a twitch (and what MS user hasn’t learned to save obsessively), you already know that shortcuts will save you a lot of time over using menus. Here are some surprising, lesser-known keyboard shortcuts that will speed up your productivity.
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Extracting Comments and Markup from a Word Manuscript
Word lets you extract a summary of comments and markup in the Print dialog. You can either create a PDF or a paper copy.
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When to Make Silent Changes
When routine changes like turning two spaces into one are tracked, it creates a sea of markup that obscures the changes that 1) actually are negotiable and 2) really matter. It can lead to absolute overwhelm, resulting in a client who just “accepts all” without a meaningful review; or who literally wears out their mouse clicking “accept” on a myriad of non-negotiable changes to house style.
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Tracking Changes in PowerPoint Slides
Forced to edit a slide presentation and missing Word’s Track Changes? “Compare” to the rescue! Just save the PowerPoint file with a new name, and make your changes. Then, select Compare on PowerPoint’s Review ribbon. (Only Windows users get this option, sorry Mac users.)
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