Track Changes to a Microsoft Word Document

Transcription

1 Track Changes to a Microsoft Word Document Using the Track Changes and Comments features in Microsoft Word, you can enable others to edit or add comments to your document without your original text being changed and, when the document is returned to you, accept or reject any editing changes that have been made. Protect Your Document When you are ready to submit your document for editing, protect your document to assure that the original text remains intact. On a Macintosh and in Windows 1. Select Protect Document from the Tools menu and click on the Tracked changes option. 2. Enter a password in the Password field and click on OK. 3. In the next dialog window that appears, re-enter your password and click on OK. If you re using a Macintosh, also take the following steps: 1. Select Highlight Changes from the Track Changes submenu on the Tools menu. 2. Select the Track changes while editing and Highlight changes on screen options. Select the Highlight changes in printed document option if you want to also print the tracked changes. 3 Click on OK to close the Track Changes dialog window. 4. Click on OK to close the Highlight Changes window. Set Track Changes Options You ll also need to specify the way in which editing changes will appear in your document. On a Macintosh 1. Select Preferences from the Tools menu and click on the Track Changes tab. 2. Use the drop-down menus to specify how you want to mark changes for text that has been inserted, deleted, or reformatted, or for lines that have been changed. 3. Click on OK to save your changes and dismiss the Preferences dialog window. NOTE: You can also set these options from the Highlight Changes window, by clicking on the Options button. After you make your changes, click on OK to close the Track Changes window, and click on OK again to close the Highlight Changes window.

2 In Windows 1. Select Options from the Tools menu and click on the Track Changes tab. 2. Click in the appropriate check boxes and use the drop-down menus to select your choices. 3. Click on OK to save your changes and dismiss the Options dialog window. NOTE: You can also set these options from the Reviewing toolbar by selecting Options from the Show drop-down menu. When the Track Changes dialog window opens, select the options you want and click on OK to close the Track Changes dialog window. Set User Information Those who edit a document will need to set the user information so that the person who created the original document will be able to determine who edited a particular part of the document. 1. Select Preferences from the Tools menu (Word 98) or the Edit menu (Word 2001) on a Macintosh. In Windows, select Options from the Tools menu. 2. Click on the User Information tab. 3. Enter your name in the Name: field and your initials in the Initials: field. 4. Click on OK to save your changes and dismiss the dialog window. Edit a Document Editing a file to be tracked for changes is similar to creating or editing any file, with the exception that any text you type will be marked to indicate a change, insertion or deletion to the original text. A black bar also will appear in the margin to the left of any text that has been edited. Add a Comment In addition to changing, inserting or deleting text, you can add comments to the document. 1. Click in that portion of the document where you want to insert a comment. 2. Select Comment from the Insert menu, or click on the Insert Comment [Macintosh] or New Comment [Windows] button on the Reviewing toolbar. A small window, similar to a footnote window, will open below the document text and a notation, such as [MSOffice1], will appear. Type the comment to the right of this notation. 3. Click on the Close button in this window to continue reviewing and editing the file. The text to the left of the comment you added will appear in yellow. Page 2 Track Changes to a Microsoft Word File

3 Remove a Comment You can, if you wish, remove a comment that you have added. Macintosh Click to the right of the yellow text where you added your comment, then press the delete key. Windows If you re working in Normal view, right click on the comment text (the text will be surrounded by brackets) and select Delete Comment from the pop-up menu. If you re working in Print Layout view, right click on the corresponding Comment balloon to the right of the text and select Delete Comment from the pop-up menu. When you ve completed editing or adding comments, close the document and save the changes. Review Document Changes When an edited document is returned to the original creator, the changes will display according to the options set in the Track Changes preferences/options. Holding the cursor over a marked change will reveal a small note with the name of the individual who made the change along with the date and time that the change was made, and the type of change that was made. The note will disappear when the cursor is moved away from the change. Before accepting or rejecting changes, remove the protection from the document. 1. Select Unprotect Document from the Tools menu. 2. Enter the password and click on OK to close the Unprotect Document window. Accept or Reject a Change On a Macintosh 1. Select Accept or Reject Changes from the Track Changes submenu on the Tools menu. 2. Select the type of changes you want to view from the View options. 3. Click on the Find button and go through your document accepting or rejecting the selected change by clicking on the Accept or Reject button when Word stops at a change. You may also click on Accept All or Reject All to accept or reject all changes. 4. Click on Close when you re done. Track Changes to a Microsoft Word File Page 3

4 Alternatively, accept or reject changes using the Reviewing Toolbar. 1. Select Reviewing from the Toolbar submenu on the View menu. 2. Click on text that has been marked for change. 3. Click on the Accept button ( ) to accept the selected change. 4. Click on the Reject button ( ) to reject the selected change. Yet another way to accept or reject a change is to hold down the control key as you click on a change and select Accept Change or Reject Change from the pop-up menu. In Windows 1. Select Reviewing from the Toolbar submenu on the View menu. 2. Click on the Accept button ( ) to accept the selected change. Click on the arrow to the right to display the drop-down menu from which you can select Accept All Changes Shown or Accept All Changes in Document. 3. Click on the Reject button ( ) to reject the selected change. Click on the arrow to the right to display the drop-down menu from which you can select Reject All Changes Shown or Reject All Changes in Document, or Delete All Comments Shown or Delete All Comments in Document. Alternatively, right click on a change and select Accept or Reject depending on the editing change that was made. View Comments Macintosh: If an editor has added comments to the file, text will appear in yellow at that point where the note was inserted. To view a comment, hold the cursor over the yellow text to read the comment. Alternatively, double click on a comment, the Comments pane will open at the bottom of the window, where you can scroll through all comments. You can view comments from all reviewers or only those from a given viewer by selecting a name from the Comments From drop-down menu. Click on the Close button to close this pane. To edit or delete a comment, hold down the control key as you click on a comment, and select Edit Comment or Delete Comment from the pop-up menu. Page 4 Track Changes to a Microsoft Word File

5 Windows: In Normal view, hold the cursor over the comment text, which will be surrounded by brackets. The text of the comment along with the reviewer s name and the comment will appear in a pop-up note. To view the comments of a particular reviewer, select the reviewer s name from the Reviewers submenu on the Show drop-down menu on the Reviewing toolbar. Select All Reviewers to view comments from everyone who reviewed the document. If you re working in Print Layout view, comments will appear with brackets surrounding the text to which the comments apply, and a dotted line will extend to the right of the text to a balloon that displays the comment. To edit or delete the comment, right click on the comment text and select Edit Comment or Delete Comment from the pop-up menu. Print a Document with Tracked Changes Macintosh To print tracked changes in the document, select Highlight Changes from the Track Changes submenu on the Tools menu and select the Highlight changes in printed document option. To print Comments, select Print from File menu and select Microsoft Word from the General drop-down menu. When the next window appears, click on Word Options and click on the Comments option in the Include with document section. Windows: To print tracked changes in a Windows document, select Print from File menu. The following message will appear: The document being printed contains comments and tracked changes. Continue printing? Click on OK. When the Print window appears, select Document showing markup if you want to print the document with tracked changes. Select Document if you want to print the document without tracking changes. Author: Jane F. James Swarthmore College Information Technology Services Created: February 2002 Track Changes to a Microsoft Word File Page 5