Download Using Track Changes and Comments in Microsoft Word for Document Review and Collaboration and more Exams Printing in PDF only on Docsity!
Using Comments and Track Changes in
Word
Reviewing Word documents with Comments and Track Changes.
This article covers the following:
About commenting on or reviewing a document Setting up Track Changes Prevent other users from turning off Track Changes Adding Comments to a document Accepting and Rejecting the Changes and Comments (you must do this before you distribute the final version of your document) Tracking Options
Next Month:
Compare two documents Combine multiple documents Using the Reviewing Features Safely
About Commenting on or Reviewing a Document
One way of getting a colleague’s feedback on a document would be to give them a printed copy to read through. They might then write their comments and suggested changes on it with a coloured pen. Of course, in Word this can be done electronically! Word has two useful features to enable this: Track Changes and Comments.
What is Track Changes?
Change tracking, or revision marking, is used when a reviewer wants to make changes in the document itself and keep track of the changes. With change tracking, a record is kept of every change made, which can later be accepted or rejected.
When the Track Changes feature is enabled, every change made to the document
shows up as coloured mark-ups. If text is deleted, it will remain in the document, but with a visible strike through it.
If text is inserted, it will be underlined. This means that you can see which changes have been made and then accept or reject them before making the changes permanent.
The really useful thing is that if several different people make their own changes in
the same document, each author’s changes are displayed in a different colour, so
you can easily tell who made which changes.
What are Comments?
In addition to changing text, people can make a comment about part of the document.
Comments show in "balloons" in the right margin of the document. They can be
read by the original author or by any other reviewers and can be accepted or
rejected along with the other changes.
Just like with the tracked changes, comments made by different authors are displayed in a different colour, so you can easily tell who made which comments.
Back to top
Use the Protect Document feature.
This will allow you to ensure track changes cannot be turned off without a
password.
Choose from the Review tab.
The Restrict Formatting and Editing pane will be displayed.
Select Allow only this type of editing in the document. Then choose Tracked Changes from the drop down list.
Click Enter and confirm a password if you want to use one (Note: this password is not recoverable if you forget it!).
The Track Changes button becomes unavailable and changes are permanently tracked (until protection is stopped and track changes disabled).
User Authentication is available only if your system is set up for Information Rights Management
Once applied, protection ensures that other users do not disable the track changes without a password. This means that all changes made will be highlighted.
To stop enforcing protection:
Choose from the Review tab to display the Restrict Formatting and Editing pane
(if it is not already displayed). Click the Stop Protection button at the bottom of the pane.
Enter the password if prompted.
You will then be able to disable Track Changes.
Back to top
Adding Comments to a document
Accepting and Rejecting the Changes and Comments
Highlighting everyone’s suggested changes with the mark-up is only one part of the
reviewing process.
You use the Review tab to control how the mark-up is displayed and also to accept or reject
each change.
IMPORTANT : Before the final version of the document can be distributed or published, all highlighted changes must be Accepted so they become part of the document properly, or Rejected so they are permanently removed from the document.
To review each item in sequence:
On the Review tab:
Use and to highlight the next or previous change (this will include any comments).
Use to make the currently selected change permanent in the document and remove its mark-up.
The next change in the document will automatically be highlighted ready for you to accept or reject.
Use to permanently remove the currently selected change from the document.
The next change in the document will automatically be highlighted ready for you to
accept or reject.
Use the drop down arrows for further options such as Accepting all changes in the document.
When you have worked your way through the entire document and all
changes have been accepted or rejected, make sure track changes is turned
off and your document is ready.
NOTE: Accepting a comment will leave it in the document. Rejecting a comment
will delete it.
Back to top
Tracking Options
Here we will look at the options in the Tracking group on the Review tab.
Change the mark-up colours and options:
Change the colour and formatting Word uses to mark changed text and graphics in the Advanced Track Changes Options.
Choose the launcher from the tracking group on the Review tab.
The Track Changes Options dialogue box will appear.
Choose Advanced Options to access the Advanced options dialogue box.
Specify which Mark-up to see:
Choose the dropdown arrow:
Select or de-select which elements of mark-up you want to see.
Show revisions in a separate window:
You can view the changes and comments in a separate window or pane if you prefer.
Choose
Then choose or as required. The Reviewing pane is displayed.
Printing Mark-up
To print mark-up only:
Click File | Print.
Under Settings, click the arrow next to Print All Pages. Click List of Mark-up (you might need to scroll the list)
To print a document and its mark-up:
Click the File | Print.
Under Settings, click the arrow next to Print All Pages. Check Print Mark-up.
Back to top
