Tech Tip: Use Reviewing Tools to Make Text-Editing More Efficient

Have you ever handed a colleague or friend a printed document to proofread or edit? When the marked-up paper was returned, was it difficult to decipher the handwriting and figure out exactly what the edits meant?

Or have you tried to review someone's document, but found it difficult to squeeze your comments into the margins and between lines? In the end, did you have to explain your marks to the confused author?

Microsoft Word's reviewing tools can make the back-and-forth process of editing and collaborative writing more efficient.

Track Changes, for instance, enables the user to make changes and add comments without affecting the original text. The text below is an example of what a reviewed document might look like with Track Changes turned on.

Using the Reviewing Toolbar, the author can review the changes and comments one by one, accepting or rejecting each change as appropriate. (To access Word's reviewing tools, select View > Toolbars > Reviewing from the menu bar.)

To learn more about the Reviewing Toolbar and how to use Track Changes, select Microsoft Office Word Help* from Word's Help menu and search for the word "markup."

* Word 2003. Wording may vary slightly in previous versions