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Re Track Changes in Word, does everyone know how to manage the type of change that is tracked? For example, I’m working on a manuscript that requires heavy structural editing (this has been approved by the author). Some minor formatting work is happening in the first edit but it is basically irrelevant at this stage as it simply gets lost in the much bigger text changes, so I’ve turned off that function until we get to a more advanced version.
In Word (my version is 2010), go to the Review tab, then click the down arrow on the Track Changes button. From the menu, select Change Tracking Options… From the window that appears you can make a number of changes to how Track Changes behaves. For my example of turning off formatting changes, I simply uncheck the Track Formatting box.
With all the changes that are going on, I’ve been supplying the client with one tracked and one clean version of the work I’ve done – at least until I know they are comfortable with TC (I’m giving brief tips and tricks on that as we go).
Hope that’s useful!
Joan.
Yes, Xavier. Exactly that.
If you’re working with PerfectIt, one of the options would be to make a copy of the document and save one with all the Tracked Changes showing and to run the PerfectIt software one more time at the end on the other copy. After running through its series of checks, there is an option right at the end to “accept all changes”. That way you don’t have to go through each one manually which would be incredibly laborious.
If having looked through the Tracked Changes copy, the author wishes to keep one or two things in their original format (rather than your changed one), all they need do is change back those one or two things on the clean copy. That’s my take on it anyway. However, I have heard some well-established editors say they lock the returned copy so the author can’t change things back – seems harsh to me since I believe that ultimately the text, whatever it is, belongs to the author. For more on that however, you’ll need to ask the tutors here or other more experienced editors (I’m still a newbie having only graduated last year).
Hi all. I have enjoyed this discussion very much. Here are a couple of practical thoughts. I had to phone the Institute to find where the links were for Supplementary Assignment 4 exercise because I didn’t guess that ‘Using Track Changes: Microsoft Word Exercise’
was the place to look. Probably I should have realised that. However the first post is at the end, now on page 2, and could end up on page 5,6,7 in time. Is there a valid reason why the latest posts are at the top, so to read a topic we have to start at the bottom? Could it be switched over the other way? Or can this initial post be pinned at the top? And could ‘Supplementary …………..Assignment 4’ be wrapped around the second part of the heading? Any thoughts welcome.Hi again. As there is no such thing as a stupid question, here goes. I have just realised that Dr Liza made the entry on this forum for the Supplementary Exercise 4 on 14th June 2017, it might not have been visible to me at all.
They are:Instructions – MS Word Exercise (pdf)
MS Word Exercise (docx)
MS Word Exercise – Corrected (pdf)
MS Word Exercise – Correction Report (pdf)
Tips for using Track Changes (pdf)I have searched but cannot find directions as to how to access the links written in any part of Tutorial 4, Assignment 4 or the printed instructions I received for the exercise. Where are they, or do I need to go to Specsavers?
Hi John,
I just noticed that no one has responded to your questions. Sometimes we (oldies on the forum and the tutors) don’t always see there’s an addition to an old post – so, sorry for the delay in response. Here goes:
With regards to accessing the links, please scroll to the first page of this string of posts (you can move between the pages using the numbers at the bottom of the string (just above where you write your response), and move down to the original post made by Liza. If you hover your mouse over each of the descriptors, you’ll notice that they are links in themselves and you can double click to access them that way.
Personally, I have no idea whether the listing of the posts can be turned upside-down as I an unaware of the technology used in this particular forum. However, I access another forum (SfEP in the UK) where their strings are in chronological sequence first/original post to most recent in a downward direction as you’ve requested. It works fine for a short string of posts, but once there is a really long one, if you’re following it, it can drive you equally crazy having to scroll down each and every time, sometimes having to move to extra pages, just to see one more post, repeatedly. So I would say that this reverse order is far better… but that is my opinion only.
Thanks, Kathy.
My main question was – where do student get told where to go to access the links? No one has answered this other than to say what you did, and that seems too obtuse. The links should be very easily accessed.
I agree that long blogs can be hard whatever direction you access them, top to toe or vice versa, so that is a relatively minor point.
Thanks also for taking the time to answer. All the best
John
Hi John,
Hmmm – not sure if this will help, but I’ve copied and pasted the link location from Liza’s original post—please note that only students who have completed the first four assignments should attempt these exercises. I hope this link works once I publish this post, but I’ll only know once I’ve published. Here goes….
https://nzibs.co.nz/wp-content/uploads/2017/06/MS-Word-Exercise.docx
I am feeling very confused today, regarding Tutorial 4 ‘Track Changes’.
I have the latest version of Word and so nothing is making any sense and although I feel I have a basic understanding of it, I am feeling the instructions in Parts 1 and 2 are confusing.
Would it not have been better to provide us with a document available only to students to mark up and track changes?
In Practice Exercise 4, Question 4, re ‘Highlight changes’ – I am unable to check Highlight changes as it is greyed out in the options.
Hi Robyn,
I know what you mean. The pace of change in the IT sector is fast, and I have found similar difficulties in a few of the Tutorials. I have raised this with the course management and hope they will update tutorials.
Despite this, I have been able, in most cases (but not all), to find how the latest WORD lets us do things. I think the problem comes when students have various word years, (2007, 10, etc.)
I think we as students, should, as you have done, bring this to the attention of the Institute. I sometimes wonder why the Institute doesn’t ask us, the students, to update these out of date anomalies for them. Perhaps a question other students might have an opinion on?
I have been very upfront with the Institute, so any other students who are willing to be must improve the quality of the course. That is my aim.
Best wishes, John
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