Tracking changes

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How to Handle Copy Editing Changes using MS Word

The copy editor can work in one of three ways:

	On hard copy, returning to you a paper copy of your work with all the changes marked up for you to incorporate.
	On screen, making the changes as they go along. This approach involves you in the least work, but if you opted for it you would be well advised to read the work through to make sure that you were happy with the changes.
	On screen, but with the changes marked, so that you can decide whether or not to accept them.

Most freelance editors charge a little extra to work on screen.

People can mark changes with a symbol or by altering the text

	To insert a symbol just go to *Insert* then Symbol.
	You can have many sets of symbols to choose from.
	It is best to go back and insert a symbol. If you add one and then keep typing, the keys will be interpreted as symbol selections. The results are unpredictable.

To remove these, just delete them in the normal way.

Changes can also be marked by changing the text. If you right-click and select Font, a host of options are offered.

	You can change size, font and colour.
	Characters can be highlighted and effects such as *Strikethrough, Shadow* or *Emboss* applied.
	There are a range of text effects. These are fun to explore. They can make text flash or surround them with ‘marching ants’.

You need to agree with your editor how these will be used, so you know what action to take. To delete these, highlight the text and reset it. This is a rather tedious process if significant changes are required. Each change has to be highlighted by the editor and again by the author to remove the text effect.

How to Go Through Changes and Decide which to Accept

This is an alternative way of tracking proposed changes if the copy editor is going to send your manuscript back to you as a file with the changes marked. Under Tools select Track Changes and then Highlight changes. This gives you the options to track changes whilst you are going through the editing by highlighting the changes for you on screen.

You then go through the document and decide whether to:

	Accept the changes, using *Accept* or *Reject.* You can *Accept all* if you wish at the end.
	Uncheck the boxes to turn the *Track Changes* function off.

There are various different ways to track changes, so choose the one that you find easiest to use.

How to Track Changes in 2 different versions of a document

When you send your work for copy editing for the editor to work on screen, you can track the changes the editor makes. As the writer, you might not agree with all of them. This will allow you to identify and check the changes made by your editor. You can then decide whether to make the changes or not.

If you want to see the changes you can use one of the tools that are a part of Microsoft’s Word. Other word processing packages have identical facilities but you will have to find them.

To achieve this

	Open one of the documents.
	It probably makes sense to use the copy-edited version as the basic document so open this first.
	Then go to *Tools, Track changes*
	Then Compare when you will be asked to identify the original version.

It is as easy as that.

You will then see any words or parts of words that have been changed highlighted. Any sections that are missing from the copy you are using will be inserted but crossed out. You can edit the version you are working on to restore the changes to the original, if that is what you want.

It takes a while to get used to which version you are working on and which is the previous copy. Just remember that it is the version you loaded first that is the one you are changing.

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