Thanks to the Microsoft Word "Revisions" function, the user has the possibility to correct a document by keeping track of all the changes made, which are automatically highlighted in red. However, you can manually revise a document, highlighting the text that has been added or changed using a different color and using the strikethrough format to mark the parts that need to be removed. The "Reviews" feature is perfect for large-scale proofreading and adding personal comments, while manual review is more suitable for small documents, which can be handled with different versions of Word.
Steps
Method 1 of 2: Use the Track Changes feature
Step 1. Open the document you want to review
Step 2. Select the "Review" tab located in the menu bar located at the top of the window
Within this menu tab you will find useful tools for spell checking and proofreading, including the "Track Changes" function.
Step 3. Click on "Revisions" to activate the homonymous functionality
This Word tool highlights the edited text by placing a red line in the margin; furthermore, all text added to the existing one is shown in red.
You can activate the "Track Changes" function from anywhere by simply pressing the hotkey combination Ctrl + ⇧ Shift + E
Step 4. Access the drop-down menu next to the "Reviews" button
This menu allows you to choose the revision level to be adopted.
Step 5. Choose the "All Comments" option
This option shows the added or modified portions of text in red; it also displays a bar to the right of the text in which comments are entered to indicate what action the reviewer performed (for example, "Format" or "Delete").
- The other option available in the menu is "Simple Comments". In this case, all changes to the text are highlighted in red, without however specifying what type of action was taken by the reviewer or the nature of the change. The "No Comments" option does not show any of the changes made to the document. The "Show original" item displays all the deleted text using the strikethrough format without showing what has been replaced.
- In the "Simple Comments" view mode, you can select the red line in the margin of a change to see what has been changed (as in the "All Comments" mode).
Step 6. Access the "Show Comments" drop-down menu
From here you can choose which elements of the "Revisions" function to make visible. Select each of the available options to enable it by marking it with a check mark, or to disable it by deleting its check mark.
- Check the "Comments" item to display any comments entered by the reviewer in the margin.
- Check the item "Ink" to view all the reports made by the reviewer using an optical pen.
- Check the "Insertions and Deletions" item to view the added and removed text.
- Check the "Formatting" item to view the changes made to the formatting of the text (such as changing the character spacing, leading or margins).
Step 7. Highlight a portion of the text, then press the "New Comment" button located in the "Comments" group of the "Review" tab of the menu
This function allows you to add a comment to the selected text. The comments will be displayed in the bar on the right side of the document.
Step 8. Edit the text according to your needs
For each change made to the content of the document, Microsoft Word will insert a red vertical line in the margin of the text.
Step 9. Click "Accept" to save the changes
The document was successfully revised. By pressing the "Accept" button all red lines and other indicators related to the formatting of the text will be removed.
Method 2 of 2: Manual Review
Step 1. Open the document you want to review
Manual review of a text is recommended when you are using an outdated version of Microsoft Word or want to have more control over the changes to be displayed. Manual review of a document can be done through any version of Word.
Step 2. If you haven't done so already, go to the "Home" tab of the menu
This section contains commonly used tools, such as those related to quick text formatting: "Bold", "Italic" and "Underline". The "Home" tab is located in the menu bar located at the top of the page.
Step 3. Locate the "Strikethrough" button
It is located to the right of the "Underline" button. You can use this formatting style to strike out any text you want removed.
Step 4. Locate the "Font Color" button
It is characterized by the capital letter "A", placed on a colored bar (usually black). You can use this Word tool to add text with a different coloring than the one that already exists.
You can change the font color by pressing the down arrow button next to the "Font Color" button and choosing a new color from the palette that appears
Step 5. Drag the mouse cursor over a piece of text to be removed to select it
While the text is highlighted, you can use any Word tool to change its formatting. For example, you can press the "Font Color" button to change the color of the selected text to the one chosen from the palette and indicated by the bar on the button itself.
Step 6. Press the "Strikethrough" button to make the selected text appear crossed out
In this way you will express your clear desire that the strikethrough text be removed from the document.
Step 7. Make sure there is a blank space between the strikethrough text and the next character
Otherwise, the text that will be inserted below will be automatically formatted with the strikethrough format.
Step 8. Place the mouse cursor after the empty space at the end of the strikethrough text
If you want to replace the strikethrough text with new text, you must insert it with a different color from the default, differentiating it from the existing one.
Step 9. Press the "Font Color" button
If the new text entered does not have a different color from that of the existing text, change it using a bright and clearly visible color (for example red or orange). The chosen color will characterize all your corrections.
Step 10. Insert the new text after the one you formatted with the strikethrough character
The piece of strikethrough text, together with the new content written in red, clearly shows your willingness to have it removed and replaced with the added text.
Step 11. Make sure that all the text you have entered is characterized by the color you have chosen to best highlight your corrections
The purpose is to clearly indicate what new text is added to the document.
For example, if you want to insert a punctuation symbol within a sentence, do so using the chosen color
Step 12. Repeat steps 5 through 11 until the entire document has been proofread
Step 13. When finished, press the key combination Ctrl + S to save the changes
Congratulations, the document has been successfully revised!
Alternatively, you can access the "File" menu, located in the upper left corner of the window, and select the "Save" item
Advice
- Manually revising a text is suitable for small projects, such as correcting and commenting on the text of a classmate.
- If you are using a computer shared with other people, you can protect the "Track Changes" feature with a password so that other Word users cannot make changes to the document using your identity.
