When a document passes through three or four people, the question is no longer just «what does it say», but «who changed what, and why». Without a method you end up with files named contract_final_v2_rev_Anna_DEF.docx and with changes nobody remembers approving.
Tracked changes and comments, available in both Word and LibreOffice Writer, exist precisely for this: making every change visible, attributed and reversible.
Before you start: your name
Changes and comments are signed with the name set in the program. If «User» or the name of an old computer appears, the review loses much of its value.
- Word: File › Options › General › Personalize your copy of Microsoft Office, user name and initials fields.
- Writer: Tools › Options › LibreOffice › User Data.
Turning on change tracking
- Word: Review › Track Changes (or Ctrl+Shift+E). From then on insertions and deletions are highlighted with a colour per author.
- Writer: Edit › Track Changes › Record (or Ctrl+Shift+C).
You can also protect tracking with a password, so that reviewers cannot switch it off. This is useful when the document goes to a counterparty or an external reviewer.
Changes or comments?
The distinction is simple but important:
- A change alters the text: the reviewer directly proposes the new wording.
- A comment asks a question or explains a reason without touching the text.
A good review uses both: you directly correct what is objective (typos, numbering errors) and comment on what needs a decision from the author («Is this term consistent with chapter 2?»). Rewriting whole paragraphs without explanation makes the review tiring to assess.
Comments are inserted with Review › New Comment in Word and Insert › Comment in Writer (Ctrl+Alt+M in Word, Ctrl+Alt+C in Writer). In recent versions you can reply to a comment to create a thread and mark it as resolved.
Views
While reading it helps to switch view as needed:
| View in Word | Useful for |
|---|---|
| Simple Markup | Reading clean text, with a mark in the margin where there are changes |
| All Markup | Seeing exactly what was added and removed |
| No Markup | Reading the text as it would be if everything were accepted |
| Original | Rereading the version before the changes |
In Writer, Edit › Track Changes › Show toggles the display, and the Manage dialog lists all changes with author, date and type, and can filter them.
Accepting and rejecting
The final author goes through the changes one by one:
- in Word with the Accept and Reject buttons on the Review tab, and Next to move on;
- in Writer from the Edit › Track Changes › Manage dialog.
There are also «Accept All» and «Reject All». Use them only after reading the changes, or limit them to a specific author: in Word the Show Markup › Specific People menu lets you filter by reviewer.
Comparing two versions
Sometimes you receive a modified document without tracking turned on. In that case you use comparison:
- Word: Review › Compare › Compare, specifying the original and the revised document. The program creates a third file in which the differences appear as tracked changes.
- Writer: open the new version and use Edit › Track Changes › Compare Document, choosing the original.
It is also an excellent safety check: if a counterparty says they changed only one paragraph, the comparison shows whether that is true.
The risk of hidden traces
The most serious problem is not technical: it is sending a document with changes and comments still in it. If the view is set to «No Markup», the text looks clean on screen, but the changes and internal comments are still in the file and anyone can display them.
Before sending a document outside:
- accept or reject all changes and delete all comments;
- in Word use File › Info › Check for Issues › Inspect Document, which finds comments, revisions, hidden text and personal metadata;
- in Writer check the Manage Track Changes dialog and the document properties, and consider the security options that remove personal data on saving;
- if the recipient should not edit the text, send a PDF generated from the clean version.
In my work this check is part of every delivery: it is the moment when the worst embarrassments are avoided.
In short
- Set your name in the program before reviewing.
- Changes for what is objective, comments for what needs a decision.
- Review views let you read clean text or text with every change.
- Comparing versions reconstructs changes made without tracking turned on.
- Before delivering, remove changes, comments and metadata and inspect the document.
