My last post explained how to change your user name for the track changes tool in Microsoft Word. Today’s post shows how to change your name for new comments and mark-ups in Adobe Acrobat. These steps also apply to Adobe Acrobat Pro DC, Acrobat 2020, and Acrobat 2017. Note that in Acrobat, the name you work under is sometimes referred to as your author name even when you’re … [Read more...] about How to Change Your Name for New Comments and Mark-Ups in Adobe Acrobat
copyediting
How to Change Your User Name for Track Changes in Microsoft Word
Have you ever wanted (or needed) to be an incognito editor, a covert reviewer, or a clandestine collaborator? If so, this post is for you—or for your secret identity—because it demonstrates how to change your user name for Track Changes in Microsoft Word on a PC. Are you on a Mac? Please visit "How to Change Your Name for Track Changes in Word for Mac." This tutorial is … [Read more...] about How to Change Your User Name for Track Changes in Microsoft Word
How to Reply to Comments and Mark-Ups in Adobe Acrobat DC
My last post explained the basics of how to use Adobe Acrobat DC’s comment and mark-up tools. Today’s post explains how to reply to comments and mark-ups in Adobe Acrobat DC through written responses and by changing the status of individual or multiple comments and mark-ups. As mentioned in the previous post, Acrobat’s comment and mark-up tools can't change the document. … [Read more...] about How to Reply to Comments and Mark-Ups in Adobe Acrobat DC
Six Tips for Handling Unwanted Writing Advice
As a business and nonfiction copy editor, I provide unvarnished (but still polite) writing advice for my clients. But another part of my job is less direct: I talk with people about their relationship with writing so that I can customize my approach to their professional or personal needs. Unsurprisingly, many people have negative feelings about writing because they have … [Read more...] about Six Tips for Handling Unwanted Writing Advice
A Brief Overview of Adobe Acrobat’s Spell-Check Tool
Adobe has noticeably improved the editing tools in the most recent versions of Acrobat Pro and Acrobat Standard. The tools feel more fluid and integrated into the user interface than they did in previous versions; and while they aren’t as intuitive as Microsoft Word’s Track Changes, Acrobat’s text comments, highlight comments, and sticky notes (shown below) actually provide … [Read more...] about A Brief Overview of Adobe Acrobat’s Spell-Check Tool
Four Tips for Using the Spelling and Grammar Check in Word
When you inherit a Microsoft Word document, the original author's settings can affect the document even when you open it on your own computer. These lingering and potentially unwanted settings may prevent you from receiving a complete spelling and grammar check from Word’s Editor. Here are four quick tips for using the spelling and grammar check in Word effectively—even if your … [Read more...] about Four Tips for Using the Spelling and Grammar Check in Word
Am I a Copyeditor or a Copy Editor?
Copyeditor or copy editor? That is the million-dollar question! (Okay, maybe the thousand-dollar question.) I have been a proud member of the writing and editing community for over a decade. That’s long enough to have witnessed epic battles over the serial comma and near fisticuffs over hyphenation. (Believe me, no one wants to witness actual grammar-induced fisticuffs. That … [Read more...] about Am I a Copyeditor or a Copy Editor?
Editing Checklist for Long Documents
When we're editing long documents, such as manuals and research reports, we can easily get so focused on the main content that we forget to check ancillary items. Here is a basic list of things to review after you edit the main content: Cover or Title Page—Are the title, subtitle, and author's name spelled correctly? Front Matter—Have the preface, acknowledgment, and … [Read more...] about Editing Checklist for Long Documents
Ten Handwritten Editing Marks
Today, Microsoft Word's Track Changes features are the editing tools of choice. But, red pens and hand-marked edits won't journey to the land of dinosaurs and VHS tapes as long as we still use real paper from time to time. Here is a simple graphic demonstrating ten handwritten editing marks: delete, insert, transpose, paragraph, period, comma, apostrophe, quotation marks, … [Read more...] about Ten Handwritten Editing Marks
How to Hire an Editor, Part 3: Tips for Working with Your Editor
Throughout this how-to series, we've explored various editing services and ways to find editors online and through professional organizations. We've also discussed the finer points of interviewing and hiring editors. Let's wrap things up with five tips for working with your editor so that you can make the most of your editing experience: 1. Document Everything As mentioned in … [Read more...] about How to Hire an Editor, Part 3: Tips for Working with Your Editor