How to Use Track Changes in Word for Dissertation Editing

Track Changes is one of the most important tools in the dissertation editing process. Here is how to use it correctly so you and your editor can collaborate professionally and efficiently.

When you submit your doctoral dissertation to a professional editor one of the most important tools in the entire process is Microsoft Word's Track Changes feature. Track Changes allows your editor to make corrections, suggestions, and formatting adjustments while keeping your original text fully visible. You can then review every single change and decide whether to accept or reject it before finalizing your document.

For doctoral students working with a dissertation editor for the first time Track Changes can feel unfamiliar or even overwhelming. This step-by-step guide will walk you through everything you need to know — how to turn it on, how to read the markup, how to review changes, and how to finalize your document for submission.

What Is Track Changes and Why Does It Matter for Dissertation Editing?

Track Changes is a feature in Microsoft Word that records every edit made to a document. Insertions appear in a different color, deletions are shown with strikethrough text, and formatting changes are noted in the margin. Every change is attributed to the person who made it so you can see exactly what your editor changed and where.

For dissertation editing Track Changes matters because:

It keeps you in full control of your document — nothing is changed without your knowledge and approval
It creates a transparent record of every correction made
It allows you to accept changes you agree with and reject changes you do not
It protects your voice and argument — you are never obligated to accept any edit
It gives your committee confidence that the work remains authentically yours

How to Turn Track Changes On

If you are editing your own dissertation or if your editor asks you to turn Track Changes on before sending your document here is how to do it:

Open your dissertation in Microsoft Word
Click the Review tab at the top of the screen
Click Track Changes in the Tracking group
Make sure it shows as active — it will appear highlighted or pressed when on
Any edits made from this point forward will be recorded as tracked changes

To turn Track Changes off follow the same steps and click Track Changes again to deactivate it.

How to Read Track Changes Markup

When you receive your dissertation back from your editor with tracked changes the document will look different from what you sent. Here is what the different markup elements mean:

Colored underlined text — text that has been inserted or added by the editor
Colored strikethrough text — text that has been deleted by the editor
Balloons in the margin — formatting changes, comments, or explanations from the editor
Different colors — each reviewer is assigned a different color so if multiple people have edited the document you can tell whose changes are whose

If the markup is making the document hard to read go to the Review tab, click Show Markup, and select All Markup to see everything clearly. You can also switch to Simple Markup which shows a clean version of the text with a red line in the margin indicating where changes were made.

How to Review and Accept or Reject Changes

Once you have received your edited dissertation back the most important step is reviewing every tracked change carefully before accepting them. Never accept all changes at once without reading them — your editor may have made a suggestion that does not reflect your intended meaning and you need to catch that before finalizing.

Here is how to review changes one by one:

Go to the Review tab
Click Next in the Changes group to move to the first tracked change in the document
Read the change carefully
If you agree click Accept — the change will be incorporated into the document
If you disagree click Reject — your original text will be restored
Click Next again to move to the following change
Repeat until you have reviewed every change in the document

How to Accept All Changes at Once

If you have reviewed the document thoroughly and are satisfied with all the changes you can accept them all at once:

Go to the Review tab
Click the dropdown arrow beneath Accept
Select Accept All Changes
All tracked changes will be incorporated and the markup will disappear

Only do this after you have read through the entire document carefully. Once all changes are accepted they cannot be undone as a group.

How to Check for Remaining Tracked Changes

Before submitting your final dissertation to your graduate school you must make sure there are no remaining tracked changes or comments in the document. Submitting a dissertation with visible tracked changes is a formatting error that graduate schools will flag immediately.

To check:

Go to the Review tab
Click Show Markup
Make sure all markup types are visible
Scroll through the entire document to confirm there are no remaining changes or comments
Alternatively go to Accept and select Accept All Changes to clear everything at once — but only after your final review

How to Use the Compare Feature

If you have two versions of your dissertation — the original and the edited version — and you want to see all the differences between them Word's Compare feature generates a new document showing every difference as a tracked change. This is useful if your editor returned a clean copy without tracked changes and you want to see exactly what was altered.

To use Compare:

Go to the Review tab
Click Compare
Select Compare from the dropdown
Choose your original document as the original and the edited version as the revised document
Click OK
Word will generate a new document showing all differences as tracked changes

Important Tips for Working with Your Dissertation Editor

Always send the most current version: Before sending your dissertation to your editor make sure you are sending the most recent version of the document. Editors working on an outdated version waste time and the corrections may not apply to your current draft.

Turn Track Changes off before sending: Send your editor a clean copy with Track Changes turned off. This prevents your editor from receiving a document cluttered with your own previous revisions. Your editor will turn Track Changes on when they begin editing.

Review changes in Microsoft Word on a desktop: Always review tracked changes in Microsoft Word on a desktop or laptop computer. Reviewing in Google Docs, Pages, or a mobile app can cause the formatting to display incorrectly and may cause you to miss changes or misread the markup.

Do not make additional edits while reviewing: When reviewing tracked changes from your editor do not make your own edits at the same time with Track Changes turned on. This creates a second layer of markup on top of your editor's changes and makes the document extremely difficult to read and manage.

Communicate with your editor about changes you reject: If you reject a tracked change that your editor flagged as a significant error it is worth communicating with your editor about why. Sometimes a rejection is simply a matter of preference — other times your editor may have caught a genuine error that needs to be addressed differently.

Working with a Professional Dissertation Editor

The Track Changes process works best when there is clear communication between the doctoral student and the editor. At Two Dissertation Moms we return every edited dissertation with full Track Changes visible so our clients can review every correction before accepting anything. We never make invisible edits — everything is transparent, documented, and in your control.

Our editing process covers grammar, punctuation, clarity, sentence structure, formatting, and style manual compliance. We work with Turabian, Chicago, APA, and MLA style manuals and we are familiar with the graduate school requirements of universities across the United States.

FAQ Section:

Q: Should Track Changes be on or off when I send my dissertation to an editor? A: Send your dissertation to your editor with Track Changes turned off. Your editor will turn Track Changes on when they begin making corrections. Sending a document with Track Changes already on can clutter the document with previous revisions and make editing more difficult.

Q: Can I accept all tracked changes at once? A: Yes — but only after you have carefully read through every change in the document. Go to the Review tab, click the dropdown beneath Accept, and select Accept All Changes. Never accept all changes without reviewing them first as your editor may have made a suggestion that does not reflect your intended meaning.

Q: How do I make sure there are no tracked changes left in my final dissertation? A: Before submitting go to the Review tab, click Show Markup, and scroll through the entire document to confirm no changes or comments remain. You can also click Accept All Changes to clear everything at once after your final review.

Q: What is the difference between Track Changes and the Compare feature in Word? A: Track Changes records edits in real time as they are made to a document. The Compare feature is used after the fact to compare two separate versions of a document and generate a new document showing all the differences as tracked changes.

Q: Can my dissertation committee see tracked changes if I submit without accepting them? A: Yes — tracked changes are visible to anyone who opens the document in Microsoft Word unless they are accepted or rejected and removed. Always make sure all tracked changes are resolved before submitting your final dissertation to your graduate school.

How to Use Track Changes in Microsoft Word for Dissertation Editing