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Practice Tips for Document Comparison

By Judye Carter Reynolds
November 29, 2006

There are a variety of products and tools available for comparing Microsoft Word documents. Within native Word, edits can be tracked using the track changes tool that, by default, marks document edits with an underline as text is inserted and a line through text that is deleted. However, many firms have a policy against using the track changes feature because of concerns about metadata. As each edit is marked, Word also notes the author of the change and the date and time the change was made. Additionally, a record of the last 10 authors is embedded in the document as well. However, metadata scrubbers have eliminated this issue by allowing users to retain tracked changes but eradicate the metadata they contain as well as remove the complete author history. Tracking changes is finding new popularity in law firms because of the metadata cleaning capability.

Comparison Options

Tracking changes in this manner is efficient, the results are immediate, and the document is suitable for reuse. Using Word's Reviewing Toolbar, document reviewers can navigate through the document and accept or reject changes with a single click. This approval process removes the markings and the edits are no longer distinguishable. Because this feature is provided in Word, it is highly desired in the collaboration process.

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