As I explained in last week's newsletter, editors who work in Microsoft Word can make many changes automatically (using Find and Replace) rather than making them manually. For more information on how to do that, please read last week's newsletter:

http://www.topica.com/lists/editorium/read/message.html?mid=1708048908

This week, I've provided a long list of corrections that you *might* be able to make automatically. Don't just use these blindly, however. Please look through the list to see which items would be most useful to you. Then you can record a macro that finds and replaces all of the items you've chosen. You can learn more about recording a find-and-replace macro here:

http://www.topica.com/lists/editorium/read/message.html?mid=1706748016

You might also be interested in our MegaReplacer program, which makes it possible to find and replace many items in many documents at the same time. You can learn more about MegaReplacer here:

http://www.editorium.com/14843.htm

If you have a list of things you routinely change as you edit, and if you'd like to share it with other subscribers, please send it to me here: mailto:editor [at symbol] editorium.com. I'll compile all of the lists for next week's newsletter. And now, here's this week's list:

FIND REPLACE WITH

% percent

& and

a large number of many

a small number of some

absolutely [nothing]

adjacent to next to

admit of admit

adventuresome adventurous

albeit though

all of the all the

alongside of along

already has been has been

alright all right

ameliorate improve

amidst amid

amongst among

an historic a historic

an historical a historical

and also and

anticipate that expect that

append add

arising from the fact that because

assuredly [nothing]

at present now

at that point in time then

at the time when when

at this point in time now

backwards backward

be helpful help

but rather but

by itself alone

cannot help but can only

certainly [nothing]

cognizant aware

commence start

component part

consensus of opinion consensus

currently now

data is data are

decidedly [nothing]

depend upon depend on

depending upon depending on

despite the fact that although

devoid of without

different than different from

disassociate dissociate

divide up divide

due to the fact that because

due to because of

e.g., for example,

eminently [nothing]

end result result

endeavor try

ensue follow

ergo therefore

erstwhile former

espouse hold

et al. and others

etc. and so on

fifthly fifth

filled up the filled the

finalize finish

first began began

first of all first

firstly first

foreseeable future future

forthwith now

fourthly fourth

fundamental basic

general consensus consensus

give an indication of indicate

have a tendency to tend to

have an effect on affect

have an impact on affect

have got to must

henceforth from now on

hereby [nothing]

highly unlikely unlikely

i.e., that is,

in addition to besides

in excess of more than

in order to to

in spite of the fact that although

in the event that if

in the near future soon

in view of the fact that because

inasmuch because

initiate start

inquire ask

irregardless regardless

is a function of depends on

is desirous of wants

join together join

lengthy long

loth loath

make a decision decide

match up match

may possibly may

media is media are

might possibly might

miss out on miss

more importantly more important

must inevitably must

must necessarily must

neither of them are neither of them is

never the less nevertheless

none of them are none of them is

none the less nonetheless

numerous many

on a daily basis daily

on a monthly basis monthly

on a regular basis regularly

on a weekly basis weekly

on a yearly basis yearly

on an annual basis yearly

owing to the fact that because

presented in this in this

preventative preventive

previous to before

prior experience experience

prior to before

quite [nothing]

reason is because reason is that

refer back refer

rely upon rely on

secondly second

sixthly sixth

take into consideration consider

thankfully [nothing]

the majority of most

the reason is because the reason is that

there are now there are

thirdly third

thusly thus

together with with

towards toward

try and try to

TV television

underway under way

until such time as until

very [nothing]

virtually all most

which that

while although

whilst while

will in the future will

will take steps to will

with the exception of except

When working electronically, editors often have to decide whether to make certain corrections manually or automatically, using such features as Find and Replace. Some corrections *have* to be made manually, but, in my opinion, editors often make more manual corrections than they should. For example, many editors change restrictive "which" to "that" by hand, making each change separately as it shows up in the manuscript. But how bad would it be, really, to change *every* "which" to "that" throughout the manuscript? You're going to read the manuscript all the way through anyway, right? So if you later come to a few "thats" that actually should be "whiches," you can fix them manually--which is much easier and faster than changing *hundreds* of "whiches" to "thats" by hand.

You have to use some judgment when doing this kind of thing. If a certain automatic correction will just make reading the manuscript too weird for you, don't use it. Or, you might try making the automatic correction with revision tracking turned on and showing--

Tools > Track Changes > Highlight Changes > Track changes while editing + Highlight changes on screen

--so that when you're reading through the document later, you'll know that the odd reading of that problem sentence is something you (rather than the author) introduced. Of course, if an automatic correction will result in *more* manual manipulation later on, you shouldn't use it.

Another possibility is to use wildcards in your Find and Replace corrections. In our "which" to "that" example, you could search for the word "which" whenever it *doesn't* follow a comma and replace it with "that," which would leave nearly all of the nonrestrictive occurrences ("blah blah, which blah blah") intact. Here's how:

1. Click the "Edit" menu.

2. Click "Replace."

3. In the "Find What" box, enter this:

([!,]) which

4. In the "Replace With" box, enter this:

1 that

5. In the "Use Wildcards" or "Use pattern matching" box, put a checkmark (you may need to click the "More" button before you can do this).

6. Click the "Replace All" button.

You can learn more about searching and replacing in past issues of Editorium Update--October 24, 2000, to November 21, 2000, and March 21 to April 25, 2001:

http://editorium.com/euindex.htm

Of course, if the idea of making such sweeping changes scares you, you can use the Find and Replace dialog to "Find Next" and "Replace" items individually, which still beats doing them all by hand.

Don't forget that there are certain corrections you'll almost *always* want to make, such as fixing commonly misspelled words. You'll probably want to make your own list, but here are some of my favorites:

FIND WHAT REPLACE WITH

accomodate accommodate

supercede supersede

independant independent

embarass embarrass

annoint anoint

occurrance occurrence

accidently accidentally

concensus consensus

wierd weird

mischevious mischievous

definate definite

transcendant transcendent

To automate things even further, don't just do these replacements one at a time on job after job; instead, record them in a macro that you can use over and over again. You can learn more about macros in past issues of Editorium Update--May 9 to May 23, 2001:

http://editorium.com/euindex.htm

_________________________________________

READERS WRITE

In a follow-up to her question in last week's Readers Write column about combining chapters into one document before editing, Ann Redmon (ann@gant.org) wrote:

"I'd already flogged myself earlier this year for not having purchased and used your Editor's ToolKit much sooner, but just shoot me for not having used the Add Documents feature much sooner too! I've only received half of this month's issue of the journal I regularly copyedit, so I didn't combine the whole issue into one document, but even doing it in two halves is saving me enormous amounts of time and vastly improving my consistency. Thanks again for a fabulous utility."

After reading last week's article on making separate passes through a document, Pamela Angulo (pamarama@empire.net) wrote:

"Hint for making passes: I have a 'Task' chart (a table, really) that I customize for each job. First, I fill in the details (number of pages, tables, figures, equations, and boxes) for each chapter, so I can track my progress. Below are check boxes for essential tasks: running the spellchecker, cleaning up spaces, checking and marking figure callouts, editing in-chapter headings, cross-checking references, editing references, editing figures and tables, editing boxes and appendices -- all those niggling details that can't be remembered in one pass. I find this chart especially helpful if I have to put a job aside for any time longer than an hour (!); when I come back, I don't try to do things that I have already done.

"And yes, I have a check-box grocery list on the fridge that I find very helpful in streamlining my shopping trips. YMMV! :-)"

Thanks to Ann and Pam for their comments.

No, no, not that kind of passes. I'm talking about making separate passes through a document to catch different kinds of errors. If you can catch them all in one pass, your mind is much more efficient than mine. I work much better and catch more errors by going through a manuscript several times, fixing different kinds of problems each time. This approach to editing works well on paper, but it works even better if you're editing on the computer. This is related to last week's article on editing from the top down, which you can read here:

http://www.topica.com/lists/editorium/read/message.html?mid=1707878802

Here are some of the passes I make when I'm editing a document:

1. I do a spell check. Laugh if you will, but a spell check catches the most elusive of typographical errors--which means I don't have to. It saves time now and embarrassment later. You can read more on this topic here:

http://www.topica.com/lists/editorium/read/message.html?mid=1700310413

2. I scan for repeated errors, inconsistencies, and idiosyncrasies in punctuation (especially in citations), capitalization, and spelling. When I find something I don't like, I fix it globally with Microsoft Word's Find and Replace feature. This is much faster than doing all of this work by hand, and when I'm done, I'm not left wondering if I've missed an occurrence of one of the problems somewhere. You can learn more about searching in past issues of Editorium Update--October 24, 2000, to November 21, 2000, and March 21 to April 25, 2001:

http://editorium.com/euindex.htm

3. I edit different kinds of items in separate passes. For example, I edit all of the chapter headings at one time, which ensures consistency and parallelism and all of that other good stuff. (If you use Word's built-in heading styles for chapter headings, you can see and edit them all at once in Outline View.) Then I edit the body text. Then I edit the sidebars. Then I edit the footnotes. Then I edit the bibliography entries. You get the idea. As I work, I make liberal use of Word's Find and Replace and macro features. You can learn more about macros in past issues of Editorium Update--May 9 to May 23, 2001:

http://editorium.com/euindex.htm

And you can learn more about editing notes here:

http://www.topica.com/lists/editorium/read/message.html?mid=1701016860

By the way, it's important to consider the order in which to make your passes. Can you really understand the sidebars if you haven't read the body text? If not, you'd better edit the body text first. Also, there's usually some going back and forth between items. For example, changes in the footnotes may require additional editing in the bibliography. So even if you're making passes, don't feel like you can't be a bit flexible. Editing on the computer, just as on paper, is as much an art as it is a science. And while the computer is a wonderful tool, don't forget that you're the one in charge.

_________________________________________

READERS WRITE

In last week's newsletter I wrote:

"If each chapter of a book is a separate document, I pull all of the chapters together using the Add Documents feature of our Editor's ToolKit program. I like having all of the chapters in one document so I can see and work on the whole book at once."

Subscriber Ann Redmon (ann@gant.org) responded:

"I've been using and enjoying many of your Editor's ToolKit features, but haven't tried the Add Documents feature for fear that the resulting document would just be huge and unwieldy. Is this not the case?"

I replied:

"It's true that the document is sometimes huge, but I think that having all of the book in one document is less unwieldy than messing around with, say, twenty different documents ("Let's see, where was that paragraph about . . . ?"). My computer has plenty of memory, so the hugeness doesn't bother me or crash my machine. I like being able to see the whole structure of a book in Outline View, and I like being able to do a quick Find and Replace that I know will standardize something throughout the book without having to go from chapter to chapter. All of this may just be a matter of personal preference, and you should probably do whatever works best for you."

Thanks to Ann for her question.

When I'm editing on the computer (which is most of the time), I'm most effective when I edit from the "top down." What that means is that I don't start changing commas and semicolons until I've done some other, more comprehensive tasks:

1. If each chapter of a book is a separate document, I pull all of the chapters together using the Add Documents feature of our Editor's ToolKit program. I like having all of the chapters in one document so I can see and work on the whole book at once. Later, if I need to split the document apart again, I use the program's Split Documents feature. You can learn more about Editor's ToolKit here:

http://www.editorium.com/14842.htm

2. I apply my own document template. This template uses a font that's easy on the eyes and includes all of the styles I'm likely to need. You can read more about this here:

http://www.topica.com/lists/editorium/read/message.html?mid=1700934923

http://www.topica.com/lists/editorium/read/message.html?mid=1704544112

3. I replace directly applied formatting with paragraph styles. (Why more authors don't use styles to format their documents is beyond me, but that's the way it is.) If the author has been consistent, I can do this with Word's Replace feature, replacing 16-point Arial bold (for example) with Word's Heading 1 paragraph style (for example). If the author hasn't been consistent (which is usually the case), then I have to go through the document and apply at least some of the paragraph styles manually. The effort is worth it, however, because it means that the styles can be passed on to QuarkXPress when it's typesetting time or reformatted quickly and easily in Microsoft Word as needed. You can read more about this here:

http://www.topica.com/lists/editorium/read/message.html?mid=1705536230

4. After applying the heading styles (Heading 1 through Heading 9) in particular, I use Word's Outline View or Document Map to look at the structure of the document. Does it make sense? Are the different sections in some kind of logical order? If they're not, I can easily move them around in Outline View. You can read more about this here:

http://www.topica.com/lists/editorium/read/message.html?mid=1700396609

5. I run the document through our FileCleaner program to clean up double spaces, eliminate multiple carriage returns, remove any remaining directly applied formatting (but leave italic intact), and fix a host of other annoying (but common) errors. You can learn more about FileCleaner here:

http://www.editorium.com/14845.htm

6. Finally, I start editing the actual text of the document. As I do this, I watch for recurring errors. If an error shows up more than twice, I stop fixing it manually and take care of all of its occurrences in one fell swoop, using a macro or Word's Replace feature. I save my macros and find-and-replace strings for use on future projects, and I now have a large collection of these useful tools. You can learn more about macros and Find and Replace in past issues of Editorium Update--October 24, 2000, to November 21, 2000, and March 21, 2001, to June 6, 2001:

http://editorium.com/euindex.htm

You may not want to follow my procedures exactly, but you might think about the steps you take in editing and see if there are some "top-down" procedures you could follow that would improve your speed, efficiency, and comfort.

When you first install Microsoft Word, it's set up for the "generic" user--someone who employs only the most basic features of this powerful program. For example, it displays the Standard and Formatting toolbars but not the AutoText or Reviewing toolbars. But if you're editing or typesetting in Word, you're not a generic user--far from it. You could probably *use* the AutoText and Reviewing toolbars. And maybe that Standard toolbar doesn't do much of anything for you. Don't be afraid to set up Word so that you can work as efficiently as possible. Here are some tips on how to do that:

1. During a typical workday, notice which features of Word you use the most. You might even make a list and put a check mark next to a feature each time you use it. Then count up the check marks for each feature at the end of the day.

2. If you're using menus or toolbars to access these features, learn and then use their keyboard shortcuts (see "Keyboard Shortcuts" in Word's Help file). Over the course of a year, this will save you an enormous amount of time because you won't be reaching for the mouse every thirty seconds. If the features don't have keyboard shortcuts, make your own, as explained in the Readers Write column of the June 13, 2001, Editorium Update, which you can read here:

http://www.topica.com/lists/editorium/read/message.html?mid=1707100224

3. Explore Word's toolbars by clicking the "View" menu and then "Toolbars." Some of these (Control Toolbox, Visual Basic) may be completely meaningless to you. Others, however (Clipboard, Tables and Borders), you may find very useful.

4. Rearrange menu items and toolbar buttons in ways that make sense to you. Don't settle for Word's out-of-the-box arrangement. Word was *made* to be customized! Go ahead--pull off those buttons you never use. Move buttons from one toolbar to another. If you know that never in your life are you going to use the Letter Wizard, why keep it on your "Tools" menu? Get rid of it! Make your Word window as sleek and efficient as the cockpit of a jet. You can read the basic instructions for customizing toolbars and menus in the past two issues of Editorium Update, here:

http://www.topica.com/lists/editorium/read/message.html?mid=1707286867

http://www.topica.com/lists/editorium/read/message.html?mid=1707444986

5. Go spelunking. Use Word's menus to explore features you may not have seen before. Check out Document Map, Change Case, Word Count, Track Changes, and (if you're a keyboard junkie) Full Screen View. Some of these features will make you smile. When they do, remember where they are (make another list) or put them on menus and toolbars where you can find them again.

6. If you've recorded certain macros that you use a lot, make them easily accessible with keyboard shortcuts, toolbar buttons, and menu items.

If the idea of changing toolbars and menus scares you, just be sure to back up your Normal template (Normal.dot, which resides in your Templates folder). Then, if you need to, you can go back to your original configuration by replacing your new Normal template (where your customizations are stored) with your old, generic one. You can also keep your customizations (and macros) in your own add-in template, as explained here:

http://www.topica.com/lists/editorium/read/message.html?mid=1707194086

Remember, too, that just because you remove a feature from a toolbar or menu doesn't mean it's really gone. You can always put it back if you need to. Over the next few weeks, I'll explain how to create your own toolbars and menus (not just modify existing ones) and add or remove features. I'll also show you the secret repository for *all* of Word's features--many of which are not on *any* menu, toolbar, or keyboard shortcut. If you're interested in customizing Word, you won't want to miss that.

While editing in Microsoft Word, I often need to find something that's *partially* formatted and replace it with something else. For example, let's say a manuscript has a bunch of superscript note numbers preceded by a space that's *not* in superscript. Here's an example (with carets indicating superscript):

Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet. ^1^

I'd like to have Word find all such spaces and replace them with nothing (in other words, delete them), but that doesn't seem possible. I can open Word's Replace dialog (Edit > Replace) and set the "Find What" box to superscript, but the space isn't superscript, and the manuscript has thousands of spaces that *don't* precede a superscript number. It also has numbers that aren't superscript (like 2001), so I can't just find spaces preceding numbers. What's an editor to do?

Find and replace the spaces in two steps rather than one:

1. Mark the superscript with codes.

2. Delete the spaces and codes.

STEP 1

To mark the superscript with codes, do this:

1. Open Word's Replace dialog by clicking the "Edit" menu and then "Replace."

2. Put your cursor in the "Find What" box and make sure the box is empty.

3. Click the "Format" button. (You may need to click the "More" button first.)

4. Click "Font."

5. Put a checkmark in the "Superscript" box.

6. Click the "OK" button. The "Find What" box should now be set to superscript.

7. Put your cursor in the "Replace With" box.

8. Type the following string in the "Replace With" box:

^&