Track Changes & PERRLA for Word Add-in

The PERRLA for Word Add-in and Word's built-in Track Changes feature can cause problems for each other when it comes to inserting citations or when your professor provides feedback.

Working in a paper with Track Changes

The problems with Track changes can happen either in using the PERRLA for Word Add-in or when your professor is reviewing your paper.  Each of these can be addressed separately.

While working in a paper, Track Changes is much less likely to interfere with PERRLA if the Track Changes are hidden while you are using PERRLA.  If you encounter problems using PERRLA while using Track Changes, follow these steps:

1. Go to the Review ribbon tab
2. Select No Markup from the dropdown list beside the Track Changes toggle

This will hide any changes and will stop Word from affecting PERRLA.  You can change the Track Changes view back to Simple Markup or All Markup when you are finished using PERRLA or before you turn it back in to your professor.

Removing Content Controls before submitting a paper for review

PERRLA uses Word's built-in feature – Content Controls – to insert Citations, References, and some other important items.  Content Controls are locked by default so that their text always adheres to proper APA/MLA formatting.  They also allow PERRLA to track where various parts of your paper are located.

Because Content Controls are locked, they can prevent your professor from being able to comment or edit their content.  However, it is possible to remove them before you submit your paper to your professor.

There are 2 things you should know before removing your Content Controls: 

1. Removing Citation Content Controls disconnects those Citations from PERRLA.

If you try to edit or delete the Citations through the PERRLA panel, nothing will happen.  They won't be updated by PERRLA at all.

This also means that newly created citations for References with a Group Author & abbreviation may not show the correct citation (e.g., American Psychological Association [APA]).  Group Authors with abbreviations have different first use & subsequent use citations. 

2. If you remove the content controls from your entire paper, PERRLA will not work correctly.

When following the instructions below, it's important that you don't remove any Content Controls from the Title Page or Reference Page.  These content controls are critical for PERRLA to continue to function correctly.

If you must remove the content controls in the references, remove them one at a time by right-clicking on each individual reference, then selecting Remove Content Control.  If you remove all Content Controls in the Reference page, PERRLA will create a new Reference Page at the end of your paper the next time you update or add a reference.

Instructions

Here's how you can update your paper for Track Changes before you turn it in:

1. Create & write your paper with PERRLA as normal.
   Click here to see how to use PERRLA to write a paper.
2. Once you're done, highlight just the body of the paper.
   It's important you don't highlight the Title Page, first page Title, or Reference section.
3. Right click the highlighted text & click "Remove Content Control."

The citations will remain in your paper as plain text wherever you created them.

***To re-iterate the above, newly created citations for References with a Group Author & abbreviation may not show the correct citation (e.g., American Psychological Association [APA]).  Group Authors with abbreviations have different first use & subsequent use citations.