Overview

The eXtyles Auto-Redact function automates common, time-consuming Word edits so that editors and copy editors don’t have to spend time making repetitive or minor edits. The Auto-Redact function automatically performs a complex set of text substitutions in a document to bring it into compliance with some of the predefined publication styles and standards of WTO.

Auto-Redact substitutions are based on user-defined rules. Your custom eXtyles configuration is based on detailed customer-specific information gathered from WTO and implemented by the eXtyles configuration team. Rules related in some way to each other (e.g., rules dealing with abbreviations of units of measure or rules that convert British spelling into American spelling) are assembled into eXtyles "dictionaries." There are three categories of dictionaries:

  • General dictionaries, which apply to all documents processed by eXtyles

  • Publisher-specific dictionaries, which apply to all documents of a specific publisher

  • Publication-specific dictionaries, which apply to all documents of a single publication within a publisher group (e.g., to a single journal within a publisher family)

eXtyles automatically loads the correct dictionaries based on the document information you have supplied during the activation and normalization process.

Using Auto-Redact

Auto-Redact should be run immediately after paragraph styling. The process will apply a set of rules that make editorial changes to the content of the document. To launch the process, simply click the Auto-Redact button on the eXtyles ribbon.

The changes eXtyles makes to your content during this Auto-Redact stage are not tracked (e.g., by Word's Track Changes function). But, fear not. You can still easily view any changes that were made to your content using eXtyles's Compare to Baseline function.

Remember, Auto-Redact is a safe and efficient way to quickly make routine editorial changes to your content; it is a thoughtful set of rules that are, among other things, context-specific. For example, Auto-Redact will avoid making changes to quoted material and references.

To proof Auto-Redact changes using Compare to Baseline, simply click "Compare to Baseline" on the eXtyles ribbon, select the version of the document you want to compare against, and click OK.

Whenever you run Auto-Redact, eXtyles will automatically make a backup copy of your manuscript. Having a backup copy allows you to use Compare to Baseline immediately after Auto-Redact to review the changes that are made by eXtyles. Inera recommends that the first several times you use Auto-Redact you do a Compare to Baseline check of the changes. After performing this check several times, you may feel confident enough in Auto-Redact that you omit the Compare to Baseline check from your workflow. However, you may also find that you prefer to continue this check, as it is a quick and easy way to proof Auto-Redact changes.

Do not edit the baseline comparison file (or the baseline file itself). The baseline comparison file is just for you to use for comparison purposes. Always make your changes in the working Word document. If the document title reads Compare Result 1 and there are changes tracked in the document, you’re looking at a comparison document. If you want to adjust or reject one of the Auto-Redact changes, close or minimize the comparison document and make your edits in the working Word document.

If you find that during editing you are making the same changes over and over (either manually or via Word's find-and-replace function), let us know! There's a good chance we can write an Auto-Redact rule (or two) to automatically make those changes for you.