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Useful and Easy Tips when Working with Google Docs
Useful and Easy Tips when Working with Google Docs
Collaboration remains a core strength of Google Docs, the features listed below are key aspects within the application.
Enter doc.new within your browser to create a new Google Doc fast!
Using Chrome or Firefox – if you aren’t logged into your Google account you will be prompted to login.
2. Talk instead of type -- Voice Typing
With voice typing on, whatever you say out loud will be typed out on the screen in real time.
Using Chrome, start a new Google document
From the Tools menu > select Voice Typing.
When you're ready to speak, click the microphone icon.
You can use different phrases to add punctuation to your text. Punctuation might not be available in every language:
Period, Comma, Exclamation point, Question mark, New line, and New paragraph
Tip: This feature is only available in Chrome browsers.
3. Discuss and Edit - Suggestions & Editing
Suggesting Mode allows you to track changes live in the document so you can review and accept individual changes. You can suggest changes to a document without changing the original text. If the owner approves your suggestions, they replace the original text.
From a Google doc, select the text that you want to change. A button appears in the right margin and click on Suggest edits.
In the top right, click Editing and then from the drop-down, select Suggesting.
To Access: Editing’ button (the one with the pencil icon in upper right corner)
Click Request edit access. Ask the file owner to share the document with you as a Commenter or Editor.
Edit the document.
You’ll see your change in a new color. Anything you delete will be crossed out.
To add more detail, click your suggestion and type a comment. Then click Reply.
The owner of the file will receive an email about your suggestions and can decide whether to keep them.
4. Add a Comment
Open a document, spreadsheet or presentation.
Highlight the text, images, cells or slides that you want to comment on.
To add a comment, in the toolbar, click Add comment .
Type/enter your comment, click on Comment
5. View Changes to your Google Doc
Click on File, select See Version History
Can see the up to 30 days of file revisions with each person’s changes showing in a unique color.
Show more detailed revisions’ button at the bottom to get a minute by minute view of the edits that have been made to the document.
Choose the latest version. You can find who updated the file and their changes.
6. Smart Clips
Enter @ to add smart clips
Type the @ key within a Google doc to bring up a dynamic list of people, places, files, dates or groups.
Select any of the items displayed to create what Google calls a smart clip. Each chip injects a bit of web-connected magic into your doc.
7. Compare Two Documents
One of the lesser-known and hidden features of Google Docs. It is a handy feature, allowing users to see the differences between two documents.
Open the first document you want to compare
From the Tools menu, select Compare Documents.
A dialog box will appear on the screen asking you to select another document from your Drive to compare against the first opened document. Click on Compare and when ready Open the comparison document.
The new document shows all the comparisons in two different ways. You can see strike-throughs of the original text in the document, and you can also see comments on the side of the documents.
8. Display Document Activity
To view the Activity dashboard for a file, users must have Edit access to the file and they must be in the same domain as the file owner. Users can't view the Activity dashboard for files outside their domain.
Click on Tools and select Activity Dashboard
The viewing history of each person the file is shared with is displayed in the Viewers section.
9. Adding Citations
You can add citations and a bibliography to your Google Doc with these styles:
MLA (8th ed.), APA (7th ed.), Chicago Author-Date (17th ed.)
Add a citation source:
Add a citation source:
In the Citations sidebar, under your selected style, click + Add citation source.
Select your source type.
Select how you accessed your source.
You can use a URL to search for websites or online newspapers, or use an ISBN number to search for books.
Enter and/or edit any source information in the fields.
Recommended fields include a blue asterisk.
Click Add citation source.
10. Google Research
The tool opens in a side panel within a Google Doc that allows you to search the web without opening a new tab. Additionally, you can preview the web links that come up in the search and can add a citation with the doc.
To access the tool:
Tools > Explore or press Ctrl + Alt +Shift + I
Opens side panel allows you to search the web- without opening a new tab
preview web links, cite source with 1 click
Search for images, drag and drop into doc
11. Inserting Links - Google Search
Based on the word highlighted, Google automatically shows the top search results for that word.
Select a word or words from document and press:
Ctrl + K or Command + KThis will add a link directly into or within a Google Doc
12. Access Keyboard Shortcuts
Like many applications, Google Drive has keyboard shortcuts and using the most common ones can increase productivity.
How to access the list of shortcuts?
Press Ctrl + / or Command + /
13. Downloading Google Documents
Open a Google document, spreadsheet, or presentation.
Click on File and select Download.
Choose a file type . The file will download onto your computer.
14. Read and write in any language with translation
Tools > Translate document
Tons of language options, select a language and press Translate.
When using educational technology tools, be FERPA aware. To learn more, visit the Registrar's FERPA Guidelines site.
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