When editing a document using a computer and a word processing program, you can often turn on a feature that allows you to track the changes you make to the document. As an editor, this can help you convey to your client exactly what you have changed so that they can either accept the changes or convert them back. This also lets your client know that you really worked on the document and provided significant help.
The comment feature, in both Microsoft Word and Open Office, allows an editor to insert comments that do not change the text of the document but can provide guidance, questions or suggestions. The comment feature is a good choice when you are unsure of how to fix a piece of text but want to communicate to the client that something needs to be adjusted.
Although this might seem obvious, some editors might avoid using the spell and grammar checkers provided in most world processing programs because they feel that their judgment is a better way to edit. Although it is true that these automated checkers sometimes make mistakes, it can be useful to run both checks before beginning the actual edit, while evaluating the responses to make sure that changes are necessary, to get the most obvious and easily corrected mistakes out of the way before you begin the more in-depth revision.
Some online editing programs, both free and fee-based, can help you edit your documents with ease. Some allow you to easily share edited documents that are saved in an online location. They also can allow for collaborative editing, where you can send your edited version of the document to your client for suggestions or clarifications, receive their comments and then revise again based on that information.