“Find and Replace” Function
That Little Extra: Using the “Find and Replace” Function
One function that can prove invaluable is the “Find and Replace” function in your word processing software. It allows you to quickly locate a specific word or section of your document by simply opening “Find” and entering your search criteria in the locator field. This tool is especially helpful when you need to change a specific word or phrase. For example, say you wrote a paper giving credit for a design or idea to John Doe; then, after a lengthy discussion of the idea, having used the name John Doe many times, you discover that the person’s name was actually John Roe. Using “Find and Replace,” you can simply type in the name Doe under “Find” and Roe under “Replace.” Voila! Every instance of Doe has been replaced with Roe.
Of course, bear in mind that if you mentioned a female deer somewhere in the piece, that doe would also be replaced with roe, the name for fish eggs! Also, every instance of does and doesn’t would be changed to roes and roesn’t. So check your program’s “Find and Replace” function for advanced options such as “case specific” or “whole word only” before clicking “Replace,” and always check your document afterward for errors.