Queries For AutoText and AutoCorrect

Updated February 18, 2022

Below is a list of standard queries for importing into Word’s AutoText or AutoCorrect libraries using the macros ImportAutoTextQueries or ImportAutoCorrect, which are embedded in this document. Deleting entries in these lists is done using the macros DeleteAutoTextQueries or DeleteAutoCorrect, which are also embedded. The macros can be run by double-clicking the blue links below under the Run Macros heading or with buttons on the Quick Access Toolbar that comes along with this document.

Query List and Macro Use

— Queries are divided into sections A through E for content not covered in Chicago and sections 1 through 16 for content addressed in a Chicago chapter.

— Query names are coded based on the subject. Names must be at least four characters long and not duplicate existing names.

— Placeholder content is highlighted in yellow (for AutoText visibility) and surrounded by brackets (for AutoCorrect visibility).

— Queries imported into AutoText are assigned the category Queries.

— If queries are imported as AutoCorrect entries, styling is not imported.

— If queries are imported as AutoText entries, all formatting of the query text will be imported.

— It is recommended that entries be imported into either AutoText or AutoCorrect but not both.

— Any paragraph that includes a tab character is treated content to be imported. A well-formed entry consists of the query name, one tab character, and the query text.

— Query text cannot include paragraph breaks. To create a break within a query insert a soft return (shift + enter).

— AutoCorrect entries are limited to 255 characters and you will get an error message if an entry is longer than that.

— If AutoText entries do not appear in the dialogue box immediately, restart Word. AutoCorrect entries will be available immediately upon importing.

— The macros do not check for duplication; importing will overwrite an existing entry with a new one. However, the dialogue box preview for AutoText may not be updated until Word is closed and reopened, so this may not be immediately apparent.

— The macros delete queries based on the query names in this document. If query names are changed between insertion and deletion, queries may be left in your Word template and will have to be manually deleted.

General Guidance on Querying

— In general, keep query language concise, precise, and polite.

— Avoid phrasing that could be read as opinionated: use “I noticed” rather than “I think.”

— Phrase queries as questions rather than answers when this is appropriate (ask, don’t tell).

— Limit technical explanations.

— Provide a proposed solution or a few choices.

— Avoid phrasing that requires a detailed answer; instead phrase in a way that allows a “yes” or “no” answer.

— Phrase proposals so that acceptance is easy.

— Include some positive evaluations in queries.

Run Macros

A—Introductory Queries

int1	Where I have proposed rephrasing, the revision is intended to be a suggestion, so please feel free to substitute a different revision that addresses the underlying issue.

B—General Issues

gen1	Does this adjustment convey your intended meaning?

C—Continuity and Factuality

con1	AU: Continuity—On page [page] [this happens], but here [this happens]

D—Sense

sen1	AU: As the reader may not know what [term] means, could you define it here?

E—Style

rep1	AU: If repetition here isn’t desirable/intentional, state something like [alternative]?

1—Books and Journals

boo1	AU: The [section name] is missing from the front/back matter. Is this intentional?

2—Manuscript Preparation

man1	I’ve revised this passage to follow [style guide] style, which discourages [issue].

3—Illustrations and Tables

ill1	AU: No credit is provided for this illustration. Do you have information on the source that can be added?

4—Rights, Permissions, and Copyright

rig1	AU: [Quoting of song lyrics] typically requires formal permission. Has this been obtained already? If not, do you want to consider paraphrasing or a similar adjustment to avoid the need to get permission?

5—Grammar

gra1	AU: I’ve suggested rephrasing here to avoid a dangling participle that can be misread to mean that [incorrect meaning]. As adjusted, does this convey your meaning?

5—Usage

use1	AU: Do you mean “[new term]” ([definition1]) rather than “[old term]” ([definition2])?

6—Punctuation

pun1	Per Chicago, I have suggested adding a comma between independent clauses unless they are both very short and clearly related to one another. However, since “short” is open to interpretation, let me know if you have a different preference.

7—Spelling and Distinctive Treatment of Words, and Compounds

spe1	AU: Here the spelling is “[spelling1]” but on page [page1] it is “[spelling2]”; do you have a preference for one or the other throughout the manuscript?

8—Names, Terms, and Titles

nam1	Titles are typically only capitalized when appearing before a proper name, so I’ve made changes accordingly here and elsewhere.

9—Numbers

num1	Numbers at the beginning of a sentence are spelled out in Chicago style, so I’ve suggested revisions here and elsewhere. Alternately these sentences could be rephrased to relocate the numerals to another location in the sentence.

10—Abbreviations

abb1	AU: [Abbreviation] only appears a few times, so use the full term here and elsewhere? Or, if the abbreviation is the primary way readers know the term, could the abbreviation appear in parentheses after the full term to help unfamiliar readers?

11—Other Languages

lan1	Non-English words that don’t appear in Merriam-Webster are typically italicized on the first use, so I’ve adjusted the formatting here.

12—Mathematics

mat3	I have replaced x with a multiplication symbol (×).

13—Quotations and Dialogue

quo1	AU: I’ve suggested an adjustment here as [dialogue tag] is not a standard verb of speech. Does this convey your intended meaning?

14/15—Notes and Bibliography

not1	Because Word does not allow comments to be added to the text of endnotes or footnotes, comments and queries related to note content are attached to the note numbers.

16—Indexes

ind1	I have proposed adjusting the order of terms in this list to consistently follow Chicago’s system of alphabetizing words letter by letter.