Attach each comment to a specific place
Select the relevant passage and describe the question or requested change. “Unclear” helps less than identifying the missing term or connection. When suggesting an alternative, explain why so the editor is not simply choosing between personal wording preferences.
Separate factual errors from optional improvements. An incorrect figure needs different treatment from a suggestion to shorten a sentence. Use understandable wording rather than colors whose meaning is not shared.
Resolve contradictions
When two comments request incompatible changes, name someone to clarify the decision. Do not simply implement the latest suggestion and leave the earlier one unexplained. Refer to the decision so both comments can close understandably.
Long fundamental discussions may need a separate brief conversation. Record the outcome beside the affected comment afterwards. The document need not preserve the entire exchange, but the resulting edit should remain traceable.
Do not confuse resolved with disappeared
Check that an edit happened before marking its comment complete. The precise feature depends on the application. Deleting a remark and resolving it traceably may have different effects on later review.
Before sharing, inspect remaining comments or editing marks and whether they suit the audience. Check exported copies too. Identify the approved version clearly so later comments do not unknowingly continue on an old draft. Feedback then remains part of a defined editing process rather than another disorganised task list. Where a comment is deliberately rejected, give a brief reason so its author knows the point was considered rather than missed.
Separate a question from an instruction
A comment such as “Is this period correct?” does not yet say which period should be inserted. Assign the question to someone who can resolve it and add the decision after the answer arrives. Only then can the wording be changed reliably.
If several comments concern the same underlying issue, gather the decision in an identifiable place. Refer other comments to it instead of distributing slightly different answers. This makes it clear which conclusion governs the revision.
Close a comment only when it has served its purpose. A documented answer may be enough for a question, while a requested change needs checking in the actual content. A tidy comments view is useful but should not hide unresolved substantive issues. Explicitly pass remaining uncertainties on during handover, including who is expected to answer them and whether they prevent the document from being used in its current state.
For a substantial document, briefly reviewing disputed points together may help. Limit that discussion to genuinely open decisions instead of reading out every comment that has already been resolved.
