MegaSack DRAW - This year's winner is user - rgwb
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Hi,
I'm reviewing a paper for a research journal. Can anybody recommend some freeware that I can use to annotate a PDF and then save the annotations to the PDF?
I've tried Acrobat Reader DC (pay) and PDF Exchange (pay). With Mendeley it is possible but a faff. I've got a lot of comments and corrections, so I'd prefer not to use this. My usual PDF reader, Sumatra, doesn't have a comment/annotation function.
I've scribbled all over a paper print of the paper, and I'd rather not send them that 😀
Cheers,
HR
Word in Office 13 can open PDFs if that's any help.
Hi
You can annotate PDF docs just using the free PDF viewer thing. You just right click or something, and add a sticky note
I used to use Foxit Reader. Good piece of software IMO.
You can add comments very easily.
[url= https://www.foxitsoftware.com/products/pdf-reader/ ]https://www.foxitsoftware.com/products/pdf-reader/[/url]
If on a mac, just use Preview.
If you have an ipad, which is my preferred annotation weapon for papers, then iAnnotate PDF.
Adobe reader does let you add comments (highlight something, add the comment) though.
Though this is all reviewing papers for colleagues etc. No review I've ever had to do or received from the publisher has been via an annotated PDF, it's always been text comments separate to the doc.
When using these tools, you need to make sure that the annotations carry across to the software the person you are sending it to uses.
ie I'm not sure that annotations applied in Acrobat will appear if opened in Apple's Preview app. Ditto Foxit reader.
geoffj - I didn't know that Word could open (and convert) PDFs. I'll try it now.
*loading Word 2013*
IA - There's two options, send them an annotated copy of the manuscript or type in the comments in the comments box. The original manuscript (sent as pdf) doesn't have the lines of text numbered, so it's not easy to define my comments w.r.t. the original document. It'd be easier if they sent a .docx file.
*Word 2013 is converting the PDF to .docx*
Doesn't look great on word. The line numbers have appeared but aren't consistent. I'll count the lines, mark them and then write the comments as separate text comments. Slow, but overall less fuss.
Why bother with line numbers?
Normally I'd say something like:
"in paragraph 5, starting "Doesn't look great on word.." you suggest manually counting lines. I'd argue this is unnecessary and not common practice"
etc.
I use iAnotate on the iPad extensively for work marking up PDFs, it's outstanding. It's not free though but cheap and well worth the £8-ish it costs
I'm not sure that annotations applied in Acrobat will appear if opened in Apple's Preview app
They do.