Alert for Authors Concerning Word 2007

If you write articles for magazines, you should be aware of some new restrictions. Two of the nation's most prestigious magazines have advised authors that they cannot accept articles written in Microsoft Word 2007, and I expect that more magazines will follow soon. There are two different problems involved.

Microsoft introduced a new default format for documents created with Microsoft Word 2007, called "DOCX," replacing the previous DOC format. DOCX is not compatible with DOC. DOCX is not the only format available, only the default when you first install Word 2007. Anyone who saves documents in DOCX format runs the risk that others may not be able to open the file. Word 2007 will also save files in the older DOC format if you specifically tell it to, and the default can be changed.

Anyone using Word 2003, Word 2002, or Word 2000 may be able to open a DOCX file by first downloading and installing some free software. "Microsoft Office Compatibility Pack for 2007 Office Word, Excel and PowerPoint File Formats" will convert MOST of the data in a DOCX file to DOC format. (See the note later in this article about math formulas that do not get converted properly.)

Word for Macintosh cannot (yet) read DOCX files. However, several third-party DOCX-to-DOC format converters exist for Macintosh systems. I have used DocXConverter 1.3, which is available at http://downloads.zdnet.co.uk/0,1000000375,39313862s,00.htm.

The problem would first seem simple: convert the text back to DOC format. However, a second problem arises if math formulas or special characters are involved. Luckily, this will affect only a minority of authors. It seems that Word 2007 creates all math formulas in a manner that cannot be converted back to earlier formats. Some special characters, such as Greek letters, also do not translate properly.

Science Magazine, the journal of the America Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS), itself the largest scientific society in the world, has updated its authoring guidelines. The news is not good for anyone using Word 2007:

Because of changes Microsoft has made in its recent Word release that are incompatible with our internal workflow, which was built around previous versions of the software, Science cannot at present accept any files in the new .docx format produced through Microsoft Word 2007, either for initial submission or for revision. Users of this release of Word should convert these files to a format compatible with Word 2003 or Word for Macintosh 2004 (or, for initial submission, to a PDF file) before submitting to Science.

Science also states:

Users of Word 2007 should also be aware that equations created with the default equation editor included in Microsoft Word 2007 will be unacceptable in revision, even if the file is converted to a format compatible with earlier versions of Word; this is because conversion will render equations as graphics and prevent electronic printing of equations, and because the default equation editor packaged with Word 2007 -- for reasons that, quite frankly, utterly baffle us -- was not designed to be compatible with MathML. Regrettably, we will be forced to return any revised manuscript created with the Word 2007 default equation editor to authors for re-editing. To get around this, please use the MathType equation editor or the equation editor included in previous versions of Microsoft Word.

Nature Magazine seems to have the same issues. Here is an excerpt from Nature's newly-revised guidelines for authors:

We currently cannot accept files saved in Microsoft Office 2007 formats. Equations and special characters (for example, Greek letters) cannot be edited and are incompatible with Nature's own editing and typesetting programs.

I have not yet heard of any guidelines from genealogy publications. However, be aware that use of DOCX format will create numerous compatibility problems.

I am sure this problem will eventually fade away as more and more new programs add DOCX format to their list of acceptable formats. However, in the year 2007, I'd suggest that you stick with an older version of Word, use a different word processor, or always store Word 2007 documents in DOC format, while also avoiding math formulas and special characters.

NOTE: This article was written with OpenOffice.org version 2.2.0.

Comments

[Whitehouse Family History Centre]

My concern is about Excel 2007. I draw family trees and construct databases for the WHITEHOUSE surname in Excel 2003. I e-mail the trees and provide free downloads of data from a website. I had hoped that use of Excel would make the trees universally readable and the databases, when downloaded from the website, universally sortable from the downloaded order into other orders. I am dismayed to learn that Excel 2007 users might not be able to take advantage of these services.

[Joan McIlmoyl Cleghorn]

Gee Dick, you're just full of good news today. Between this and the inkjet longevity issue..... I notice you used Open Office for the article - I was pleasantly surprised to find it had been installed on my new desktop last year and commended the shop where my machine had been built.

8-)
Joan

[Saundra Brown]

I became fed up with Microsoft Office and then downloaded a free Open Office suite that reads all of Microsoft Office documents. The address is www.openoffice.org
I remember how Microsoft pushed and shoved aside Lotus suite and WordPerfect and its companions in order to gain prominence.

[Margaret]

Why does Microsoft create versions that are incompatible with former versions? Bill Gates seems to all about helping Africa, but manages to make life worse for his own customers. Didn't anyone at Microsoft check to see if the versions of Word were compatible?

Apple manages to make its software able to read PC documents, but Microsoft cannot make its own versions compatible with one another!

[Matt]

Interesting that you should pick so hard on W2007 defaulting to .docx format. As I recall your Open Office 2 also installs with a non .doc format. I'm no Word fan but your critique seems overly harsh.

[Denny]

I still use the MSWord that goes with my Office 2000. All of the "upgrades" to Word (and Office) since 2000 have added automatic formatting and "styles" and other bells & whistles that drive me insane! I've turned all of that stuff off in my Word 2000 and when I need formatting I do my own! I've owned several computers since 2000 and I've had the "new" versions of Office and Word, but I keep uninstalling them and going back to my old reliable (Office 2000 still works properly in WindowsXP). This problem with Word 2007 just reinforces my belief that the old software is better.

[Dick Eastman]

Both Word 2007 and OpenOffice.org default to a format other than .DOC. Both can have that default changed to be .DOC. However, as explained in the article, Word 2007's .DOC format is buggy; it is not 100% compatible with other .DOC files. That is what created the problem in the first place; magazines cannot accept files in Word 2007's .DOC format.

OpenOffice.org can save in .DOC format and it is 100% compatible.

Word 2007 created problem, OpenOffice.org can fix that problem.

- Dick Eastman
(wireless on the laptop in Erie, PA)

[Linda Gutierrez]

You mention special characters and the Greek alphabet. What about other languages such as Spanish, French and German? Would converting a document to the .doc format also affect those special characters?

I just downloaded the trial software recently after discovering that my copy of Office 2003, which I liked very much, wasn't genuine. So far, I am finding that I really like 2007 even though I find myself hunting for things that I am accustomed to in other versions.

I noticed when I installed the trial that I was given the option of maintaining other versions of Office or overwriting them. Assuming you can keep the older version as well, could you actually prepare a document in 2007 and paste it into an older version and save it in the older version to avoid the conversion issue in 2007 that is explained above?

[Carlo Piana]

To those who complain that Openoffice does not save .doc format as a default option, may I remind that .doc format is a proprietary undisclosed standard that Openoffice guys managed to reverese engineer *despite* the efforts of Microsoft? It is also worth mentioning that Openoffice.org saves in Open Doc, which is the only ISO standard approved so far? You seem to have it the wrong way: the question is why Office does not save a 100% ISO standard, and sticks with its proprietary, undisclosed format?

[David Creelman]

I believe the statement that magazines will not accept work written in Word 2007 is completely false. The spicy beginning of the article is in fact explained quite differently deeper in the text.
Articles SAVED in the new .docx format can't be read by most word processors now, so of course they will forbid that. Any intelligent informed person will save and submit in .doc until and if .docx takes over.

Word 2007 is actually the most innovative thing to come out of Microsoft in some time. The ease of use, once you adjust to the new interface is remarkable. It may be the best word processor ever in fact. Don't listen to me. Check the sources you trust. The reviews have been great.

I don't mind Microsoft bashing. There are lots of targets(I have my own Vista complaints.), and Microsoft should certainly not have a monopoly in any area. That isn't good for anyone.

But Word 2007 is not deserving based on it's PERFORMANCE. It's a top notch program, and likely a stiff challenge to all competitors.

[Bob Franklin]

When writing articles for newsletters, I always use a text editor not a word processor. I have found that gedit works very well and saves files as plain text (ASCII). While gedit is a Linux only application and is a small and lightweight text editor for the GNOME Desktop, Windows users will have to use the very lacking Notepad or a third party text editor. Linux and gedit has been a refreshing experience to my computing needs and it still amazes me why so many users are still fighting a never ending battle with all of Windows headaches.

Note: written in Linux using gedit.

[Dick Eastman]

---> Articles SAVED in the new .docx format can't be read by most word processors now, so of course they will forbid that. Any intelligent informed person will save and submit in .doc until and if .docx takes over.

Actually, if you go back and read the article, you will note that saving in .DOC format in Word 2007 is a major problem for some of the magazines. It seems that special characters and also math formulas Word 2007's .DOC format are not compatible with previous versions of Word or with other word processors.

This is a major issue for Nature Magazine and for Science Magazine and many others. I doubt if the problem with math formulas will be much of an issue for genealogy publications as they rarely contain formulas. However, the problems with special characters still can be a problem.

- Dick Eastman