Comprehensive Guide to File Anonymization for Peer Review

Text Content Anonymization

Before submitting your document for peer review, you should carefully review and modify several key elements:

• Replace all instances of author names in the main text with “Author” (for example, change “As Smith (2023) demonstrated…” to “As Author (2023) demonstrated…”)
• Remove all institutional affiliations from the title page and headers
• Modify references to use “Author” format:
  • Original format: Smith, J. (2023). The impact of climate change…
  • Modified format: Author. (2023). The impact of climate change…
• Remove or create placeholders for acknowledgments sections
• Examine headers and footers for any identifying information
• Remove or modify any biographical notes

Common Oversight Areas

Pay particular attention to these frequently overlooked locations where identifying information might appear:

• Figure captions and table descriptions
• Appendices and supplementary materials
• Funding statements and grant acknowledgments
• Dataset attributions and data availability statements
• Running headers and footers
• File names (consider using generic names such as “manuscript.docx”)

Microsoft Word (Windows) Instructions

Follow these steps to remove hidden metadata from your Word document:

1. Open your document in Microsoft Word
2. Navigate to File menu
3. Select “Info” from the left sidebar
4. Click “Check for Issues” button
5. Select “Inspect Document”
6. In the Document Inspector dialog:
   • Select all checkboxes for comprehensive inspection
   • Pay special attention to “Document Properties and Personal Information”
7. Click “Inspect”
8. Review results and select “Remove All” for each category
9. Click “Close”
10. Save your document

Microsoft Word (MacOS) Instructions

For MacOS users, follow this process:

1. Open your document
2. Click Tools in the menu bar
3. Select “Protect Document”
4. Check “Remove personal information from this file on save”
5. Click “OK”
6. Save your document
7. Verify changes by reopening the document

PDF Document Instructions

To anonymize PDF files:

1. Open your PDF file
2. Access File Properties:
   • Windows: Use Ctrl + D
   • MacOS: Use Command + D
   • Alternative: Navigate to File → Properties
3. Clear these fields:
   • Author
   • Subject
   • Keywords
   • Additional metadata
4. Click “OK”
5. Save the document
6. Create a new copy to ensure changes persist

Document Opening Test

• Close your document completely
• Reopen it and inspect properties again
• Note that some changes may not persist until proper saving

External Viewer Test

• Open the document in a different program
• Check if any identifying information appears
• For PDFs, test in multiple PDF readers

Search Test

Perform comprehensive searches for:

• Your name and variations
• Your institution
• Your email address
• Common identifying terms

Creating Clean Copies

• Work from a fresh copy of your document
• Save anonymized versions with clear naming (e.g., “manuscript_anonymous_v1.docx”)
• Maintain original versions in a separate location

Systematic Approach

• Utilize a checklist methodology
• Document all changes made
• Have a colleague verify anonymization

File Naming Conventions

• Use generic, non-identifying names
• Avoid institutional or personal identifiers
• Consider using submission numbers if provided

Persistent Personal Information

If personal information continues to appear:

1. Create a new, blank document
2. Use “Paste Special” → “Unformatted Text” to copy content
3. Reformat as needed
4. Save as a new file

Track Changes History

To remove revision history:

1. Accept or reject all changes
2. Disable track changes
3. Save as a new document
4. Verify no change history remains